Aston University: Courses, Fees & Rankings

University profile

About Aston University

Aston University is a public university in the centre of Birmingham, England, with a mission to be the UK's leading university for students aspiring to succeed in business and the professions. It traces its origins to the Birmingham Municipal Technical School of 1895, received its Royal Charter on 22 April 1966 and has around 18,000 students from more than 120 countries. Its motto is Exaltavit humiles ("He raises up the humble"), reflecting a long-standing focus on social mobility.

Teaching and recreational facilities sit on a single, self-contained 60-acre site at Aston Triangle, within a 5-10 minute walk of the city's main shopping, business and entertainment districts. Aston University London, at 200 Aldersgate Street, offers postgraduate programmes in Business Innovation and Digital Technologies, and some courses are delivered online.

Academic work is organised in three colleges:

College of Business and Social Sciences: Aston Business School and the School of Law and Social Sciences.
College of Engineering and Physical Sciences: the School of Computer Science and Digital Technologies, the School of Engineering and Innovation and the Aston Foundation Centre.
College of Health and Life Sciences: Audiology and Healthcare Science, Biosciences, Aston Medical School, Neuroscience, the School of Optometry, Aston Pharmacy School and Psychology.

Aston pioneered the sandwich course model in 1954 and most undergraduate degrees include a placement year. Aston Business School holds AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS accreditation, and Aston Medical School has General Medical Council approval to award a primary medical qualification. The university was rated Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023) and holds an Athena SWAN Gold award. It is a lead partner in the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Institute of Technology and runs Design Factory Birmingham.

On-campus accommodation, Aston Student Village, is run with Unite Students, and accommodation is guaranteed for new undergraduate and postgraduate students. The Students' Union, opened in 2019, supports more than 130 student-led clubs and societies, and Sport Aston operates the Sir Doug Ellis Woodcock Sports Centre on campus and a 48-acre Recreation Centre at Great Barr.

International students make up a large part of the community. They receive free English language support, a free immigration advice service from qualified advisers and a range of international scholarships. OnCampus Aston, the International Pathway Centre run with Cambridge Education Group, offers foundation, International Year One and pre-master's routes into Aston degrees.

University information

Tuition fees

The tuition fee for Home undergraduate students starting in 2026/27 is £9,790 a year, rising to £10,050 from 2027/28. The placement year fee is normally £1,250. Home undergraduates can apply to Student Finance England for tuition fee and maintenance loans. International tuition fees are listed on each course page.

Scholarships for UK undergraduates (2026/27 entry)

Most awards are assessed automatically using UCAS data, Student Loans Company household income information and university records, with entitlement normally confirmed by 30 November 2026.

Aston Support Scholarship: £1,250 a year (£5,000 in total) for care leavers, young carers, estranged students, children from military families and refugees. No application needed.
Aston Forward Scholarships: £5,000 across the degree (£8,000 for Medicine) for students with household income below £25,000 who show strong ambition or have overcome significant barriers. An application is required; the 2026 window runs from 19 August to 5 October.
Aston Placement Scholarship: £1,250 towards living costs during the placement year for students with household income of £42,875 or less, or on an unpaid or overseas placement.
Aston Aspirational Scholarship: £500 in year one for students with household income up to and including £42,875.
Ernest Edward Scholarships for Asylum Seekers: up to four sanctuary scholarships for asylum seekers and others unable to access student finance.

International scholarships (September 2026)

Applicants must hold an offer before applying, and scholarships cannot be combined.

Undergraduate International Community Scholarship: £9,000 in total (£5,000 in year 1 and £2,000 in each of years 2 and 3) for self-funded international applicants entering year 1. Awarded competitively by application, with an application link emailed to offer holders. Excludes Nursing, Medicine, Optometry, Pharmacy and Audiology.
Postgraduate International Community Scholarship: £4,000 off tuition fees for international applicants who pay their deposit by the offer acceptance deadline. Applied automatically. Excludes the MBA, OSPAP, Physician Associate, MRes, research and online programmes.
Sir Adrian Cadbury Chancellor's Scholarship: a £10,000 fee reduction for international undergraduate and postgraduate offer holders, awarded on an application form and a statement of up to 500 words; the 2026 deadline was 21 June.
Full-time MBA Scholarships: awards including a Silver Scholarship of £6,500, assessed at the MBA interview.
Global Articulation and Progression Scholarship: £5,000 off first-year fees for students progressing from recognised partner institutions; the 2026 deadline was 14 June.
NCUK Articulation and Progression Scholarship: £6,500 for International Foundation Year students, £5,000 for Master's Preparation students and £5,000 plus a possible further £5,000 for International Year One students.
OnCampus Aston Merit Scholarships: Gold (up to £6,000) and Silver (up to £5,000), awarded automatically to high-achieving students progressing from OnCampus Aston.

Postgraduate funding for UK students

Aston High-Achievers Scholarship: £3,000 fee discount (up to 13 awards) for holders of a First or 2:1 degree, with a 500-word statement.
Aston Impact Scholarship: £3,000 fee discount (up to 20 awards) for applicants from widening participation backgrounds.
Aston University Alumni Scholarship: an automatic 20% discount on master's and MBA fees for Aston graduates.
UK Postgraduate Master's Loans of up to £13,206 for courses starting on or after 1 August 2026.

