Applied Biomedical Science

• Scottish Highers*: 
  Standard Entry Requirements: ABBB (114 UCAS Tariff points) including Biology or Human Biology 
  
  Minimum Entry Requirements: BBBB (108 UCAS Tariff points) including Biology or Human Biology
  
• A levels: BCC (104 UCAS Tariff points) including Biology or Human Biology 
• Irish Leaving Certificate: H1 H2 H2 H2 including Biology or Human Biology
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma: 24 points, 3 @ HL including Biology or Human Biology
• Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP): Access to Medical Studies or Access to Science or Access to Biological and Chemical Science or Access to Chemistry and Biology or Access to Health and Biological Science or Access to Dietetics or Access to Health and Life Sciences or Access to Radiography (BBB)

* for more information on standard and minimum entry requirements, see the  drop-down section below

• Scottish Advanced Highers: BBC (136 UCAS Tariff points) including Biology plus SQA National 5 Chemistry (Grade C, or above), Intermediate 2 (Grade C, or above), or Standard Grade (Credit)
  
• A levels: BBC (112 UCAS Tariff points) including Biology
  
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma: 30 points including HL Biology, plus OL Chemistry
  
• SQA HNC / BTEC Level 4 HNC: Applied Science or Biomedical Science or Applied Biomedical Science or Industrial Biotechnology

English language requirements for most courses

For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. The qualifications below must have been gained within two years of the start of your course.

General English language requirements at UWS: International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)

• overall score 6.0
• no sub-test less than 5.5

Exceptions to this level of IELTS scoring exist for some accredited or professionally-recognised courses (see section below for more details).

Common equivalent English language qualifications

All stated English tests are acceptable for admission for both home/EU and international students for this programme:

• CAE (Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English): 176 overall; no sub-test less than 169
• CPE (Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English): 176 overall; no sub-test less than 169
• Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English: ISEII with the minimum of a Pass in all sub-tests
• PTE Pearson Academic English: An overall score of 59 to 64 with no element below 59 (for programmes that require IELTS 6.0 with no element below 5.5). An overall score 65 to 75 with no element below 65 (for programmes that require IELTS 6.5 with no element below 6.0)

IELTS Score Exceptions (Research degrees, Biomedical Science degrees, Nursing & Midwifery degrees with NMC registration, Certificate of Higher Education, etc.)

For our research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf) applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

• overall score of 6.5
• no sub-test less than 6.0

For Health, Nursing & Midwifery courses that lead to professional registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council, applicants are required to have an IELTS or Occupational English Test (OET)*.

For such courses, the IELTS score is as follows:

• overall score of 7.0
• score of at least 7.0 in reading, listening and speaking and no less than 6.5 in writing

* Note that the Occupational English Test (OET) will now be accepted in addition to IELTS as proof of a Nurse's English Language Competence (Nursing & Midwifery Council, 2019).

For our BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science and MSc Advanced Biomedical Science programmes, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

• overall score of 7.0
• no sub-test less than 6.5

For our Certificate of Higher Education courses, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

• overall score of 5.0
• no sub-test less than 4.5

TOEFL IBT

TOEFL IBT*: 78; no sub-test less than:

• Reading: 17;
• Listening: 17;
• Speaking: 17;
• Writing: 17

* Please note that TOEFL is still acceptable for admission to this programme for both home/EU and international students.
For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use TOEFL to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level courses. We therefore still accept TOEFL tests taken in the last two years for admission to this programme.

West African Senior School Certificate of Education (WASSCE)

West African Senior School Certificate of Education (WASSCE) including acceptance of WAEC Scratchcard*

• C6 or above in English

*UWS will accept a WAEC scratchcard confirming that an applicant has achieved C6 or above as evidence of meeting English language requirement from Nigeria if the student graduated within the last 5 years. After 5 years applicants would be required to provide the WAEC Certificate.

