How to Apply to Business at the University of Edinburgh: The Four-Year Business Management MA (Hons), and Requirements and Timeline for Chinese, Canadian High School and Transfer Students

At the University of Edinburgh, undergraduate business is taught by the Business School in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Scottish degrees usually take four years, and business leads to an MA (Hons), the traditional Scottish undergraduate degree rather than a postgraduate one. The main programme is Business Management, UCAS code N100. Here is what you need to know for September 2027 entry, based on Edinburgh’s official information, for students at high schools in China (including A-level and IB students), students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver students), and transfer students.

1. The programmes

• Business Management (N100): four years full-time. Year 1 introduces accounting, business and its global environment; in Years 1 and 2 you can also take courses outside business, such as psychology, law, economics, sociology or mathematics, and decide your honours focus by the end of Year 2. Years 3 and 4 are specialist honours courses, with a dissertation at the centre of Year 4.
• Study abroad: Business Management students can study abroad in Year 3 at partners in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, China, Japan, Europe and the USA. A place requires a first-year average of at least 60%.
• Other business programmes (all four-year MA (Hons) with the same entry requirements):
  • International Business (N120): specialise from Year 2, with a compulsory year abroad in Year 3;
  • Accounting and Finance (NN43);
  • Finance and Business (NN13);
  • Business with Marketing (N1N5): accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM);
  • also Business with Decision Analytics, Business with Human Resource Management and joint degrees with economics, law and languages; see each programme page.
• Location: business teaching is on the Central Area campus; science and engineering options may require travel to King’s Buildings.

2. Entry requirements

• A-level: most recent entrants had A*AA to AAA. No specific A-level subjects are required, apart from a few subjects not accepted. GCSE Mathematics at B/6 and English at C/4 are required.
• IB: most recent entrants had 40 points (766 at HL) to 37 points (666 at HL). HL subjects are open, but SL English and Mathematics at 5 are required.
• SQA Highers: most recent entrants had AAAAA (preferably by the end of S5).
• Application: qualifications, a personal statement, one reference and evidence of English. Applications that meet or are predicted to meet the requirements go into selection, which reviews everything in the UCAS application.

3. Students at high schools in China

• The Senior High School Certificate is usually not enough: Edinburgh says it does not normally meet the minimum requirements for most subjects and is not currently accepted for direct entry, so students usually take the one-year International Foundation Programme first. The College of Science and Engineering considers excellent Gaokao results individually, but business sits in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
• A-level or IB students: apply directly to Year 1 with the requirements above, including the maths requirement (GCSE B/6 or IB SL 5).

4. Students at Canadian high schools

• British Columbia: for all programmes in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the Certificate of Graduation with at least five suitable Grade 12 subjects at 80%.
• Other provinces: Alberta requires five Grade 12 subjects at 80%; Ontario requires six 4M/U courses at 80% (no more than two 4M).
• Mathematics: business has a maths requirement for A-level and IB applicants. The Canada page does not state a specific maths course for business, so take Grade 12 math and confirm with admissions.

5. Transfer students

• The business pages do not state any route into Year 2 or 3 from another university. The fee policy says students given direct entry into Year 2 or 3 pay the rate of the year group they join, but does not say whether business accepts them. Contact admissions first.

6. English requirements

Business asks for a higher English level than some other programmes; any one of the following:

• IELTS Academic: 7.0 overall with at least 6.0 in each component; One Skill Retake is not accepted.
• TOEFL iBT (including Home Edition): from 21 January 2026, 5.0 overall with at least 4.0 in each component; before that date, 100 with at least 20 in each; MyBest scores are not accepted.
• Others: C1 Advanced/C2 Proficiency 185 (169 in each); Oxford ELLT 8 (6 in each); Oxford Test of English Advanced 155 (135 in each). IELTS, TOEFL and similar tests must be no more than two years old at the start date.
• School qualifications: GCSE English at C/4, or IB SL English at 5 (not ab initio).

7. Tuition and living costs

• Tuition: international students pay a fixed annual fee based on their start date; look up the amount for each programme in Edinburgh’s fee finder. The page we retrieved did not display the figure.
• Year abroad: students pay related costs, and tuition may be reduced depending on the type and length of exchange.
• Living costs: Edinburgh estimates an average of £1,546 a month in 2026–27, or £13,914 for a 39-week academic year and £18,552 for a full year.
• Scholarships: the programme page links only to the general funding pages and lists no business-specific scholarships.

8. Timeline (September 2027 entry)

• 13 January 2027, 6:00pm GMT: UCAS deadline for UK, EU and international applicants (except medicine and veterinary medicine).
• Programmes with places after that date can be found on the UCAS website.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• A-levels: aim for A*AA to AAA, with GCSE Mathematics B/6 and English C/4
• IB: 37–40 points with SL English and Mathematics at 5
• Senior high school only: take the one-year International Foundation Programme
• IELTS 7.0 (6.0 in each component) or TOEFL 5.0 (new scale)
• Apply through UCAS by 13 January 2027 with a personal statement focused on business

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• BC Certificate of Graduation with five Grade 12 subjects at 80%; take Grade 12 math
• Apply through UCAS by 13 January

Transfer students:

• Check with admissions whether business accepts advanced entry

Sources: The University of Edinburgh, Business Management MA (Hons); Entry requirements; International Business; Accounting and Finance; Finance and Business; Business with Marketing; Undergraduate programmes A to Z (2027 entry); Entry requirements for students from China; Entry requirements for students from Canada; Tuition fee lookup. Information is for September 2027 entry. Check Edinburgh for the latest details.