Hardship and other support

The Aston Student Support Fund provides hardship help to current students. Sport scholarships of up to £500 are available (2026 deadline 11 October), and Moving On Grants are also offered. The Student Advice Team and the Students' Union advice centre give guidance on funding.

Undergraduate funding and scholarships | International scholarships | Postgraduate funding

Undergraduate International Community Scholarship →

Aston Full-time MBA Scholarships →

Ferguson Scholarship →

British Council Women in STEM Scholarship (Paraíba, Brazil) →

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Undergraduate entry

Applications for full-time undergraduate degrees are made through UCAS using the institution code A80. Applicants may choose up to five courses. For September 2027 entry the UCAS deadline is 13 January 2027, except for Medicine, where the deadline is 15 October 2026. Entry requirements vary by course and are set out on individual course pages. Offers may be unconditional, conditional or an alternative offer for a different course.

Contextual offers (Aston Ready)

Home-fee applicants from state schools who meet at least one widening participation criterion may receive an Aston Ready offer, typically one or two grades below the standard offer (for example, ABB becomes BBB). The criteria include free school meal eligibility, living in a POLAR4 quintile 1 or 2 neighbourhood, a declared disability, completing an Aston Pathways programme, attending a school in the Aston University STEM Education Academy Trust, being a care leaver or holding refugee status. Applicants are assessed at the point of application with no separate form. The Business and Social Sciences Foundation Year is not eligible. MBChB Medicine has its own widening participation criteria, including UCAT bursary eligibility.

Interviews

Some courses require a compulsory interview or multiple mini interviews (MMIs), held on campus or online via Microsoft Teams. MBA applicants who meet the entry requirements are invited to interview.

Foundation and international pathways

One-year foundation programmes for UK students lead directly into named degrees on successful completion. International students who do not meet direct entry requirements can join OnCampus Aston, the International Pathway Centre run with Cambridge Education Group, which offers an Undergraduate Foundation Programme, International Year One and a Pre-Master's Programme with guaranteed progression subject to meeting the academic criteria. Country-specific entry requirements are listed by region under Aston in Your Country.

English language requirements

Accepted tests include IELTS Academic (including IELTS Academic Online and One Skill Retake), TOEFL iBT (Home Edition not accepted), Oxford ELLT, Pearson PTE Academic, Password (NCUK centres only), Kaplan Test of English, Cambridge C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency, and Duolingo. Tests must have been taken within two years of the course start date. Minimum IELTS scores for undergraduate entry:

Aston Medical School: 7.0 overall, 7.0 in each band
Aston Business School: 6.5 overall
Engineering and Physical Sciences, and Law and Social Sciences: 6.0 overall, 5.5 in each band
Health and Life Sciences (Biomedicine, Neuroscience, Biochemistry, Psychology): 6.5 overall, 6.0 in each band
Biomedical Science, Healthcare Science (Audiology), Pharmacy and Nursing: 7.0 overall, 6.5 in each band
Optometry: 7.0 overall, 6.5 in reading, writing and listening and 7.0 in speaking

Most taught postgraduate programmes require IELTS 6.5 overall (6.0 for Engineering and Physical Sciences; 7.0 for OSPAP). For some programmes, applicants with 6.0 overall and no more than two bands at 5.5 may be admitted on condition that they take a free, mandatory in-sessional English module. Postgraduate research programmes require IELTS 6.5 overall.

Postgraduate taught entry

Applications are made through the online form on each postgraduate course page. Applicants need degree transcripts, English language evidence where required, one or two references and a personal statement of no more than 250 words. The admissions team aims to reach a decision within ten working days. Successful applicants accept their offer by paying a deposit by the stated deadline and upload documents through the applicant portal.

Postgraduate research

Research degree enquiries are handled by Postgraduate Research Admissions and the Aston Graduate School ([email protected]).

Visas and CAS

International students who need a Student visa must complete the pre-CAS questionnaire through CAS Shield before a CAS is issued. For September 2026 undergraduate entry, CAS Shield deadlines ranged from 31 July to 28 August 2026 depending on the course, the applicant's country and the visa service used. Aston's qualified immigration advisers provide free visa advice to offer holders.

Birmingham campus (Aston Triangle, Birmingham B4 7ET): the main 60-acre city-centre site, home to all three colleges, the Main Building, the Library (open 08:00 to midnight, with a 24/7 social study space in the Main Building), the Students' Union, Aston Student Village residences (ensuite rooms in 5 or 7 person flats), cafes, a supermarket, a nursery, Design Factory Birmingham and the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Institute of Technology facilities.
Sir Doug Ellis Woodcock Sports Centre (Birmingham campus): gym, studios, courts, sauna, steam room and swimming pool.
Aston University Recreation Centre (Great Barr, Birmingham): 48 acres with grass football and rugby pitches, a floodlit all-weather pitch and function rooms.
Aston University London (200 Aldersgate Street, London EC1A 4HD): postgraduate programmes in Business Innovation and Digital Technologies, with a guaranteed internship included in every master's degree.
Aston Online: online undergraduate, postgraduate and MBA programmes.

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