A guarantee of fairness
when applying to a
university in Scotland
Qualiications & other
information used to
apply to university
Scottish universities are diverse. We vary
in terms of the courses we oer, and the
knowledge, skills, and abilities we expect
you to have, as demonstrated by your
qualiications and achievements.
Universities have a limited number of places
they can oer to those wishing to study in
Scotland. This means that not everyone can
be oered a place even if they meet all the
entry requirements.
It is therefore important to set out our
shared, common principles so that,
wherever in Scotland you want to study,
you know broadly what to expect.
A guarantee of fairness
when applying to university
in Scotland
This statement explains how admissions processes at
Scotland’s universities aim to be fair to everyone who
applies to study.
1. Our admissions processes aim to be fair
to all learners by taking full account of
their circumstances. Every application
is considered individually to determine
whether the applicant has experienced
disadvantage that may have aected their
ability to demonstrate their full potential.
2. We therefore seek to admit students on
the basis of their potential for university
level study and, particularly in the case
of vocational and professional courses,
students’ potential to develop the skills
and aptitude needed after graduation.
Qualiications and grades are important,
but they are considered alongside other
information that helps universities to
identify potential and widen access
(and you do not need any qualiications to
study at the Open University in Scotland).
3. We are committed to:
• operating transparent admissions
policies and procedures;
• seeking to ensure that we are
accessible to all who have the
potential to succeed; and
• removing all unnecessary barriers
to accessing our universities.
4. We are committed to widening
access to our universities, particularly
to people who may have experienced
disadvantage and who have not been
able to demonstrate their full academic
potential as a result. A person’s socio-
economic background, where they live,
the type of school they attended and
their subject choice can all aect their
educational attainment. Universities
take this context into account, and
look for an applicant’s potential.
5. Individual universities may also
support other groups of learners
who are underrepresented in higher
education or in certain subject areas,
or who are known to have experienced
disadvantages that may limit academic
achievement. This support takes many
dierent forms, in order that it best
meets the diverse needs of learners.
6. Regardless of whether you could be
classed as being part of a particular
underrepresented or disadvantaged
group, institutions will always look
at your individual circumstances to
determine whether to oer you a place.
Qualiications & other
information used to
apply to university
This statement is written primarily for applicants living in
Scotland. It aims to provide you with general information
about certain university entry qualiications.
Universities have been asked to provide
information about the following:
• Advanced Highers;
• Foundation Apprenticeships; and
• Higher National Certiicates (HNCs)
and Higher National Diplomas (HNDs).
We then provide information on how our
admissions processes take account of:
• personal statements; and
• references.
This statement does not oer a
comprehensive guide to all qualiications.
It does not discuss Highers or National 5
qualiications, for example, which are very
important qualiications for very many
applicants applying from within the Scottish
system. Further, gaining entry to university
is not all about your qualiications, it’s also
about the wider context. And you do not
need any qualiications if you want to study
at the Open University in Scotland.
Qualiications &
other information
used to apply to
university
Universities take a wide range of
qualiications into account when deciding
whom to admit, and dierent universities
set dierent academic entry requirements.
It’s not possible for universities to list every
entry qualiication they accept because
there are many types of qualiication from
across the world.
If you are still unsure about how to apply for
a course, whether a particular qualiication
will be accepted or what grade(s) you will
need to get in, please do get in contact
with the admissions oice in the institution
concerned as soon as you can and they
will be happy to answer any questions.
You will ind contact details on institutions’
admissions webpages. UCAS also provides a
wealth of useful information to learners.
Advanced Highers
For entry to most courses, universities
do not require Advanced Highers. Some
universities do not require them at all.
When Advanced Highers are required,
or are seen as an advantage, this will be
clearly stated in the entry requirements.
Likewise, universities will state in their entry
requirements how Advanced Highers are
treated in the admissions process (e.g.
how they are counted when calculating
cumulative grades).
For entry to some of their courses some
universities might recommend that you
achieve some Advanced Highers. This is to
help prepare you for the move to university
level study, and may increase your chances
of being made an oer.
Sometimes there is the option of
‘advanced entry’ for applicants with
Advanced Highers. This means that you
can skip Year 1 of your degree programme
and go directly into Year 2 if you would
like to do so, and if you have achieved
the Advanced Higher subjects and grades
required. In other cases advanced entry
to Year 2 is not possible; this can be for
various reasons (including requirements
of Professional, Statutory and Regulatory
Bodies). If advanced entry is possible,
this will be stated in university
entry requirements.
Universities know that applicants
sometimes cannot achieve a range of
Advanced Highers when these are required
or recommended in entry requirements,
because access to these qualiications is
not equal across Scotland. We want to
assure applicants who ind themselves
in this situation that you will not be
disadvantaged in the admissions process
because of something you cannot control.
If this aects you, universities will make
every eort to help you demonstrate
your achievement to a level equivalent
to the stated entry requirement in an
alternative way, e.g. through a dierent
set of qualiications. If you have any
questions or concern about this then
you can contact the university you are
applying to and they will be happy to help.
Your teachers should also highlight this
situation in your UCAS reference.
Foundation Apprenticeships
Foundation Apprenticeships aim to help
young people gain valuable, real-world
work experience and access work-based
learning opportunities whilst they are still at
school. All universities accept Foundation
Apprenticeships as entry qualiications
to at least some subject areas.
Universities treat Foundation
Apprenticeships dierently in terms of
admissions. In fact, the same university
may treat Foundation Apprenticeships
dierently from one subject area to another,
depending on the knowledge and skills an
applicant needs for a course.
