How to Apply to Chemistry at the University of Strathclyde: Chemistry, Chemistry with Drug Discovery, Forensic and Analytical Chemistry and Chemistry with Teaching, BSc in Four Years and MChem in Five With a 12-Month Paid Placement, With Requirements for Home, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

The University of Strathclyde is in Glasgow, Scotland. Chemistry is taught by the Department of Pure & Applied Chemistry in the Faculty of Science. The programme pages list four chemistry routes, each as a BSc (Hons) and an MChem. This guide covers 2027 entry for home applicants, international applicants, Chinese applicants and transfer students. Chemical engineering (Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering) is an engineering subject and outside this guide; see the website. The website also lists Chemistry with Data Science (MChem), whose programme page was not used here.

1. Degrees and UCAS codes

• BSc (Hons)/MChem Chemistry: the page prints UCAS codes F100, F103 without saying which is the BSc and which the MChem; check when applying. The page describes both pure and applied chemistry, with advanced classes in photochemistry, cage and cluster modules, environmental chemistry, polymer chemistry and molecular catalysis. Both the BSc (Hons) and MChem are accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry for the educational requirement for Chartered Chemist.
• Chemistry with Drug Discovery: codes F190, F191; taught in partnership with the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences; first-year classes include Use and Abuse of Drugs in Society and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development; BSc and MChem are accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry; the MChem 12-month placement is normally in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Forensic & Analytical Chemistry: codes FF41, FC02; delivered with the Centre for Forensic Science; accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences; final-year topics include DNA analysis, toxicology, process analytical chemistry and atomic/nuclear spectroscopy; the MChem placement specialises in forensic or analytical chemistry.
• Chemistry with Teaching: codes F1XC, F1XD; combines chemistry with teacher education (Professional Graduate Diploma in Education, Secondary); accredited by the General Teaching Council for Scotland; year 4 includes 18 weeks of placement in Scottish secondary schools, one in each semester, and students must join the PVG Scheme before year 4. The website says international students should apply to BSc Hons Chemistry with Teaching (International); that page was not used for this guide.
• Length: BSc (Hons) takes four years and MChem five (the pages distinguish Year 4 BSc (Hons) from Year 5 MChem). The pages say you can switch between the BSc (Hons) and MChem courses; the Chemistry page says up to Year 3.

2. What you study

• Year 1 (Chemistry page): Chemistry: Principles & Practice 1 & 2 (40 credits: analytical, structure and bonding, physical, inorganic and organic chemistry, spectroscopy), Practical & Transferable Skills (20 credits, one lab class a week), Mathematics 1C (20 credits), Foundation Science (20 credits), plus 20 or 40 credits of electives from across the university. The page also says first year includes foundation classes in chemistry, mathematics, and physics or biology.
• Years 2–3: inorganic, organic, biological and physical chemistry; lab work rises to four afternoons a week with computer modelling and group presentations.
• Final year: specialist topics and a research project; MChem students do their project in a research laboratory with full-time researchers.
• Placement: MChem students can take a paid 12-month industrial placement in the UK or abroad, or a research and knowledge exchange placement; the site says the scheme is one of the longest-running in the UK, with more than 70 students placed each year.
• Exchange year abroad: typically in year 3, at a partner university with a similar curriculum; no extra tuition is charged by the host university and Scottish students keep SAAS funding, but travel, accommodation, living and health insurance costs are yours; MChem students can spend the placement year abroad.
• Extra costs: lab coat and safety goggles about £30, a molecular modelling kit recommended (£20), lecture notes free to download, optional textbooks £40–£80 (all recommended reading is in the library).

3. Entry requirements (programme pages, 2027 entry)

The first three routes share the same requirements; Chemistry with Teaching adds English (below). Required subjects are in brackets.

• Scottish Highers: standard requirement ABBB or AABC (Chemistry B and Maths B); minimum requirement ABBC or BBBB (Chemistry B and Maths B). Higher Applications of Mathematics is not accepted in place of Higher Mathematics; Advanced Higher Chemistry and Maths are recommended for S6. Applicants slightly below the minimum may be considered after completing the Strathclyde STEM Summer School.
• Year 2 entry: Advanced Highers ABB (Chemistry B and Maths B); A-levels ABB (Chemistry B and Maths B); IB 32 (Chemistry HL5 and Maths HL5).
• A-levels Year 1: BBB (Chemistry B and Maths B). IB Year 1: 30 (Chemistry HL5 and Maths HL5).
• HNC/HND: Year 1 entry is a relevant HNC with B in the graded unit; Year 2 entry is a relevant HND with BB in the graded units, or the Applied Sciences (Chemistry Route) HNC from Glasgow Clyde College with 15 credits and A in the graded unit. Contact the university about the relevance of your HNC/HND.
• Chemistry with Teaching adds English: Higher English C (GCSE English Language and English Literature 4/C for A-levels; English SL6 for IB); the HNC/HND routes also need National 5 Maths at C or above.
• Tests and interviews: the four programme pages do not list an admissions test or interview. The apply page says most courses make offers on the UCAS application, and courses that need an interview or portfolio say so in their entry requirements.
• Contextual admissions: the university says applicants in five categories are considered against its lower minimum entry requirements, including Scottish SIMD quintiles 1 and 2, target schools, care experience and caring responsibilities; applicants from England, Wales and Northern Ireland in POLAR4 quintile 1 get a one-grade concession in a non-essential A-level subject; for most courses care-experienced applicants who meet the minimum requirements are guaranteed an offer.

