BSc Chemistry

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• Chemistry

AAA, including Chemistry and at least one other science or mathematics subject.

Subjects considered to be science/mathematics subjects are Biology, Physics, Mathematics, and Further Mathematics. 

If you do not have the required grades or subjects you may want to consider our integrated foundation year .

Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore there will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A-level taken. Where applicants are applying for science and related degrees, this is likely to be made explicit in the offers you will receive.

Please check for specific GCSE/IGCSE subject entry requirements below

Your application will be considered against the standard selection process of your chosen course if you either:

a) sat your examinations early;

or

b) followed an accelerated curriculum and spent three years studying A-levels where the examinations were taken over two years.

If you are studying an advanced curriculum where the examinations are spread over three years, consideration for an offer will be at the discretion of the admissions tutor for that subject.

AAB, including A in Chemistry and B or above in at least one other science or mathematics subject.

Subjects considered to be science/mathematics subjects are Biology, Physics, Mathematics, and Further Mathematics.

Find out more about contextual admissions .

Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore there will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A-level taken. Where applicants are applying for science and related degrees, this is likely to be made explicit in the offers you will receive. 

Please check for specific GCSE/IGCSE subject entry requirements below

Contextual offers are available for applicants who:

• live in the UK and will be under the age of 21 on 1 September of the year they will start their course; and
• live in an area of disadvantage or with low progression into higher education; and
• have attended a UK school or college for their GCSEs or A-levels (or equivalent qualifications) that has performed below the national average over multiple years.

See our contextual admissions page for full details and to check your eligibility.

ABB, including A in Chemistry and B or above in at least one other science or mathematics subject.

Subjects considered to be science/mathematics subjects are Biology, Physics, Mathematics, and Further Mathematics.

Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken. Where applicants are applying for science and related degrees, this is likely to be made explicit in the offer you will receive.

Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels. If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer. We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.  

Please check for specific GCSE/IGCSE subject entry requirements below

UK refugee/care-experienced offers are available for applicants who:

• have been looked after in care for more than three months; or
• have been granted refugee status by the UK government or have been issued a UK visa under one of the Ukrainian schemes (Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine Family Scheme or Ukraine Extension Scheme).

See our contextual admissions page for full details and to check your eligibility.

36 points overall with 6,6,6 at Higher Level, including Chemistry and at least one other science or mathematics subject.

We will accept Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches or Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation.

Applicants must demonstrate a broad general education, typically a minimum of five GCSEs/iGCSEs, including acceptable levels of literacy and numeracy, equivalent to at least grade 4/C in GCSE/iGCSE English Language, including grade 1 or 2 in the oral exam component if applicable, and grade 6/B in GCSE/iGCSE Mathematics.  

GCSE/iGCSE English Literature will not be accepted in lieu of GCSE/iGCSE English Language. 

We accept a range of qualifications from different countries. Detailed information on our international entry criteria is available on the  Department of Chemistry website .

For general entry requirements for countries not listed above, see accepted entry qualifications from your country .

Please note that these general requirements may differ from the Department’s requirements.

All applicants to the University (from the UK and overseas) are required to show evidence of English Language proficiency.

The minimum English Language requirement for this course is either:

• GCSE/IGCSE English Language grade 4/C,
• IELTS 6.5 overall with no sub-skill below 6.0,
• TOEFL iBT 90 overall with no sub-score below 20. We do not accept TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition, or;
• An acceptable equivalent qualification .

Where specified, we also require grade 1 or 2 in the Oral Exam component of the IGCSE English Language (first or second language) qualification.

Please note that if you hold English as a Second Language IGCSE qualification, we may also require you to offer one of our acceptable equivalent English Language qualifications or achieve a higher grade in your IGCSE than the one stated above.

If you need to improve your English language skills to meet the entry requirements for your academic course, the University Centre for Academic English (UCAE) summer pre-sessional courses can help. Check if your academic course offers the option of taking a pre-sessional course on the UCAE page .

The UK Visas and Immigration ( UKVI ) requires that every student requiring a visa to study in the UK must show evidence of a minimum level of English Language (Common European Framework (CEFR) B2 level) to be granted a Student Route visa (previously known as a Tier 4 visa) to study at undergraduate or postgraduate level.

In addition, our academic Schools/Departments may require applicants to demonstrate English proficiency above the B2 level. Further information about our English Language policy, including a list of some of the English Language qualifications we accept, can be found on our website .

Fees for entry in 2026 have not yet been set. For entry in 2025 the tuition fees were £9,535 per annum for home students, and are expected to increase slightly for 2026 entry.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

The University of Manchester is committed to attracting and supporting the very best students. We have a focus on nurturing talent and ability and we want to make sure that you have the opportunity to study here, regardless of your financial circumstances.  For information about scholarships/bursaries/sponsorship please see our undergraduate fees pages and check the Department's scholarships information . 

