How to Apply to Chemistry at the University of Bath: Chemistry, Chemistry for Drug Discovery and Chemistry with Management, Three-Year BSc or Four-Year MChem/MSci, With Placement or Study Abroad Versions, Royal Society of Chemistry Accredited — Admission and Entry Requirements for Home, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

The University of Bath is in Bath, in south-west England, and its chemistry degrees are taught in the Department of Chemistry. This guide sets out, from the university website, what you need to know about its chemistry undergraduate degrees for September 2027 entry, for UK home applicants, international applicants (including students at Chinese high schools) and students who want to enter a later year. The website also lists chemical engineering, biosciences, pharmacology and pharmacy, which are outside this guide; see the relevant subject pages on the website.

1. Courses and how to choose

• Chemistry (the 2027 Chemistry subject page): Chemistry BSc (Hons) I110 (3 years) and the version with a professional placement or study abroad I111 (4 years); Chemistry MChem (Hons) I112 (4 years) and with a professional placement or study abroad I113 (listed as 4 years on the course page).
• Chemistry for Drug Discovery: BSc I120 (3 years) and with placement or study abroad I121 (4 years); MChem I122 (4 years) and with placement or study abroad I123 (4 years). The page says major pharmaceutical companies contributed to the course design, with a focus on preparing drugs, how they work and the drug discovery process.
• Chemistry with Management: BSc I130 (3 years) and with placement or study abroad I131 (4 years); MSci I132 (4 years) and with a professional placement I133 (5 years). The page says at least a quarter of the credits are management topics taught by the School of Management.
• MChem / MSci versus BSc: the MChem page says it gives the same core skills and knowledge as the bachelor’s but with greater exposure to research and advanced practical techniques, including a major research project throughout the final year.
• You apply to a specific course by UCAS code; Bath’s institution code is B16. The subject page says the core material in the first year of all chemistry courses is the same, so you can switch courses; the BSc Chemistry page adds a 10-credit first-year option chosen from chemistry, drug discovery or management units.
• First year and laboratories: the BSc Chemistry page lists first-year core units in analytical and spectroscopic techniques (10 credits), foundations and applications of chemistry (20), skills for chemists (10) and a Year 1 laboratory (10). Year 2 includes a Year 2 laboratory, characterisation and spectroscopy, computational chemistry and fundamental concepts; the final year has project options. The page says each year is 120 credits (60 ECTS), with typically 15 to 20 contact hours a week in the first year, and first-year assessment of 55–65% examinations and 35–45% coursework including practical work.
• Accreditation and placement: the course pages say the course is fully accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The placement versions let you take a professional placement or study at an overseas partner in the third year; the page says opportunities cannot be guaranteed but a specialist team supports you.

2. Timeline and route (2027 entry)

• All applications go through UCAS, including those from international students (application guide). You need the course UCAS code, Bath’s code B16, a personal statement and an academic reference, and you pay the UCAS fee (check the amount on UCAS).
• Each chemistry course page gives both the Home and the Overseas application deadline as 13 January 2027 and says Home and Overseas students can apply. The application guide says that after the deadline places are not guaranteed.
• After you apply you receive an email for the Application Tracker, where you follow progress and upload documents; check it regularly.
• Interviews: the chemistry course page says selection is usually based on your UCAS application; if you are studying certain qualifications such as an Access to HE Diploma, a Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma or a T Level you will be invited to interview, and very exceptionally an interview may be offered if circumstances cannot be assessed from the application. The page does not mention a written test; not given on the pages used for this guide, so ask admissions.

3. Prerequisites and grades

• Subjects (BSc Chemistry page): a strong performance in Chemistry and at least one other science or mathematics subject. Accepted subjects include Biology or Human Biology, Computer Science, Economics, Environmental Science, Geography, Geology, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics, Psychology and Statistics. The page says that if you have studied additional science or mathematics subjects the required grades may be lower. Your personal statement should show enthusiasm for chemistry.
• GCSE: Mathematics grade 6 or B; English Language or Literature grade 4 or C (or an equivalent from the English language category C).
• Typical A-Level offer: with Chemistry and at least two other mathematics or science subjects, AAB including A in Chemistry and two other science or mathematics subjects; with Chemistry and only one other, AAA including Chemistry and one other science or mathematics subject. With four or more subjects the lower (AAB) normally applies. The typical offer is the same on each chemistry course page.
• IB Diploma: 36 points with 6, 6, 5 in three Higher Level subjects including 6 in Chemistry and 5 in a second science or mathematics course. Either HL Mathematics course and Sports, Exercise and Health Sciences are accepted as the second subject; Chemistry must be at Higher Level. If the second subject is at Standard Level, the typical offer is 36 points with 6, 5, 5 at Higher Level plus 7 at Standard Level; SL Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation cannot be the second subject.
• Alternative and contextual offers: the course page lists alternative offers (for example ABB plus an EPQ or another listed qualification) and contextual offers (ABC with Chemistry plus at least two other mathematics or science subjects, ABB with only one); contextual offers are automatic for eligible applicants. Bath’s contextual admissions page says you must be eligible for UK fees and meet one of the criteria (free school meals, area disadvantage, care leaver/young carer/estranged, refugee or asylum status); offers are normally two grades lower, and contextual offers are available to A-Level and IB applicants.