Pre-sessional courses

Applicants who do not meet the minimum English language requirements have the option to study one of our preparatory and pre-sessional English courses. The UWS courses available are:

• 10 week pre-sessional - entry criteria UKVI IELTS 5.0 with no element below 4.5.
• 5 week pre-sessional - entry criteria UKVI IELTS 5.5 with no element below 5.5.
• English Language for University Study - entry criteria UKVI IELTS with score of 4.0 in all elements (10 month course), or 4.5 with no score below 4.0 (7 month course).

Find out more about our English lanaguage Courses.

On our course pages, you will find details of our entry criteria listed as Standard Entry Requirements and Minimum Entry Requirements. These are the academic qualifications that, depending on your personal circumstances, you will be required to meet to allow your application to be considered for a place at UWS.

Competition for places on many of our courses can be very high and even if you meet the standard or minimum qualifications stated, there is no guarantee that your application will progress to the next stage of the admissions process. We review individual applications very closely and place great importance on your personal statement and academic reference as well as your academic qualifications before making selection decisions.

Standard Entry Requirements

Our Standard Entry Requirements are the grades that you will need to achieve to allow you to be considered for entry to a specific programme of study.

Minimum Entry Requirements

Our Minimum Entry Requirements are applicable to those applicants who have not had an equal opportunity to demonstrate their academic ability at school or college and are known as ‘widening access’ applicants. We also sometimes refer to this type of applicant as receiving a ‘contextual’ offer. We may be able to provide you with a contextual offer if you fall into one of the categories below:

1. You have been in care (care-experienced/care-leaver)
2. You are a young carer
3. You have government-recognised asylum or refugee status
4. You are estranged from your family or guardians
5. You live in an area of high deprivation as defined by the Scottish Government (SIMD20)

If you fall into any of the first four categories above, please mention this on your UCAS application. We will automatically apply category 5 if it applies to you.

If you have already achieved the required grades for either our standard or minimum entry criteria, we may be able to offer you an unconditional offer for some course areas. If you have not yet achieved these grades, we may be able to make you a conditional offer, which will rely on you achieving further qualifications before you can be accepted on to a programme of study.

Further details of our Admissions processes can be found as follows:

• Check our Student Experience section of our Polices & Procedures webspage for the latest copy of our Admissions Procedure.
• Download our Admissions Statement for Entrants in 2022 (pdf)

UWS graduates are well qualified to enter a range of related medical professions, providing you meet the requirements of the employer and employment opportunities, including:  

• NHS hospital laboratories 
• Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service laboratories 
• Health Protection Agency laboratories 
• research & development laboratories for the medical, pharmaceutical, veterinary and food sectors 
• primary and secondary teaching  
• nursing 

UWS Applied Biomedical Science graduates can continue their studies to MSc and PhD level. Some graduates undertake further study in related disciplines including pharmacy, medicine and dentistry.

Students on certain degrees will incur some additional costs not covered by their tuition fees. These could be for things like specialist equipment, study materials and textbooks, work placements, graduation, membership of relevant organisations or costs related to carrying out fieldwork.

For students on course with an element of fieldwork, there may also be extra costs for travel and accommodation.

Note: The library will hold some copies of the textbooks but not enough for every student. Students can purchase second hand copies when possible or use older versions if advised by the module cordinator. Students can also sell their copies after the course. This helps manage the cost.

Year 1

Laboratory equipment (Mandatory)
You will be required to purchase a Howie laboratory coat which is estimated at c.£25.

Books & printed material (Optional)
You are encouraged to use the library for all reading materials (some will be availably digitally also). You may, however, choose to purchase some or all of the recommended text books. Given the availability of library and online resources and individual preferences, costs will be variale but should be no more than £100.

Year 2

Laboratory equipment (Mandatory)
You will be required to purchase a Howie laboratory coat which is estimated at c.£25 if you have not purchased one already.

Books & printed material (Optional)
You are encouraged to use the library for all reading materials (some will be availably digitally also). You may, however, choose to purchase some or all of the recommended text books. Given the availability of library and online resources and individual preferences, costs will be variale but should be no more than £100.

Year 3

Laboratory equipment (Mandatory)
You will be required to purchase a Howie laboratory coat which is estimated at c.£25 if you have not purchased one already.

