FE-HE Pathway to Science 2025 entry

The FE-HE Pathway to Science provides a supported entry into degree-level study at St Andrews for students studying alternative qualifications at further education colleges across Scotland. 

Our flexible degree structure allows students to benefit additional support and guidance in their first years of university before progessing directly into year three of any one of the honours degrees offered in the Faculty of Science.

This programme is only open to those who meet at least one of the specific entry criteria below, as well as the academic entry requirements.

UCAS code
CFG1
Start date
September 2025
Duration
Two years full time, with direct progression to year three of honours programmes
School
Access and Widening Participation Team
How to apply Register your interest

Entry requirements

Eligibility

Typically, candidates for FE-HE Pathways are those who have not progressed to higher education directly from school and meet some, if not all, of the following contextual criteria:

  • currently studying at a further education college
  • live in an area of deprivation as defined by the Scottish Government as SIMD20
  • have attended a low progression school
  • are care experienced as defined by the local authority
  • were a registered young carer
  • have family or caring commitments which limit their higher education choices

Students from outside of Scotland should apply directly to the course of their choice.

Typical entry requirements

Typical academic entry requirements could be one of the following:

  • SWAP: AAA Profile
  • HNC: B in graded units
  • SQA Highers: BBBB

Direct entry into second year

  • HNC Applied Science: completion of HNC with 15 Credits and A in the Graded Unit
  • Course studied should be relevant to the intended degree course and should include any prerequisite subjects required for that degree

Offers will be determined on individual applications and the course being studied. Offers will take into consideration contextual admissions information as well as academic performance.

Applicants under serious consideration for this route will be required to attend an informal meeting with a member of the Admissions team and a member of academic staff to discuss their application and particular circumstances in more detail.

Do I need to have studied this subject before?

FE-HE Pathway to Science allows access to the range of subjects across our Faculty of Science, provided you have studied an accepted entry programme (see entry requirements). Some subjects may require you to have studied at SQA Higher Level or equivalent.

Course details

The FE-HE Pathway to Science BSc (General) is one of our Supported Pathways programmes coordinated by the Admissions department.

The pathway provides supported transition to university through out the first two years of undergraduate study. Supported Pathways students enter the first year of study with a specific Honours degree route in mind and during their first two years of study, will take all modules required for their intended Honours degree in the same way as if they had entered on that degree route.

Supported Transition

Students on a supported pathway will have: 

  • a designated Adviser of Studies who will provide support and guidance for academic matters over the first two years of study
  • a single point of contact within Admissions for signposting and guidance on where and when to seek help should issues arise
  • weekly peer-to-peer mentoring through year one of study to support skills development and aid transition to university 
  • continued support through to graduation from an Admissions contact person 
  • opportunities to attend workshops and events specifically designed for supported pathways students

At the end of the second year, if students have met all academic requirements for their chosen Honours route, they will progress to junior Honours (typically the third year of a four-year Honours course). Students who have not met the requirements will progress as per current Senate Regulations for progression.

Modules

In the first two years of the programme, students will undertake the standard compulsory sub-honours modules for the degree they intend to complete, as well as additional subjects from the full range of modules offered by the University.

See module information, teaching format and assessment for different Honours degrees on the course pages.

For students successfully progressing to the Honours programme of their choice, the full range of third and fourth-year modules are available to them. For students progressing to a General degree route, the modules will be chosen from the third and fourth-year modules for which they meet the pre-requisites.

More information

Join us for one of our online information events where you can find out more about study options and specific courses we run, discover the unique opportunities that make St Andrews a top destination for students from around the world, and get your questions answered by experts who want to help you succeed.

The University of St Andrews operates on a flexible modular degree system by which degrees are obtained through the accumulation of credits. More information on the structure of the modules system can be found on the flexible degree structure web page.

Teaching

Undergraduates at the University of St Andrews must achieve at least 7.0 on the St Andrews 20-point grade scale to pass a module. To gain access to Honours-level modules, students must achieve the relevant requisites as specified in the policy on entry to Honours and in the relevant programme requirements.

To find out the classification equivalent of points, please see the common reporting scale.

The University’s Student Services team can help students with additional needs resulting from disabilities, long-term medical conditions or learning disabilities. More information can be found on the students with disabilities web page.

Fees

Tuition fees 

This course is only available to students with a fee status of Home: £1,820

Funding and scholarships

The University of St Andrews offers a number of scholarships and support packages to undergraduate students each year, including the St Andrews Access Scholarship.

Accommodation fees

Find out about accommodation fees for University accommodation.

The University of St Andrews offers a number of scholarships and support packages to students each year.

Careers

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.

Contact us

Phone
+44 (0)1334 46 2346
Email
gatewayto@st-andrews.ac.uk
Address
Access and Widening Participation Team

University of St Andrews
St Katharine's West
The Scores
St Andrews
KY16 9AX