Program Overview

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Science (International Year Zero) January 2026 entry

Overview

This pathway course prepares students for success in their intended degree programme. Students will experience foundational teaching in academic English, academic skills, mathematics, statistics, and chemistry.

Course Type

International Year Zero

This is the University's own intensive pre-degree programme, which prepares international students for undergraduate study in the UK and at the University of St Andrews in particular. Students who complete the programme successfully progress to the first year of an undergraduate degree.

Entry Requirements

Academic Requirements

See typical academic requirements for the Science (International Year Zero) - Intensive Study programme. If your qualification is not shown, email the University about the grades needed from your high school system.

• You can demonstrate that you have met the academic requirements with a high school transcript from your final year at school.
• Any high school qualification you use as evidence of your academic ability should be from the last year you attended high school and dated within the previous three years.
• You should apply before your final results are available, as the University can make you a conditional offer based on your past exam performance and predicted grades.

English Language Requirement

All International Foundation offer-holders must submit a Secure English Test (SELT) as evidence of their English language ability, unless they have a UK passport.

• See a list of approved English language tests and required scores for this programme.
• You do not need to have your result when you apply, as this can be a condition of an offer made by the University.

Do I need to have studied this subject before?

• You need to have studied sciences at school.
• Strong grades in relevant subjects like mathematics or integrated sciences would make your application more competitive.

Application Requirements

The University will ask you to provide the following documents as part of your application:

• Your most recent high school transcript
• A personal statement
• An academic reference from your high school on their letterhead or from a school email
• An English language test result.

Application Deadline

The deadline for applications is Friday 28 November 2025. You only need to provide your high school transcript and personal statement when you submit your application. You can provide your academic reference and your English language evidence later.

Course Details

This programme is designed to help international students succeed as undergraduates in scientific disciplines.

Modules

All students will study the same compulsory modules.

• Semester 1
  • Communicating in Academic Contexts 2: helps you further develop and practise productive and receptive academic oral communication skills that you will need in your degree programme.
  • Research and Writing for Humanities and Science 2: builds on the skills, strategies and language introduced and developed in Research and Writing in Humanities and Science 1. There will be a focus on building critical reading skills. You will also be guided in the formation of a subject-based and level-appropriate research question or hypothesis.
  • Foundation Mathematics: aims to introduce students to basic mathematical techniques and methods that they require for further study of mathematics and other subjects, with an emphasis on differential and integral calculus.
  • Foundation Statistics: provides an introduction to statistical methods for students who may be choosing maths, business or other science subjects, or who have an interest in how data is presented in the media. It uses real-life examples to better understand descriptive statistics, probability theory, hypothesis testing and inferential statistics.
  • Foundation Organic Chemistry: introduces you to the key concepts of organic chemistry. The course will develop students' existing understanding of structure and bonding of covalently bonded molecules, and introduce them to a range of spectroscopic methods for determining the structure of organic compounds.
  • Foundation Inorganic and Physical Chemistry: develops students' existing knowledge and understanding of inorganic and physical chemistry. It also provides a useful introduction to many of the chemical concepts used in organic and biological chemistry courses.

Teaching

• Classes take place Monday to Friday between 9am and 6pm.
• You will spend approximately 16 hours per week on focused learning activities like live lectures, laboratory practicals, seminars or tutorials.
• Seminar classes are typically scheduled in groups of no more than 16 students.

Assessment

• There are assessments as part of each module.
• These may include:
  • Academic essays
  • End-of-module examinations (in-person or online)
  • Tests
  • Speaking and listening exam
  • Integrated skills exams (which include reading and writing on a topic)
  • Leading and participating in seminars
  • A presentation
  • Research projects
  • Lab/practical or field trip reports

Fees

The tuition fee for 2026 entry is £19,785. This fee includes:

• Access to all University facilities
• A transfer from Edinburgh or Glasgow airport, or Leuchars train station, when you first arrive
• The use of course books, handouts and other course materials.

Accommodation

The International Education and Lifelong Learning Institute recommends that you request an en suite single room with either a self-catered or catered package. We aim to place you close to your classes and with other International Foundation students, but will always guarantee you a place in accommodation as long as you apply before the deadline.

Scholarships

Next-Step International Foundation programme (IFP) scholarship

Applicants to this programme can apply for a Next-Step IFP scholarship. We offer one individual award for January-entry students. The award is paid in two payments, one at the start of the foundation programme and another one on progression to a qualifying undergraduate degree at the University of St Andrews.

Kinnessburn Scholarship

Students who successfully complete their International Foundation programme and move onto an undergraduate degree at the University of St Andrews, may be eligible to apply for the Kinnessburn Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to two students annually in July. It provides a partial fee waiver for each year of study on an undergraduate programme at the University of St Andrews, and an Ambassador's role.

Undergraduate scholarships

During their first semester, students on the International Foundation programme will receive a conditional offer for a relevant undergraduate degree programme at St Andrews. With this offer, students can apply to any of the undergraduate scholarships for which they are eligible.

Your Future

Studying your degree at the University of St Andrews

Students can progress onto the first year of an undergraduate degree programme in:

• Chemistry
• Chemistry with medicinal chemistry
• Earth and environmental sciences
• Geology
• Neuroscience

To progress onto a degree at the University of St Andrews, students must achieve the required grades for their chosen subject.

• An overall GPA of 11.0
• A minimum of 7.0 in each module
• A minimum of 11.0 in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) modules.

Individual degree programmes will have module-specific requirements. These will be provided in your course handbook at the start of the programme.

All grades on the programmes are calculated using the University's 20-point scale.

Students have the potential to progress onto a single or joint (two subjects) Honours degree programme.