Program Overview

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Environmental Biological Sciences (International Year One) September 2025 entry

The subject of environmental biological sciences covers a wide range of areas, from how animals evolve to how to provide clean water for growing cities.

This programme will introduce you to university teaching and research with the aim of preparing you for undergraduate degrees in animal biology, behavioural biology, ecology and conservation, evolutionary biology, zoology, or marine biology. This programme will also prepare you for a potential career in fields such as conservation, the energy sector, and forensic science.

Course details

• Duration: Nine months full time
• School: International Education and Lifelong Learning Institute (IELLI)
• Start date: 8 September 2025
• End date: 5 June 2026

Course type: International Year One

This is the University’s own pre-degree programme which prepares international students for undergraduate study in the UK and at the University of St Andrews in particular. Upon successful completion, students progress to the second year of an eligible undergraduate degree at the University.

Who is this course for?

International students who are academically able, but whose high school qualification is not recognised for application to an undergraduate degree at the University of St Andrews.

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

• See typical academic requirements for this programme. If your qualification is not shown, email 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 applicants must submit a Secure English Test (SELT) as evidence of their English language ability, unless they do not need a student visa to study in the UK.
• 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 biology, 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
  • your official English language test result

Application deadline

• The deadline for applications is Monday 14 July 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 function effectively as undergraduates on degrees in the School of Biology at the University of St Andrews, with a focus on the environmental, physiological and sustainability view of organisms.

The course aims to ensure that you develop analytical, communication and research skills and study techniques that will be useful during your degree. The structure of the programme will provide you with dedicated support in the first semester when it is most needed, but progressively encourages you to work independently and collaboratively.

The programme's modules will prepare you for your future degree subject and train you to research and communicate your ideas effectively.

In this programme, you will:

• look at different academic texts, including research papers, textbooks, webpages and essays, and you will be asked to write some of these too
• consider how convincing arguments in science are constructed and will discuss the ethical issues involved, including the use of artificial intelligence
• learn how to present and discuss ideas with other students to improve your confidence in academic tutorials and seminars

Modules

• Semester 1:
  • Foundation Inorganic and Physical Chemistry
  • Biology 1
  • Communicating in Academic Contexts 1
  • Research and Writing for Science A
• Semester 2:
  • Biology 2
  • Foundation Physiology 1
  • Communicating in Academic Contexts 2
  • Research and Writing for Science B

Teaching

• Teaching format: Classes take place Monday to Friday between 9am and 6pm. You will spend approximately 16 hours per week on focused learning activities. These may be 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.
• Support: The University’s Student Services team can help students with additional needs resulting from disabilities, long-term medical conditions or learning disabilities.

Fees

• Tuition fee: The tuition fee for 2025 entry is £26,380. This fee includes access to all University facilities, a transfer from Edinburgh or Glasgow airport, or Leuchars train station, when you first arrive, and the use of course books, handouts and other course materials.
• Fee guarantee: Students who progress onto the second year of their degree programme in 2026 will pay the undergraduate fees at the undergraduate entry price, rather than the price. Fees will be adjusted annually, typically ranging between 3% and 5%, to reflect inflationary pressures to which we may be exposed.

Scholarships

• Kinnessburn Scholarship: Students who successfully complete their International Foundation programme (IFP) at the University, with the required merit grade, and who move onto a degree at the University of St Andrews, will be eligible to apply for the Kinnessburn Scholarship.
• Undergraduate scholarships: During their first semester, students on the International Foundation programme will receive a conditional offer for a degree programme at St Andrews. With this offer, students can apply to any of the undergraduate scholarships for which they are eligible.

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.
• University accommodation is guaranteed for International Foundation students.

Your future

• Studying your degree at the University of St Andrews: Students who meet the requirements for second-year entry in the Faculty of Science have the option to progress onto a single Honours degree.
• Progression degrees: Students on this programme can progress onto the following degrees:
  • BSc (Honours) Animal Behaviour
  • BSc (Honours) Ecology and Conservation
  • BSc (Honours) Evolutionary Biology
  • BSc (Honours) Zoology
  • BSc (Honours) Marine Biology
  • MMarBiol (Honours) Marine Biology
• Your undergraduate offer: Students entering the Environmental Biological Sciences (International Year One) programme in September 2025 will receive a conditional offer in Semester 1 for a place on their intended degree programme at the University of St Andrews starting in September 2026. When you successfully complete the programme with the required grades listed above, your offer to enter the degree programme at St Andrews will become unconditional.