For example, some universities may
mention Foundation Apprenticeships in
their entry requirements in terms of their
equivalence to Highers i.e. a Foundation
Apprenticeship may equate to one Higher
at a particular grade, or it may equate to
two Highers at particular grades. Other
universities may refer to them as
standalone entry qualiications.
Universities have information on their
websites about Foundation Apprenticeships
when these are accepted entry qualiications,
and about how these are treated in the
admissions process.
If Foundation Apprenticeships are not
mentioned in entry requirements you
should contact the universities to check
whether they will be accepted in the
subject area concerned.
HN Qualiications
Many learners apply to university with HNCs
and HNDs, and all of Scotland’s universities
recognise these as entry qualiications to
some subject areas.
It is sometimes possible for applicants with
an HNC qualiication to enter directly into
Year 2 of a university degree programme,
and for applicants with an HND qualiication
to enter directly into Year 3 of a university
degree programme. This is called
‘articulation’. Whether this is possible
usually depends on how well the college
and university curricula ‘it’ or ‘match’
with one another.
In some instances, it may only be possible
for HNC applicants to enter Year 1 at
university, and for HND applicants to
enter either Year 2 or Year 1.
Universities aim to provide clear information
about how they treat Higher National
Qualiications in admissions. However, as
approaches can vary, it is very important
that you check entry requirements with
universities at the earliest opportunity, so
you can be clear whether and how your
qualiications will be considered. You are
very welcome to contact universities if
anything is unclear, or if you would like
further information.
Partial HN qualiications
and university entry
Universities know that some people apply
to university having completed only part of
an HNC or HND qualiication. Also, some
HNC qualiications when completed in
full do not carry the number of credits*
necessary for entry to a university degree
programme. If you are unsure about
how your qualiications will be treated in
the admissions process, please contact
universities for advice, and sta will
be happy to help. In some situations
applicants will be accepted; in others they
will recommend some additional study to
boost credit. This could be, for example,
a short course of extra maths for entry to
engineering and computer science degree
courses. It might also be possible to top up
on credit through, for example, summer
schools or part-time programmes for adult
learners. Universities will be clear about this
in their entry requirements where it applies.
Personal Statements
When you apply to university you will be
asked to submit a personal statement as
part of your UCAS application (if you are
applying to a full-time degree programme).
Your personal statement will give the
universities you are applying to very useful
material. This could include, for example,
information about why you are interested
in studying a particular subject, any relevant
work experience you have undertaken,
and extra-curricular activities you
have undertaken.
The personal statement forms part of the
overall consideration universities give to
applications, so universities will not decide
to make oers based on the content of
personal statements alone. They will
consider a wide range of factors in their
decision-making process, including your
qualiications or relevant work experience
as well as your background. Universities
will want to get as full a sense as possible
of your proile and your potential to succeed
on your chosen course of studies.
Universities understand that applicants
will have had very dierent opportunities
and experiences from one another, both
within and outside school or college. We are
interested in how applicants have engaged
with and relected upon these opportunities,
not the opportunities themselves.
* Every Scottish qualiication is made up of a dierent
number of credits. You can ind out more by searching
online for “SCQF Ready Reckoner”.
Given the importance of personal
statements in the admissions process,
it is important that you have a clear sense
of what universities are looking for.
Universities welcome:
• a clear, enthusiastic statement of why
you are applying for the subject area
you have chosen;
• what you think studying a particular
subject or course will enable you to do;
• how you feel your learning to date has
contributed to this choice; and
• a sense of your interests, what you like
reading, watching or doing, and how
these might beneit you in your
university studies.
We understand that completing a
personal statement can often be a diicult,
time-consuming and challenging task.
However, it is also a valuable exercise, giving
you the opportunity to think hard about why
you want to go to university, what you want
to study, and how well you have prepared.
The process of writing a personal statement
also helps you to develop and demonstrate
skills required at university, and may also
help you to complete job applications
and consider your employability skills.
The time commitment made is therefore
very worthwhile and it is crucial that
a personal statement represents
your own work. Schools and Colleges
have access to the services oered by
universities and UCAS to deliver impartial
information, advice and guidance on the
UCAS application process, including the
preparation of personal statements.
We want to assure everyone who submits
an application – or who helps with this
process – that the information provided in
applications, including personal statements,
is always considered in full by dedicated
teams of admissions professionals and/or
subject tutors.
References
The UCAS reference is an opportunity
for schools, colleges or employers
(depending on circumstances) to say
something about the applicant that will
support their application. This might include
information about their strengths, interests
and anything else that will be relevant and
useful for universities.
In terms of applicants applying directly
from school or college, a reference
might include relevant information about
curriculum structure, especially where
this might not enable pupils to achieve
particular qualiications or combinations
of qualiication, and where it might
otherwise impact on their ability to meet
entry requirements. It might also include
information about speciic challenges
students have faced, or schools or colleges
have faced that may have aected students’
academic attainment.
Referees should not view the UCAS
reference as a one-o opportunity to
communicate with universities on behalf
of applicants. They can see it as potentially
the start of an ongoing dialogue. Referees
are encouraged to contact universities
on behalf of applicants at any point in the
admissions cycle, and should get in touch
as soon as possible if information pertinent
to their applications comes to light.
This statement was published in 2019 by Universities Scotland
on behalf of all 19 of Scotland’s universities and higher education
institutions. Contact: info@universities-scotland.ac.uk or
T: 0131 226 1111 for more information, but pleased be advised
that Universities Scotland cannot provide detailed guidance
on applying to university. For that, you should contact the
individual universities or UCAS.
