MSc Biological Sciences / Application and selection

Year of entry: 2025

How to apply

Please apply via our online application form . See the application and selection section for details of the supporting documents we require.

We recommend that you apply as early as possible. We reserve the right to close applications if the course is full.

Advice to applicants

We require the following documents before we can consider your application: 

  • Transcript of your studies to date.
  • Degree certificate (if you have already graduated).
  • Personal statement or statement of purpose.
  • Curriculum vitae (CV). Please, make sure you explain any laboratory or project experiences that you gained outside your standard undergraduate laboratory practicals, which should also be listed in the official application form.
  • Evidence of English language ability.
  • Two academic references. You must provide the contact details of two referees in your application form.

Both references are compulsory. At least one should ideally be from a lab or project supervisor. Applications will not be considered for a final decision until two references are received.

Your referees will be contacted directly and asked to provide a letter of reference. When providing referee details, you must ensure the email addresses are accurate and official, typically ending with an institutional domain. We do not accept references provided from a personal email address, eg Hotmail or Gmail.

If any of the supporting documents are not in English, you must also provide us with official or certified English translations.

If English is not your first language, we require proof of your English language ability at the point of application. If you have already taken an English language qualification, please include your certificate with your application. We cannot provide a decision on an application without seeing some evidence of a good level of English language ability. If you do not provide this when you apply, your application will remain on hold until evidence is received.

How your application is considered

We consider your full academic history including which undergraduate course units you have taken and the marks obtained. When application numbers are high, even if you have met our minimum entry requirements, we will take into account your marks in the most relevant undergraduate course units in our final decision making.

Interview requirements

Some applicants may be interviewed, generally by Zoom.

Returning to education

We may interview you via Zoom prior to making a decision on your application.

Overseas (non-UK) applicants

Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1,000 towards their tuition fees before a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment. Please do not make the payment before you are prompted to.

You cannot use your CAS to apply for a visa more than three months before the start date of your course. This means that if you intend to begin a course on 16th September 2024, we will not issue you with a CAS number before 16th June 2024.

Your CAS number is only valid for one student visa application.

Deferrals

Deferrals are not usually considered for this course.

Re-applications

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again.

Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.