2nd year entry at Scottish universities

I'm from England in Year 12 and was wondering how much more difficult it is to get accepted for 2nd year entry at Scottish universities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee, as a pose to 1st-year entry (I'd prefer to save money and time by doing a degree in 3 years, not 4, if possible)? The A-Level entry requirements only seemed marginally higher, but I was not sure whether these told the whole story.

Also, most English universities seem to guarantee accomodation on campus for 1st-year students. Do Scottish universities have this policy for just their 1st-year students, or also for those fast-tracking to 2nd-year? Ie., would I have to sort my own accommodation out if I went to a Scottish university with 2nd-year entry?

By the way apologies if I've posted this in the wrong place or something I'm new here.

Hey there!

It seems like you've got the right jist - if you're hoping to apply for 2nd year entry at any of our institutions, generally we may ask for higher entry requirements (eg AAB instead of BBB). This varies from course to course so it's worth checking at the universities you're considering. The reason for this is that usually our degrees are taught quite broad based for the first year or two, giving students a chance to find their feet and get familiar with their subject areas. If you can show you have the academic capability to start at a slightly higher level, 2nd year entry might be a good option for you Which courses are you interested in?

For accommodation, generally first years will be guaranteed a space in halls- especially if you're travelling in from outwith the local area (which you certainly would be!). That'd be the same case for you even if you're joining in 2nd year. I can only speak for Strathclyde, but this would be the case for us and there's even a chance you could stay in halls for the duration of your degree if you like - although priority is definitely given to those starting in their first year of studies. Only thing to bear in mind would be that the vast majority of students in halls will be in first year while you're starting in your second, but the accommodation team would allocate you with other people in similar circumstances where possible.

So happy to hear you're considering studying in Scotland! You'll absolutely love it here if you do... what we lack in sunny weather we make up for in fantastic cities, landscapes and people- promise!!

If you've any more questions about anything feel free to get in touch!

-Caitlin
Official University of Strathclyde Rep

Scottish unis are more flexible. A friend from England went to Edinburgh for first year after completed A-level. He could went to second year direct entry but chose not to because it's more difficult and Scottish degree are more flexible meaning you can change course in first year to second year or second year to third year in another course. But it depends on the course, for computer science - there lot of areas(data science/AI) allowing you to do that. In England it would be very hard to change after first year. If spending a extra year isn't an issue for you then better to go in as first year entry as it's more flexible and it also help you to build up more of the core stuff that require in year 2. The first year in scotland isn't like a foundation degree in england - the quality and standard is different.

The student tuition fees is the same whether you do a 4 years or 3 years . 6937.5 x 4 / 9250 x 3

For accommodation , you will to contact uni, some course are online for few weeks/ half semester depending on the course.