University in United Kingdom
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
University profile
The University of Edinburgh is one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Founded in 1583 by the Town Council, it is the sixth oldest university in the UK and the oldest civic foundation in the English-speaking world. It is a member of the Russell Group, Universitas 21, the League of European Research Universities, the Coimbra Group, Una Europa, UNICA and Universities Scotland, and is a charitable body registered in Scotland (SC005336) recognised by the UK authorities as a body with degree awarding powers.
Teaching and research are spread across several sites in and around Edinburgh: the Central Area beside the Meadows on the south side of the city centre, the King's Buildings science and engineering campus in the south of the city, BioQuarter (Little France) beside the Royal Infirmary, the Western General Hospital in the north of the city, and the Easter Bush Campus near Penicuik, home to veterinary studies and the Roslin Institute.
The academic structure has three colleges containing 25 schools. The College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences includes the Business School, Divinity, Economics, Edinburgh College of Art, the Moray House School of Education and Sport, Health in Social Science, History, Classics and Archaeology, Law, Literatures, Languages and Cultures, Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, Social and Political Science, and the Centre for Open Learning. The College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine includes Edinburgh Medical School, the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and the schools of Genetics and Cancer, Population Health Sciences, Regeneration and Repair, and Neurological and Cardiovascular Sciences. The College of Science and Engineering covers Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Engineering, GeoSciences, Informatics, Mathematics, and Physics and Astronomy.
In 2025/26 some 48,820 students were matriculated, including 29,660 undergraduates, 12,615 taught postgraduates and 6,550 research postgraduates, with 20,895 students domiciled overseas on entry. Undergraduates from outside the City of Edinburgh are guaranteed an offer of University accommodation when they apply by 31 July and hold Unconditional Firm status on UCAS by 31 August; the University provides catered and self-catered accommodation for more than 10,000 students, with Pollock Halls the main residential site. The Students' Association supports more than 290 societies and volunteering groups, and the Sports Union has over 70 clubs.
International applicants whose school qualifications do not allow direct entry can take the one-year International Foundation Programme at the Holyrood Campus, and English Language Education runs pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes courses.
Non-repayable support of up to £5,000 a year for full-time UK undergraduates from lower-income households, assessed automatically from funding-body data (students must take the full maintenance loan and consent to data sharing). For students starting 2020/21 to 2026/27: £5,000 for care-experienced or estranged students, £3,000 for household income below £20,999, £2,000 for £21,000-£23,999 and £1,000 for £24,000-£33,999. From 2027/28 entry the £1,000 band ends. Paid in two instalments, typically October and January. Access Edinburgh Scholarship
Including the Robertson Trust Scholarship, Andrea Levy Scholarship and Cowrie Foundation Scholarship (Black African and Caribbean heritage applicants from socio-economically challenged backgrounds), the British Standards Institution Scholarship for AI and Computer Science, Mathematics Access Scholarships, the Chemistry Tercentenary Access Bursary, the Alistair Henderson Bursary in fire safety engineering and the Unite Foundation accommodation award for care-experienced or estranged students. Access Awards
International undergraduate funding
Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarships cover tuition fees plus a stipend at the UKRI rate (£21,805 for 2026-27) for three to four years, open to UK and overseas applicants starting a PhD in 2027-28 with a first or 2:1 honours degree or equivalent; applicants must first apply for admission and then complete the scholarship form in EUCLID via MyEd. GREAT Scholarships 2026, with the British Council, offer three awards for one-year postgraduate courses to students from Thailand, Mexico and Ghana. College-level schemes, AHRC Doctoral Landscape Awards, ESRC funding through the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science, and Chevening and Commonwealth scholarships are also listed. Postgraduate international funding
Financial support for disabled students (including those from overseas) and help for UK and international students facing unexpected financial circumstances.
Edinburgh Global Undergraduate Mathematics Scholarships →
Global Talent Fund BIG Scholarships →
The Defne-Muhtar Kent Education Foundation Scholarship →
Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies UK Graduate/International Scholarship →
Browse the scholarships listed for University of Edinburgh and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for University of Edinburgh →Full-time undergraduate applications are made through UCAS; part-time applicants apply directly to the University. Each degree has its own entry requirements, given in the degree finder for SQA Highers, A levels and the International Baccalaureate, with both standard entry requirements and lower minimum entry requirements for widening access applicants. Qualifications must have been achieved within the last three calendar years before the year of entry (two years for Mathematics qualifications on Mathematics and Informatics degrees). A level applicants normally need three A levels taken in one set of exams; for highly selective degrees only applicants exceeding the requirements may be considered, and resits may attract higher offers. Applications are assessed against others with the same fee status.
Using UCAS data on home postcode, school or college, care experience or refugee/asylum status, estrangement, and completion of SWAP, the Access Programme or a recognised bridging programme, the University makes Plus Flag offers (considered against minimum entry requirements) and Flag offers (standard requirements, usually prioritised).
Some degrees require an interview (medicine, veterinary medicine, nursing, teacher education), a digital portfolio (art and design), an admissions test such as UCAT for medicine, or evidence of work experience and fitness to practise. Veterinary Medicine applicants submit a Work Experience Summary form.
Applicants who meet the relevant UCAS deadline receive a decision no later than the UCAS reject-by-default date in May.
Region-specific equivalent grades for international qualifications are set out by country. Students whose high school qualifications are not accepted for direct entry and whose first language is not English can take the full-time, one-year International Foundation Programme, taught at the Holyrood Campus; applications for September 2027 entry open in autumn 2026.
All applicants must show English competency regardless of nationality, with test scores set per degree in the degree finder. Accepted tests include IELTS Academic (single test, no One Skill Retake), TOEFL iBT (no MyBest Score), Oxford ELLT, Oxford Test of English Advanced, Cambridge C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency (176 overall with 162 in each component for undergraduate entry), and Trinity ISE for 2026 entry only. IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE and Oxford tests must be no more than two years old on the first of the month the degree begins. School-level minimums unless a degree states higher include National 5 English at C, GCSE/IGCSE English at C or 4, and IB English Standard Level 5 or Higher Level 4; WASSCE English is accepted at B3 or above (B2 for Medicine) from 2025 entry.
Postgraduate applicants normally need a degree in an appropriate subject, with specific requirements and application deadlines for each programme in the degree finder. Applications include a personal statement and supporting documents. English can be demonstrated through an accepted test, certain professional registrations, a degree taught and assessed in English in a majority English-speaking country or at an approved university, or completion of the University's pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes programme. Research applicants either propose their own project or apply for advertised projects.
University accommodation includes catered halls (two meals a day) and self-catered flats, with heating, electricity, internet, contents insurance, bike storage and laundry access included in the rent, and Residence Life staff on hand 24/7. Sport facilities include the Pleasance Sport Complex and Gym; the Sports Union runs over 70 clubs and more than 200 teams, alongside Scotland's largest intramural sport programme.
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