After receiving an offer - undergraduate
We are thrilled to extend a warm welcome to you, having taken this key step towards joining Scotland's first university. Receiving an offer to join our undergraduate programme is a remarkable achievement and is just the beginning of your exciting educational journey.
There are a few important actions you will need to follow to secure your place at the University of St Andrews. We are here to guide you through each one, ensuring a smooth transition into our community.
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You will have received one of the following kinds of offer:
An unconditional offer
This means that you have already achieved the required grades or qualifications to study your selected course, and your offer has been confirmed.
A conditional offer
This means your offer is conditional on you achieving certain grades or qualifications. Please check your Offer Letter for your specific offer conditions.
If you applied through UCAS
You should use UCAS to alert us whether you wish to accept our offer. You can hold up to two offers at UCAS: one firm choice and a second insurance choice. The offer you confirm as your firm choice is effectively your first choice of university, whilst your insurance offer is your second choice in case you do not meet the required grades to fulfil the entrance requirements of your firm choice. Due to this, your insurance choice will often be an offer asking for lower grades than your firm choice.
If you wish to accept an offer from the University, you are required to indicate whether it is your firm or your insurance choice through the UCAS Hub. You must respond to your UCAS offer in good time to ensure that your place is not declined by default.
You may wish to decline our offer, in which case you should also respond through the UCAS Hub.
If you did not apply through UCAS
If you are an applicant who applied through a direct application or the Common Application, you will receive a response to your application through the St Andrews applicant portal. This will outline your offer and conditions.
You should respond to your offer in the portal, indicating whether or not you will be taking up your place.
If you have any questions relating to your offer, please email myapplication@st-andrews.ac.uk.
You must reply to your offer by the following:
- 11 April 2024, if you have an offer by 14 March 2024
- If you get an offer between 15 March 2024 and 1 June 2024, you will have 28 calendar days to respond.
- If you get an offer after 2 June 2024, you will have 14 calendar days to respond.
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Step 1 - Accept your offer
Step 2 – Make your pre-payment
If you are an applicant who meets the following criteria, you are required to pay a pre-payment fee of £2,000 GBP against your first year’s tuition fee:
- You have applied to an undergraduate programme.
- You have a fees status of ‘Overseas’ in your offer letter.
For applicants who require a Student visa, the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) will display the total amount paid to date, including any pre-payments made, where applicable.
Conditional offer
- When you firmly accept your conditional offer, you are required to make a pre-payment only after you have met the conditions stated in your offer letter.
- Please do not make a pre-payment while you are holding a conditional offer.
- All the conditions stated in your offer must be satisfied before your admission can be finalised.
- Once you have accepted your conditional offer and met your stated conditions, your status changes to “unconditional” and you are required to make a pre-payment within four weeks.
- If you are holding a conditional offer through UCAS you are required to wait until your offer becomes unconditional before making your pre-payment.
An offer becomes unconditional when:
- you have accepted your offer
- you have paid your pre-payment (or provided a financial guarantee letter from your sponsor)
- you have met all the conditions of your offer.
Unconditional offer
- When you firmly accept your unconditional offer, you are required to make a pre-payment upon acceptance.
- A pre-payment must be made within four weeks of the date on which you formally accept your unconditional offer.
- If you applied through the Direct application or Common Application and received an offer by 14 March 2024, you are required to make a pre-payment within within four weeks of the date on which you formally accept your unconditional offer, and no later than 9 May 2024.
- If you applied through UCAS, please check the UCAS Hub or the UCAS website for the response deadlines that apply to you.
- If a pre-payment remains unpaid, this will be taken as an indication that you no longer wish to take up the offer of a place at St Andrews.
Insurance choice
- If you accept a conditional or an unconditional offer as your insurance choice through UCAS, you are not expected to make a pre-payment.
- Pre-payments are required only if your status changes from ‘insurance’ to ‘unconditional firm’.
Deferred offers
- If you hold an unconditional offer and have been granted deferred entry, you will be required to make a pre-payment.
- If you hold a conditional offer and have been granted deferred entry, you will be required to make a pre-payment once you have met the conditions of offer.