If you are a student who has followed a non-standard educational route, e.g. you have been educated at home; your application will be considered against the standard entry criteria of the course for which you are applying.

You will be required to demonstrate that you meet the specified academic entry requirements of the course.  We will also require a reference from somebody who knows you well enough, in an official capacity, to write about you and your suitability for higher education. Please refer to UCAS for further information: UCAS reference guidelines .

If you are a home-schooled student and would like further information or advice please contact the Admissions Team for the academic department for your chosen course.

Mature applicants who are returning to studies after a break from formal education will be considered on a case-by-case basis.  If you require further clarification about the acceptability of the qualifications you hold please contact the Department of Chemistry directly.

Find out further information for mature students .

All applications are considered on an individual basis once we receive a formal application through UCAS which includes details of the subjects taken and grades achieved, a personal statement, academic reference and your predicted grades (if you have not yet taken your final examinations).

Applicants are not routinely interviewed. In the majority of cases, admissions decisions will be made on the basis of the application information alone. However, depending on the qualifications taken, applicants may be invited to undertake an interview online or in person before a final decision is made.

All applicants should be aware that, if they are interviewed, information provided in the personal statement may be used as the basis for further discussion in an interview with an academic member of staff.

Further information and advice on writing your personal statement and the UCAS application process can be found on the UCAS website .

Applications for deferred entry are considered equally to other applications up to the point of confirmation.

Deferred entry is granted at the discretion of admissions staff, and is normally granted for one year only and two years at the maximum in exceptional circumstances.

Some English Language test results, such as IELTS or TOEFL, are only valid for two years from the test date. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.

We normally guarantee a place in the current year should an applicant's gap year plans change. However, this is subject to availability of places.

If you have re-sat individual modules to improve your grades, we will consider your application according to the standard selection process.

If you are planning to re-sit the final Year 13 examinations, or have already done so, the University will consider your application, but we may require further information in order to make an informed judgment on your application.

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.

If you are applying for a place for the same year of entry through UCAS Extra, you should provide additional evidence of your suitability for the course. If you are applying through UCAS Clearing, you are required to meet the Clearing requirements. In both UCAS Extra and Clearing, places will be subject to availability. 

Transfers to the first year of this course from those on another course within the University, or from other institutions, are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Transfers into the second year are not normally considered.

If you wish to enquire about whether you would be eligible to apply for entry onto the first or second year, please contact the Admissions Team with full details of your qualifications and copies of your transcripts to date. 

Our student community

ChemSoc is a student-run society with the aim of giving chemistry students the complete experience whilst at The University of Manchester. The year begins with the infamous lab coat pub crawl and concludes with a fantastic annual ball! In between ChemSoc hosts socials alongside other societies, allowing your inner passion for your subject to come out and show everyone that chemistry is the best subject.

The society has two successful sports teams, football and netball, with the football team winning the league last year! Teams comprise of first years right through to PhD students, so you will be able to meet lots of new faces!

Besides the social side the society has reinvented its academic aspects; ChemSoc hosts research talks accessible to all students featuring our high level of research from Manchester. Finally, the society encourages students to think about their employability, and have worked closely with the Careers Service to run events throughout the year, such as a LinkedIn workshop.

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Our blog

You can read about our students' experience in studying chemistry, work placement and study abroad diaries, as well as alumni profiles in our department blog .

First-year topics include:

• molecular orbital approaches to chemical bonding

• chemical reaction mechanisms

• molecular spectroscopy; coordination chemistry,

• thermodynamics

• kinetics

• quantum mechanics

You will also take course units that cover a range of presentational, mathematical and analytical and IT skills. Finally, you have the opportunity to study subjects from another Department - see the list of optional course units below.

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

The second year continues developing the core and extends topics from your first year, introducing new areas such as:

• bonding and reactivity

• chromatography

• organometallic chemistry

• molecular symmetry

• metal-ligand bonding

• polymer chemistry

• advanced spectroscopy

• biological and heterocyclic chemistry

In addition to the core units you have the opportunity to study course units introducing some of the contemporary themes of modern chemistry, as well as green and environmental chemistry. Alternatively, you may choose to take a course unit from the University's College for Interdisciplinary Learning , including our innovative Leadership in Action course, which combines study with volunteering and personal development.

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

In your final year you can choose from a wide range of course units made up of core and advanced chemistry units and also some units from outside chemistry.

These include advanced course units in computational chemistry, organic and inorganic synthetic methods, surface chemistry and catalysis, molecular structure determination and photochemistry, as well as topics that cut across the traditional subject areas (e.g. nuclear, environmental and biological chemistry).

You'll also take your practical chemistry and independent learning to a higher level with extended, advanced experimental and theoretical research projects.

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

BSc Chemistry is accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

BSc Chemistry is accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry as satisfying the academic requirements for admission to Membership of the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC).It partially fulfils the academic requirements for Chartered Chem (CChem).