How to Apply to Biology at the University of Aberdeen: Four-Year BSc Degrees in Biology, Biological Sciences, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Zoology and Marine Biology, Most Accredited by the Royal Society of Biology, for Home, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

The University of Aberdeen is in the north-east of Scotland. This guide summarises the biology-related science degrees on the university website for entry in September 2027, for home applicants (Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers, or A-Levels and equivalents from England, Wales and Northern Ireland), international applicants (with a separate section for applicants from China) and transfer or advanced-entry applicants. Scottish honours degrees are normally four years, not three. The website also has biomedical sciences, pharmacology, physiology, medicine and other health degrees, which are outside this guide; check the website for them.

1. Degrees and UCAS codes

The programme pages below each state BSc, four years (48 months), full time, on campus, September start. Each except Molecular and Cellular Biology C720 also lists an Undergraduate Foundation Programme as an available pathway (see section 5).

• Biology C100: starts with a foundation in animal, plant and marine biology, then lets you specialise; common areas are conservation ecology, disease biology, physiology, behaviour and evolution. The page states accreditation by the Royal Society of Biology.
• Biological Sciences C901: covers both molecular and organismal biology, including cell biology, genetics, evolutionary genomics, ecology and physiology, with a choice of animal, plant or environmental focus; accredited by the Royal Society of Biology.
• Biochemistry C700: sits at the interface of biology and medicine and covers the molecular, cellular and organ-system levels. The website mentions an opportunity to add a year's placement in an industrial, commercial or research environment and graduate after five years with an MSci instead of a BSc; the page lists no separate UCAS code for it, so ask admissions how to apply. No accreditation is shown on the page.
• Molecular and Cellular Biology C720: the molecular study of cells and tissues, including the genetic basis of human disease and crop improvement; no accreditation is shown on the page.
• Zoology C300, Marine Biology C350, Ecology D430 and Conservation Biology C161: all four programme pages state accreditation by the Royal Society of Biology.
• The website also lists degrees such as animal behaviour, plant and soil science, environmental science and neuroscience with psychology, which this guide does not go through page by page; check their programme pages. The website says graduates of accredited programmes receive one year of free Royal Society of Biology membership in their final year.

2. Do you apply to the subject directly? How the first years work

The UCAS guidance says admission at Aberdeen is to a degree rather than a department or subject, but you should still enter your preferred degree title and UCAS code; in most cases it is easy to change your degree preference after you start. A full-price UCAS application allows up to five institutions. From the 2027 course lists:

• Biology C100: year one is eight courses, including five biology courses and a non-credit skills course. Compulsory courses are Getting Started at the University of Aberdeen, Frontiers in Biological Sciences, Diversity of Life 1 and 2, The Cell, and Ecology and Environmental Science, plus 45 credit points of your choice. Year two compulsory: Biological Enhanced Skills Training, Ecology, Comparative Physiology 1 and Introduction to Genetics. Year three compulsory includes Statistical Analysis of Biological Data, Gateway to Honours Project and Animal Evolution and Biodiversity. Year four has the compulsory SBS Honours Project, with the rest by choice. The website says the final-year research project is compulsory and honours projects are typically assessed by a written dissertation.
• Biological Sciences C901: year-one compulsory courses are the same plus Chemistry for the Life Sciences 1; year three compulsory includes Ecological Genomics; year four is again the SBS Honours Project.
• Biochemistry C700 and Molecular and Cellular Biology C720: year-one compulsory courses are Introduction to Medical Sciences, Chemistry for the Life Sciences 1 and 2, and The Cell. Year two includes Foundation Skills for Medical Sciences and Research Skills for Medical Sciences. Year three compulsory includes The Molecular Biology of The Cell, The Molecular Control of Cell Function and Frontiers of Molecular Medical Sciences. Year four is the Medical Sciences Honours Research Project plus a data analysis paper and a general essay paper. C700 year-three options include Genetics, Molecular Microbiology and the placement preparation course Working Out? Placement & Career Skills; C720 year-three compulsory includes Fundamentals of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology.
• Zoology, Marine Biology, Ecology and Conservation Biology: the pages list field courses such as the Coastal Biodiversity Field Course (five days, day trips from Aberdeen), Field Biology, Marine Field Ecology (at the Millport field centre on the Isle of Cumbrae) and Field Skills in Ecology and Animal Behaviour (residential); the Conservation Biology page mentions a one-week field course on plants and habitats in year one. Which year and which course depends on the degree, so check each page.