4. How to apply and timing

• The university says there are two ways to apply: UCAS for UK students, and direct application or UCAS for international students (direct application may not be available for every course). The apply option is in the Apply tab of each programme page. The UCAS institution code is S78. For 2027 entry the application fee is £34.50 for up to five choices.
• The university says that if you apply by the January deadline it will try to give you a decision by the end of March. The deadline date is not printed on the pages used for this guide; check UCAS and the apply page for the 2027 entry date.
• Deferred entry is accepted.

5. Home applicants

• Scottish applicants mainly use Highers and applicants from England, Wales and Northern Ireland use A-levels, as in section 3. Irish students may qualify for England, Wales and Northern Ireland fee status if they meet the conditions on the site.
• Tuition: Scottish fees are listed as To be confirmed (pending the Scottish Funding Council) for both 2026/27 and 2027/28, and students domiciled in Scotland may apply to SAAS to have fees paid; England, Wales and Northern Ireland students pay £9,790 for 2026/27, with 2027/28 to be confirmed. The site adds that fees on multi-year programmes can rise each year, by no more than 10%, and gives a 6% increase applied in 2027/28 as an example.
• Strathclyde Excellence Scholarship: £1,000 in each year of study for new undergraduates from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland who pay a tuition fee of £9,790 a year and achieve AAB or above at A-level (or equivalent); eligible students are identified automatically, with no separate application, and notified by the end of October. The scholarship is tied to the £9,790 fee while 2027/28 fees are still to be confirmed, so check the scholarship page.

6. International applicants

• Tuition: the programme pages list international full-time fees of £29,350 for 2026/27 and £31,100 for 2027/28; the MChem year-4 placement year is £15,550 (2027/28). International students may also have visa and immigration costs.
• English: the English language page says the Faculty of Science undergraduate standard is IELTS Academic 6.0 with no band below 5.5, and that some degrees have different requirements shown on the course page. The chemistry programme page used for this guide does not print an English requirement; check the website. The university also offers English language courses for applicants who need to improve their level.
• International scholarships: not given on the pages used for this guide; check the university scholarships page.
• Pathway: international (non-UK/Ireland) applicants who do not meet the academic requirements can take a preparation programme at the International Study Centre. The chemistry page mentions an Undergraduate Foundation Programme in Business and Social Sciences, while the English language page describes a foundation for progression to the second year of a business and social sciences or engineering and sciences-related degree; ask which applies to chemistry.

7. Applicants from China

These are the undergraduate requirements for China on the university’s international entry requirements page. The page prints no year, so check that they apply to 2027 entry, and it does not say how the scores map to the required subjects for chemistry; ask admissions.

• Year 1 entry (four years to an honours degree): Huikao 80% on average and at least 80% in the required subjects; in provinces without Huikao, 80% on average over six subjects including the required subjects.
• Year 2 entry (three years to an honours degree): the same Huikao requirement plus Gaokao of at least 525/750, or at least 70% where the total is not 750.
• The page does not list a Gaokao-only route to Year 1 or say how the high school graduation certificate is used. Contact the representatives named on the page.
• English: see the previous section.

8. Transfer students and Year 2 entry

• The programme pages state that second-year entry is available, with the requirements in section 3. The apply page says that depending on your qualifications you may be able to apply directly to Year 2 or even Year 3, and to speak to the named contact for the course.
• HNC/HND routes are in section 3; ask about relevance.
• International students can also reach second year through the International Study Centre pathway. The process and credit recognition for transferring from another university are not given on the pages used for this guide; contact ug.admissions@strath.ac.uk.

9. Checklist before you apply

• Choose a route: F100/F103, F190/F191, FF41/FC02 or F1XC/F1XD; the accrediting bodies differ (Royal Society of Chemistry, the forensic sciences society, the Scottish teaching council).
• Required subjects: Chemistry B and Maths B at A-level; Higher Applications of Mathematics does not replace Higher Mathematics.
• UCAS code S78 and fee £34.50; check the deadline on UCAS.
• International tuition for 2027/28 is £31,100; Chinese applicants compare the Huikao/Gaokao requirements; confirm English on the programme page.

Sources: University of Strathclyde website: Chemistry department page; Chemistry; Chemistry with Drug Discovery; Forensic & Analytical Chemistry; Chemistry with Teaching; How to apply; International entry requirements; English language requirements; Excellence Scholarship; Contextual admissions. Where a page prints a date without a year, check that it applies to 2027 entry. The university website is always the final authority.