Admissions & Application

About the project

• Home
• Study
• Research Degrees
• Admissions & Application

Applying for postgraduate research study at UWS has never been simpler

We are delighted that you are considering applying to study at the University of the West of Scotland.

Here you can find more information about:

If you are ordinarily resident outside the UK you might find our step-by-step guide for international students useful.

Apply for Research Degree

Explore your postgraduate research options below

A step-by-step guide to applying for a postgraduate research degree at University of the West of Scotland.

Find out more

The academic entry requirements you'll need to begin a postgraduate research degree at UWS.

Find out more

• Postgraduate Research step-by-step guide – everything you need to know to submit a successful application
• Entry requirements – where to find the entry requirements for individual courses
• English language requirements and English language courses – if you’re not a native speaker of English, this section sets out the English language requirements and support to meet them

English Language Requirements

For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. The qualifications below must have been gained within two years of the start of your course.

General English language requirements at UWS: International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)

For our research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf), applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

Equivalent scores in another recognised qualification: are listed below as too are details of our pre-sessional English Language courses for those who do not meet the required English language criteria prior to commencing their studies.

• overall score of 6.5
• no sub-test less than 6.0

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS OVERVIEW

All academic degrees/awards at UWS are taught in English. For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English language proficiency level. All English language qualifications must have been gained within two years of the start of your UWS course.

In general terms, if you are applying to study a course at, or above, Year 1 (SCQF Level 7) bachelor’s degree level, then the UKVI’s minimum level of English proficiency is Common European Framework for References of Languages (CEFR) at B2 (Upper Intermediate).

• applicants who are exempt from English language requirements include:
• native speakers of English
• Erasmus students (unless advised otherwise)
• non-Erasmus students from EU partner institutions (your institution must provide confirmation of your English language ability in the absence of a formal qualification)
• students whose previous degree-level study has been taught and assessed in English in what UK Visas and Imigration (UKVI) define as a majority English speaking country

UWS & INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEST SYSTEM (IELTS)

At UWS, we define our general English language requirements using the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module ( not General Training ) as follows:

Undergraduate (bachelor's - BA, BAcc, BEng, BSc etc.) degrees and postgraduate (master's - MA, MBA, MSc etc.) taught degrees

• the CEFR equivalent requirement is normally an overall IELTS score of 6.0 (or equivalent), with a score of no lower than 5.5 in any of the four elements (listening, speaking, reading and writing)

Postgraduate research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA etc.)

These are minimum requirements and some courses may require a higher standard for admission†.

† Exceptions to this level of IELTS scoring exist for some accredited or professionally-recognised courses (see IELTS Score Exceptions section below for more information).

• the CEFR equivalent requirement is an overall IELTS score of 6.5 (or equivalent), with a score of no lower than 6.0 in any of the four elements (listening, speaking, reading and writing)

RESEARCH DEGREES

For our research degrees ( MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf ) applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

• overall score of 6.5
• no sub-test score of less than 6.0

MIDWIFERY AWARDS

For Midwifery courses that lead to professional registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (BSc Midwifery ), applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

• overall score of 7.0
• score of at least 7.0 in reading, listening and speaking and
• score of at least 6.5 in writing

PARAMEDIC SCIENCE DEGREE

Our BSc Paramedic Science degree leads to professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC); it has different IELTS requirements than other Health-related courses. Although it is not possible to apply for this degree directly as an international student , for applicants who meet SAAS residency requirements and for whom English is not their first language, then the following IELTS scores are required:

• overall score of 7.0
• no sub-test score of less than 6.5

BIOMEDICAL DEGREES

For our BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science and MSc Advanced Biomedical Science degrees , which may lead to professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

• overall score of 7.0
• no sub-test score of less than 6.5

SOCIAL WORK DEGREES

Our BA (Hons) Social Work and MSc Social Work degrees are professionally recognised by the Scottish Social Services Council and applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

• overall score of 7.0
• no sub-test score of less than 7.0

CERTIFICATE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

For our Certificate of Higher Education courses, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:

• overall score of 5.0
• no sub-test less than 4.5

OTHER IELTS EQUIVALENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTS

In additional to IELTS, we also accept a number of alternative English language for application and admission to our courses for both home/EU and international students at bachelor's degree study at Year 3 (SCQF Level 9), and above. From Cambridge to TOFEL iBT qualifications the number of these qualifications is extensive.

Find out about non-IELTS English Language Tests

ENGLISH LANGUAGE HIGH SCHOOL QUALIFACTIONS ACCEPTED FOR NON-EU APPLICANTS

UWS has also reviewed a range of High / Secondary School qualifications studied by non-EU applicants that can be used as a basis of entry to a UWS. These range from Botswana GCSEs to USA High School Graduation Diplomas, the number of these qualifications is extensive.

Find out more about international English Language high-hchool qualifications

PRE-SESSIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE COURSES AT UWS

Applicants who do not meet the minimum English language requirements have the option to study one of our preparatory and pre-sessional English courses. UWS courses available are:

Find out more about our English language Courses.

• 8-week pre-sessional Enlish Language Online Course - entry criteria UKVI IELTS 5.0 with no no element below 4.5
• 5-week pre-sessional Enlish Language Online Course - entry criteria UKVI IELTS 5.5 with with only one component at 5.0
• English Language for University Study - entry criteria UKVI IELTS with an overall score of 4.0, plus a score of 4.0 in all sub-tests (10-month course), or an overall score of 4.5, plus no score below 4.0 in all sub-tests (7-month course).

Search Research System

PURE is the University's research information management system and provides a single source of research information for UWS. It is used to record and manage research activity with details of research outputs, funding applications, conference contributions, external impact and staff profiles.

Research areas