4. UK home applicants

• Qualifications: A-Levels, the IB, Scottish Advanced Highers (the course page says AB in two Advanced Highers including A in Chemistry and a second science or mathematics subject, or AA if Chemistry is the only science or mathematics Advanced Higher; applicants typically complete five Highers and Bath prefers at least AAAAB), BTEC and T Levels are all covered; the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales can replace one A-Level in the AAA offer.
• Fees: the 2027 undergraduate fees page gives £10,050 for Home students on full-time campus-based courses in 2027/28, noting it is subject to parliamentary approval and to be confirmed by the UK government; fees may rise each year by no more than 8% (as the page states). The course page says Home students may be able to take out tuition fee and living cost loans.
• Placement-year fee: for Home students the fees page says “to be confirmed by UK government” for placements and study abroad.
• Fee-status rules for students from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are not given on the pages used for this guide; see Bath’s fee status page or ask admissions.

5. International applicants

• Applying: the application guide says international students apply through UCAS in the same way as everyone else. You must show English language ability to meet Student visa requirements, and Bath’s representatives in your country can help with your application.
• English (course page, Category C): if you do not meet the English GCSE requirement you need an English qualification, for example IELTS 6.5 overall with no less than 6.0 in each component; TOEFL iBT 90 with at least 21 in each component if taken up to 21 January 2026, or 4.5 with at least 4.0 in each component if taken after that date; PTE Academic 62 with no less than 59 in any element (PTE Academic Online is not accepted); Duolingo taken after 1 July 2024 at 120 with sub-scores of Speaking 110, Writing 110, Reading 110 and Listening 105; LanguageCert Academic 70 with at least 65 in each component; Cambridge CPE or CAE 180 with at least 169 in all elements, and others.
• US applicants: Advanced Placement tests 5, 5, 4 including 5 in Chemistry and 4 in one other science or mathematics subject; AP Seminar and AP Research are not accepted; you also need grade 3 in AP Calculus AB/BC, Statistics or Precalculus, or 700 in SAT Mathematics, or 28 in ACT Mathematics.
• International Foundation Year: the course page and the international students page say that if your qualifications are not directly accepted you can take the two-semester International Foundation Year delivered with Study Group at the International Study Centre on campus; the course page says progression to your chosen degree is guaranteed if you achieve the required progression grades. The progression grades for chemistry are not given on the pages used for this guide; see the Foundation Year pathway or ask admissions.
• Tuition (2027 undergraduate fees page): for 2027/28, overseas students pay £32,950 a year in “Band 3: All Science, Engineering, Health, and Psychology courses”, and the page says to budget for increases of up to 8% each year. For placement and study-abroad years the page lists £16,475 for “MChem Chemistry with Industrial Training” and “MChem Chemistry for Drug Discovery with Industrial Training” and £9,155 for other Faculty of Science courses; those two names differ from the course page titles, so ask admissions which courses they cover.
• Scholarship (Bath International Excellence Scholarship page): up to 300 awards of £8,000 off tuition for each full-time year, up to three years (£24,000), for new first-year applicants assessed as overseas fee payers who hold an offer for September 2027. You must choose Bath as your firm choice on UCAS. You apply through the Application Tracker after receiving an offer; the page says applications open in late 2026, with Round 1 closing 14 February 2027 and Round 2 closing 31 March 2027. No discount applies to a placement or study abroad year, the scholarship stops if you become eligible for Home fees, it is for 2027 entrants only and it does not take financial hardship into account.

6. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the “National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao)” entry on the BSc Chemistry course page and the other chemistry course pages reads: 75% overall including 80% in Chemistry and 80% in a second science or mathematics subject. The same list gives scores for other qualifications such as the Taiwanese AST. The pages do not explain the base for the percentages, provincial differences or how scores are converted; not given on the pages used for this guide, so ask admissions.
• Other routes: the course pages say A-Levels or the IB Diploma are accepted from anywhere with the same requirements as for the UK, and the US curriculum is accepted; if your qualification does not meet direct entry, consider the International Foundation Year (above). Bath’s country information page has a China entry, but its content is loaded dynamically and is not given on the pages used for this guide; check the website.
• The international students page says Bath has official representatives around the world; the list for China is on the website.

7. Transfer students (entry to a later year)

• The student transfer arrangements page says that for entry in 2023 and beyond, some qualifications from other providers are recognised for direct entry to the second year (or the third year of a four-year programme); the Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach Office considers them, and applicants seeking advanced standing must apply through the standard UCAS process.
• Prior learning can be recognised through accreditation of prior learning (APL), with credit counted in ECTS and possible exemptions from units; some partner providers have articulation agreements for entry to the second, third or fourth year.
• The pages used for this guide give no grade average, required modules (for example organic, inorganic or physical chemistry), credit limits or deadline for chemistry transfers; ask admissions. The International Excellence Scholarship page is limited to new first-year applicants, so check whether direct-entry students can apply.

8. Checklist

• Choose the course and UCAS code (for example I110, I112, I120, I130); the institution code is B16.
• The deadline given on the course pages for 2027 entry is 13 January 2027.
• Check your Chemistry result and a second science or mathematics subject, GCSE Mathematics grade 6 and English grade 4 or an equivalent English qualification.
• Chinese applicants should confirm with admissions how the Gaokao line “75% overall, 80% in Chemistry, 80% in a second science or mathematics subject” is calculated.
• Rely on the university fees page; the Home fee of £10,050 is still to be confirmed by the UK government.

Sources (University of Bath website): Chemistry (2027 entry); Chemistry BSc (Hons); Chemistry MChem (Hons); Chemistry for Drug Discovery BSc; Chemistry with Management BSc; Applying for an undergraduate course; Tuition fees for undergraduate students starting in 2027; Bath International Excellence Scholarship; International students; Student transfer arrangements; Contextual admissions. Check UCAS for deadlines and the application fee. Information is for September 2027 entry; where a page prints no year, check the website for whether it applies to 2027.