If a pre-payment remains unpaid, this will be taken as an indication that you no longer wish to take up the offer of a place at St Andrews.
You will not receive your entrant email and the CAS process (if applicable) will not commence until pre-payment has been made.
How to make a pre-payment
- Pay by international bank transfer (preferred method of payment)
- Pay by credit or debit card
After you have accepted your offer and made the pre-payment
- You have a 14-day statutory cancellation period during which you can change your mind about accepting an offer to study at the University.
- After accepting your place and making the pre-payment, your offer will become a binding agreement with the University of St Andrews. The terms and conditions of this agreement will remain in force for the duration of your studies at the University. Should the University require to make changes that materially affect your programme, the University will inform you.
Pre-payment refunds
Pre-payments will only be refunded under the following circumstances:
- Medical reasons for withdrawal evidenced by supporting documentation.
- You are not successful in securing a UK student visa.
- It is within the 14-day statutory cancellation period during which you can change your mind about accepting an offer to study at the University.
Pre-payments are not refunded under any other circumstances. To request a refund, you will need to complete the Pre-payment refund form. The request must be submitted along with any evidence to myapplication@st-andrews.ac.uk within 30 days of the official start date of your programme which is listed on your offer letter.
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If you have received a conditional offer you will need to provide evidence to show that you meet the conditions of your offer.
This evidence might be one or more of the following:
- examination grades or other qualifications
- an English Language Test
- a final transcript from your high school
- a reference letter.
Please submit your evidence as soon as it becomes available by uploading it to your applicant portal.
To log in, you will need the username and password you created for your application.
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You can apply for accommodation 48 hours after accepting an offer of a place at the University of St Andrews, regardless of whether your offer is conditional, unconditional, firm or an insurance place.
- You must apply for accommodation by 30 June 2024 and meet the eligibility criteria to be guaranteed university accommodation for your first year of undergraduate studies.
- Find out more information about how to apply for accommodation.
Key dates
Applications open
- 15 March 2024
Deadline to apply
- 30 June 2024
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If you are an international, EU, EEA or Swiss student studying in the UK for more than six months you will likely require a visa to study in the UK. You can only begin your visa application once your offer changes from conditional to unconditional.
- You can start the visa application process if you have accepted an unconditional offer and have received your CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies) number. If you have accepted a conditional offer, you will be able to apply for the Student visa if you meet the conditions of your offer and your place is confirmed, and you have subsequently received your CAS number.
Please contact our international advisers if you have questions about the Student visa application process at advint@st-andrews.ac.uk
An offer becomes unconditional when:
- you have accepted your offer
- you have paid your pre-payment (or provided a financial guarantee letter from your sponsor)
- you have met all the conditions of your offer.
Find out more about applying for a visa to study in the UK.
Please contact our international advisers if you have questions about the Student visa application process at advint@st-andrews.ac.uk.
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When your offer status changes to unconditional, you will receive an ‘entrant’ email from the University, starting from April onwards. This is not an automatic process and it may take a few working days to receive this email after your offer status changes.
At this point, you are no longer an applicant, but an entrant student. The email we send you includes information on how to activate your University computer account and email account. You should begin using your St Andrews email account as soon as you can, so that you do not miss any communications from us.
Once your computer and email accounts are ready, you will have access to your student portal, known as ‘MySaint’, which is where you can access services and information relevant to you, including your personal details, course information, events, library and wellbeing updates and more.
Don't forget to update us if your email changes. If you will lose access to your school email, make sure to send us a personal email that we can use instead.
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The University of St Andrews hosts many events both in person and online to give you the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about studying at St Andrews.
- Ask a current student any questions you have about studying at and life in St Andrews
- Meet us in person near you
- Meet us online
- Attend our offer holder day in St Andrews
If you decide to visit St Andrews you may find our 'Getting to St Andrews' webpage helpful when planning your transportation.
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We invite you to connect with us on social media to keep up with everything going on at St Andrews!
Whether you're eager to learn more about our traditions, stay updated on University events, or simply want to get a glimpse of student life, our social media channels are your gateway to everything St Andrews.
By following us, you will not only stay informed but also become part of our online community.