Books & printed material (Optional)
You are encouraged to use the library for all reading materials (some will be availably digitally also). You may, however, choose to purchase some or all of the recommended text books. Given the availability of library and online resources and individual preferences, costs will be variale but should be no more than £100.

Placement (Mandatory)
Practical laboratory placement is an integral part of this course. Travel costs may be incurred for compulsory placements on this course. Althogh these placements may be arranged near your home/current accommodation (where travel costs may be minimum) you should be aware that NHS placements may be anywhere in Scotland (depending upon laboratory availability). You should bear in mind that it's likely that you'll be travelling at peak times in order to reach and travel home from your placement and this can cost more if you are using public transport.

Immunisations (Mandatory)
Health clearance for NHS immunisations are now covered by UWS (nomally cost in region of £400).

PVG Health Checks (Mandatory)
Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme membership is required and this currently costs £59. This cost may change in future years. The School covers the cost of an update currently if you already have membershio but it needs to be renewed.

Graduation fees (Optional for those exiting with BSc award)
These fees are set annually by the University and are subject to review. For session 19/20 these were set at £10 Registration Fee. Academic dress and official photography (optional) for graduation ceremonies is hired and arranged respectively from an external suppliers.

Year 4

Laboratory equipment (Mandatory)
You will be required to purchase a Howie laboratory coat which is estimated at c.£25 if you have not purchased one already.

Dissertation & poster presentation (Mandatory)
Your final year dissertation is a core and mandatory piece of research undertaken in your final year of studies. However, only electronic copies are required to be submitted for assessment. You may wish to print bound copies, but this is not mandatory. Depending upon the size of the dissertation and the content it can cost anything between £15-40. Research posters are developed as part of your final year studies but these are electronic versions only and do not need to be printed for assessment.

Graduation fees (Mandatory)
These fees are set annually by the University and are subject to review. For session 19/20 these were set at £10 Registration Fee. Academic dress and official photography (optional) for graduation ceremonies is hired and arranged respectively from an external suppliers.

Tuition Fees & Additional Costs

Tuition fees are calculated based on where you are from and what you are studying. Some courses also involve additional costs, such as mandatory field trips, equipment or studying abroad.

Find out how much it will cost you to study at UWS as an undergraduate student.

Funding for Scottish Students

Scottish students studying at undergraduate level at UWS are entitled to various funds and support towards tuition fees and living costs.

Find out more.

Funding for English, Welsh & Northern Irish Students

English, Welsh and Northern Irish students studying at undergraduate level at UWS are entitled to various funds and support towards tuition fees and living costs.

Find out more.

Funding for EU Students

EU students studying at undergraduate level of UWS may be eligible for SAAS funding, as well as support to meet the costs of childcare and various sources of additional funding.

Find our more.

Funding for International Students

There are several scholarship and incentive schemes available to international students studying at undergraduate level at UWS, as well as support to meet the costs of childcare and various sources of additional funding.

Find out more.

Discretionary & Childcare Funds

UWS administer a range of discretionary and childcare funds. These are designed to support students who are experiencing financial difficulty or struggling to meet the costs of childcare.

Find out more.

Benefits & Tax Credits

Becoming a student can have an impact on your entitlement to certain benefits. It may mean you are no longer eligible to claim a benefit you have been receiving, or your new income from student funding may affect the amount you are able to receive.

Find out more.

Additional Financial Support

If there isn’t a statutory source of funding for you or your course, or you are in need of additional financial support, you may wish to consider more alternative sources of funding such as trust funds and scholarships.

Find out more.

WEST Scholarship Programme

At UWS, we believe financial restrictions should never be a barrier to your education.

The WEST (Widening Education and Supporting Talent) Scholarship Programme aims to remove the financial barriers that stop talented students from progressing throughout their degree to graduation.

Find out more.

Money & Debt Advice

Choosing to become a student can have a big impact on your budget and you may need to reassess your spending to account for a reduced income. We’ve put together some guidance to help you manage your money and make the right financial choices for you and your family.

Find out more.