The Biology C100 page also lists residential field courses in the Cairngorms, Shetland, Spain or at the Lighthouse field station on the Black Isle (another list on the same page adds Yorkshire), an optional tracking and trailing field course in the South African bush, placements with scientific and non-scientific organisations, teaching placements in local schools, and overseas study in second year through partnerships with institutions in the USA, Canada, Australia, China and several European countries. Learning methods include lab work, lectures, tutorials, field work, group projects and research; assessment is any combination of coursework, practical assessments and written exams.

3. Prerequisites (2027 entry, the same on each of these pages)

• Highers: standard BBBB (applicants with BBBB will usually receive an unconditional offer), with two mathematics or science subjects; the university may ask for more if there are more applicants than places. National 5 at C or above in English and Mathematics.
• A-Levels: standard BBC, with two mathematics or science subjects; GCSE at C/4 or above in English, Mathematics and Chemistry, Physics or Dual Award Science.
• BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma: DMM, with main subjects in science or mathematics.
• Irish Leaving Certificate: five Highers at H3 with two mathematics or science subjects, and O4 in English and Mathematics.
• IB: 30 points including 5, 4, 4 at Higher Level, with two mathematics or science subjects, and English and Mathematics at SL or HL.
• The programme pages ask only for "two mathematics or science subjects" and do not name biology or chemistry. However, C901, C700 and C720 have life-science chemistry in their first-year compulsory courses; whether school chemistry is expected is not given on the pages used for this guide, so ask admissions. The website says entry information on programme pages is a short summary and does not guarantee entry.

4. Home applicants

• Highers and Advanced Highers: the website says it does not double count a Higher and Advanced Higher in the same subject, but a B at Advanced Higher is equivalent to an A at Higher. A Foundation Apprenticeship equals one Higher at A but cannot replace required subjects.
• Widening access: applicants who meet the university's widening access criteria can enter on Highers BBC (the page says such applicants are guaranteed an unconditional offer) or A-Levels CCC. See the website for the criteria.
• Fees: the programme pages list "Home Students" at £1,820 for 2027/28; for students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, £10,050 for 2027/28 (£9,790 for 2026/27), with the fee cap expected to rise each year with inflation. Fee-paying students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland may be eligible for specific scholarships. Which category you are in depends on the university fee status decision.

5. International applicants

• Academic grades: match your qualifications to section 3. The international entry page lists requirements country by country and says to email study@abdn.ac.uk if your country is not listed. For some countries the website requires a foundation year; each programme page except C720 shows an Undergraduate Foundation Programme run by the International Study Centre (aberdeen-isc.ac.uk), whose requirements are not given on the pages used for this guide, so check that site.
• English: nationals of listed English-speaking countries (including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland) are exempt, and you may also qualify through an accepted school qualification obtained within 10 years, an English-medium degree, or three A-Levels or the IB taught in English. Otherwise IELTS Academic requires 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.0 in writing; IELTS Indicator, General Training and online tests are not accepted. TOEFL iBT (different tables for tests before and after 21 January 2026), PTE Academic, LanguageCert, Cambridge, Duolingo and others are also listed; use the page for exact scores. Results must normally be from within two years before the course starts.
• Fees: EU/international tuition is listed at £24,800 for 2027/28, and £18,800 for self-funded students once the £6,000 Aberdeen Global Scholarship is included.
• Scholarship: the Aberdeen Global Scholarship is £6,000 for every year of the programme for new, self-funded, international-fee students on full-time on-campus undergraduate programmes starting in 2026/27 and 2027/28. It is a partial tuition fee waiver, no application is needed, and it appears on the CAS. It does not apply to students who are fully sponsored or have fully funded external scholarships or other University of Aberdeen scholarships (University of Aberdeen Development Trust awards excepted).
• Living costs and visa: the website recommends budgeting £1,171 per month, says students needing a Student visa also pay an NHS health surcharge of £776 per year of study, and allows 20 hours of work per week in term time for those studying more than six months, while stressing that work should not be relied on to pay for studies. These pages print no year, so check they apply to 2027 entry.

