Direct entry to second year Marine Biology BSc (Hons) 2025 entry

It is possible for students applying for the single Honours BSc in Marine Biology to enter directly into the second year of study, meaning you will complete your degree in only three years instead of four.

This option is offered to students with excellent Advanced Higher, A-Level or International Baccalaureate qualifications.

Students who enter directly into second year will take modules required by the Marine Biology BSc programme from the second year on, bypassing first-year modules entirely. 

Direct entry students will have the opportunity to study abroad during their second year of study.

To find out more information, or to discuss the possibility of direct entry to second year, please contact the School of Biology.

UCAS code
C167
Start date
September 2025
End date
September 2028
Duration
Three years full time
School
School of Biology

Entry requirements

The University offers different entry requirements, depending on your background. Find out more about Standard and Minimum entry requirements using academic entry explained and see which entry requirements you need to look at using the entry requirements indicator.

  • Advanced Highers:
    AB, Including Biology (or Human Biology) and one other science from the following: Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics.
    Highers:
    AAAB

  • Standard entry grades:
    AAA, including Biology and one other science from the following: Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics.

  • Standard entry grades:
    38 (HL 6,6,5), including HL6 in Biology and HL6 in one of the following subjects: Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics.

General entry requirements

All applicants must have attained the following qualifications, or equivalent, in addition to the specific entry requirements for individual programmes.

  • SQA National 5 (B) in English and one SQA National 5 (B) from the following:

    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Computing science
    • Geography
    • Applications of Mathematics
    • Mathematics
    • Physics
    • Psychology.

  • GCSE (5) in English language or English literature, and one GCSE (5) from the following:

    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Computing Science
    • Geography
    • Mathematics
    • Physics
    • Psychology.

Other qualifications

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry on to our programmes. Please see our entry requirements for more information.

More information on how to apply via other entry routes or accreditation of prior learning and experience can be found on the University’s entry requirements web page.

Do I need to have studied this subject before?

Students must have studied Biology (or Human Biology) at SQA Advanced Highers, GCE A-Level or equivalent. Preference will be given to candidates offering strong science qualifications over and above the stated minimum requirements.

International applicants

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability.

Careers

Graduates from the School of Biology have a wide range of skills sought by employers:

  • laboratory and field data collection
  • data handling and presentation
  • problem-solving
  • teamwork
  • planning
  • organisation and communication skills

Biology graduates have secured employment as:

  • clinical scientists
  • consultant ecologists
  • marine mammal scientists
  • museum curators
  • outreach coordinators
  • scientific writers
  • school teachers

Beyond biology, recent graduates have gained employment in a wide variety of business sectors such as marketing and finance. Others have gone on to study for a wide range of Masters and PhD programmes in the UK and overseas. 

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.

What to do next

Online information events

Join us for one of our information events where you can find out about different levels of study and specific courses we run. There are also sessions available for parents and college counsellors.

Undergraduate visiting days

We encourage all students who are thinking of applying to the University to attend one of our online or in-person visiting days.

Contact us

Phone
+44 (0)1334 46 3401
Email
bioadmissions@st-andrews.ac.uk
Address
School of Biology
Biomedical Sciences Research Complex
North Haugh
St Andrews
KY16 9ST

School of Biology website