If you have any questions and you are not sure who to ask, you can reach out to us in Admissions by emailing admissions@st-andrews.ac.uk or by calling us at +44 (0)1334 46 2150.
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At St Andrews you have the opportunity to join societies, sports clubs, fitness classes and more, to become involved in the broader University community and take part in activities that you are passionate about.
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To make your transition as smooth as possible, we've created a comprehensive ‘Moving to the UK’ resource page, tailored specifically for our international students.
On this page, you will find a wealth of essential information and practical tips to help you prepare for your move to the UK.
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Meet us
We are hosting online events for our Chinese offer holders. These events will allow you to connect with current students and staff to further explore living and studying in St Andrews.
If you are unable to attend an event near you, you can still arrange to meet with us in person or call us for a 1-to-1 chat by emailing us at china@st-andrews.ac.uk.
Join our WeChat group (2024年圣安新生群). Stay connected with us in our offer holder group where you can meet with fellow students, stay updated on University news, and engage with our vibrant community.
Connect with us
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Meet us
We are hosting a series of online events for our European offer holders. These events will allow you to connect with current students and staff to further explore living and studying in St Andrews.
Check the dates for these events and sign up here.
If you are unable to attend an event, you can still arrange to meet with us in person or call us for a 1-to-1 chat. Reach out to our Europe team by emailing europe@st-andrews.ac.uk.
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Meet us
We are hosting online events for our Indian offer holders. These events will allow you to connect with current students and staff to further explore living and studying in St Andrews.
If you are unable to attend an event near you, you can still arrange to meet with us in person or call us for a one-to-one chat.
Contact
You can get in touch with Candice by emailing candice.aldrich@st-andrews.ac.uk
Join our WhatsApp group
This is a forum for any queries or concerns you may have, and an opportunity for you to engage directly with other students from India who will be starting at the same time.
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Meet us
We are hosting online events for our Middle Eastern offer holders. These events will allow you to connect with current students and staff to further explore living and studying in St Andrews.
Check the dates for these events and sign up here.
If you are unable to attend an event near you, you can still arrange to meet with us in person or call us for a 1-to-1 chat.
Contact
You can get in touch with Candice by emailing candice.aldrich@st-andrews.ac.uk
Join our WhatsApp group
This is a forum for any queries or concerns you may have, and an opportunity for you to engage directly with other students from the Middle East who will be starting at the same time.
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Meet us
We are hosting online events for our South African offer holders. These events will allow you to connect with current students and staff to further explore living and studying in St Andrews.
Check the dates for these events and sign up here.
If you are unable to attend an event near you, you can still arrange to meet with us in person or call us for a 1-to-1 chat.
Contact
You can get in touch with Candice by emailing candice.aldrich@st-andrews.ac.uk
Join our WhatsApp group
This is a forum for any queries or concerns you may have, and an opportunity for you to engage directly with other students from South Africa who will be starting at the same time.
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Use our USA undergraduate offer holder checklist (PDF) to help you stay on track with your next steps to St Andrews.
Meet us
We recently hosted a series of in-person events for our admitted students across the US. These events allowed you to connect with St Andrews parents, alumni and staff to further explore living and studying in St Andrews.
If you were unable to attend an event near you, you can still arrange to meet with us in person or call us for a 1-to-1 chat. You can reach out to our Admissions Representatives located in the USA.
You can find further offer holder events here.
Sarah Smith
Sarah is located in Denver, CO.
John Wells
John is located in Philadelphia, PA.
Book a meeting with Sarah or John.
Apply for financial aid
Most students applying for standard, degree-granting courses can apply for US federal aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students studying at a university outside of the USA (including St Andrews) are only eligible for US federal loans (this is borrowing which must be repaid).
Please email usloan@st-andrews.ac.uk if you have any questions.
Further information
We put together a slide show for use at our Admitted Student Events. Whether you were able to come along or not, the information on these slides may prove helpful to you. Admitted Students Event slide deck 2024 (PDF)
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Meet us
You can reach out to the Admissions team if you have any questions or just want to chat with us about studying at St Andrews by emailing us at admissions@st-andrews.ac.uk.
We also run a variety of sessions which you can sign up for here.