6. Applicants from China

The China country page says that for "Science" undergraduate programmes, students with an overall score of 80% or above in the Senior High School Diploma will be considered, and must score 80% or above in two science subjects; it adds that good scores in the Gaokao will also be considered. It gives no specific Gaokao score and no statement for biology degrees, and does not say which two science subjects count; confirm with the admissions office. The biology programme pages require two mathematics or science subjects (section 3). English requirements are as in section 5; the foundation route requirements are not given on the pages used for this guide, so check the International Study Centre website. The undergraduate funding listed on the China page is the Aberdeen Global Scholarship and the Arthur L McCombie Bursary (2026/27: £4,000 a year in the penultimate and/or final honours years, for up to two years; the page prints a deadline of 19 November 2026); the China Scholarship Council scholarship on that page is for PhD students only.

7. Transfer and direct entry to second year

• Advanced Entry: high-achieving applicants with Advanced Highers, A-Levels or the IB can join in second year and finish an honours degree in three years. It is available for science BSc programmes but not for Law, Medicine or Primary Education. Select "Point of Entry: Year 2" in UCAS; if that is unsuccessful you are automatically considered for first-year entry. In the university-wide table the second-year requirement for BSc Sciences is Advanced Highers AB in addition to Highers, or A-Levels BBB; check each programme page.
• College articulation (HNC/HND): for example, the Biology C100 page says year 2 entry needs HNC Animal Care, HNC Applied Sciences or HNC Wildlife & Conservation Management (120 SCQF credit points, a B in the Graded Unit, with specified ecology or statistics units), and year 3 entry the corresponding HND (B in Graded Unit 1 and A in Graded Unit 2). The Biochemistry C700 page says year 2 entry needs HNC Applied Sciences (B in the Graded Unit) and year 3 entry HND Applied Sciences (with Human Metabolism) or HND Applied Biological Sciences. These are Scottish college qualifications that most applicants from China will not hold.
• Credit transfer from other universities is not described on the pages used for this guide; ask the admissions office (ugadmissions@abdn.ac.uk).

8. Timeline for September 2027 entry

• Applicants from the UK or Republic of Ireland apply through UCAS; for most degrees the equal consideration deadline is 13 January 2027, and some degrees may still accept applications after that date, so check UCAS. The website says decisions will be sent by 12 May 2027 at the latest, hoped to be complete by the end of March; if you hold all offers by 31 March 2027, you must reply on UCAS by 5 May 2027.
• Applicants from the rest of the world also apply through UCAS. The website says applications for September 2027 must be submitted by Wednesday 30 June, and accepts applications up to Friday 13 August for those receiving results a little later in August. You must send the required documents and return the Financial Guarantee document (no CAS can be issued without it); a non-refundable deposit is due if you meet specific criteria; apply for your visa as soon as possible after receiving the CAS.
• SQA results day is 10 August 2027 and A-Level results day is 12 August 2027. Welcome Week starts 13 September 2027 and teaching starts 20 September 2027. The last date to register is 4 October 2027: you must be in Aberdeen and registered by then, and the university will not allow students to begin online or register later.
• UCAS deadlines vary by course and provider; check the UCAS website. Aberdeen's UCAS institution code is A20 (short code ABRDN).

9. Accreditation, projects and careers

The Biology C100 page lists graduate destinations including universities, research institutes, government agencies, environmental consultancies and charities, the National Health Service, and commercial aquaculture, animal nutrition and animal health, with job titles such as ecologist, environmental consultant, conservation scientist, researcher, research technician and biology teacher. It describes a dedicated careers professional for biological science students, a mentoring scheme and a volunteering fair. The Biochemistry C700 page also mentions work experience, summer placements and subject seminars.

Application checklist

1. Decide which degree and UCAS code you want, and check the two-maths-or-science prerequisite and the grades for your qualifications.
2. Check your English evidence and fee status; international applicants should check the foundation-year position.
3. Enter the degree title and UCAS code in your UCAS application and submit by the deadline that applies to you.
4. After an offer, return the documents the university asks for; international applicants should watch the financial guarantee, deposit and visa steps.

Sources from the university website: Biology C100; Biological Sciences C901; Biochemistry C700; Molecular and Cellular Biology C720; Zoology C300; Marine Biology C350; Ecology D430; Conservation Biology C161; undergraduate entry requirements; Advanced Entry; UCAS application process; key dates; international entry requirements (including China); China entry requirements; China funding; undergraduate English requirements; fee status, living costs and work; Aberdeen Global Scholarship. This is for September 2027 entry; where a page prints no year, check it applies to 2027 entry. The university website is the final authority.