Environmental Biological Sciences (International Year One)

The subject of environmental biological sciences covers a wide range of areas, from how animals evolve to how to provide clean water for growing cities.

This programme will introduce you to university teaching and research with the aim of preparing you for undergraduate degrees in animal biology, behavioural biology, ecology and conservation, evolutionary biology, zoology, or marine biology. This programme will also prepare you for a potential career in fields such as conservation, the energy sector, and forensic science.

In this programme, you will:

In the 2020-2021 academic year, an average of 94.9% of International Foundation students passed their programme at the University of St Andrews, and an average of 81.3% started an undergraduate degree at the University.

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

See typical academic requirements for this programme. If your qualification is not shown, email ifp@st-andrews.ac.uk about the grades needed from your high school system.

You can demonstrate that you have met the academic requirements with a high school transcript from your final year at school. Any high school qualification you use as evidence of your academic ability should be from the last year you attended high school and dated within the previous three years.

You should apply before your final results are available, as the University can make you a conditional offer based on your past exam performance and predicted grades.

English language requirement

All International Foundation applicants must submit a Secure English Test (SELT) as evidence of their English language ability, unless they do not need a student visa to study in the UK.

See a list of approved English language tests and required scores for this programme.

You do not need to have your result when you apply, as this can be a condition of an offer made by the University.

Do I need to have studied this subject before?

You need to have studied sciences at school. Strong grades in biology, mathematics or integrated sciences would make your application more competitive.

Application requirements

The University will ask you to provide the following documents as part of your application:

• your most recent high school transcript
• a personal statement
• an academic reference from your high school on their letterhead or from a school email
• your official English language test result

Application deadline

The deadline for applications is Monday 14 July 2025. You only need to provide your high school transcript and personal statement when you submit your application. You can provide your academic reference and your English language evidence later.

How to apply

Your future

Studying your degree at the University of St Andrews

Students who meet the requirements for second-year entry in the Faculty of Science have the option to progress onto a single Honours degree. 

Students on this programme can progress onto the following degrees:

• BSc (Honours) Animal Behaviour
• BSc (Honours) Ecology and Conservation
• BSc (Honours) Evolutionary Biology
• BSc (Honours) Zoology
• BSc (Honours) Marine Biology
• MMarBiol (Honours) Marine Biology

To progress onto a degree at the University of St Andrews, students must achieve a minimum grade of 11.0 in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) modules, and a minimum grade of 7.0 in all other modules. Modules are marked according to the University’s 20-point scale.

Students may exceptionally request to be considered for entry onto the first year of degree programmes in the Faculty of Science, after completing the Environmental Biological Sciences (International Year One) programme. These requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account student performance and capacity within the relevant subject area.

Your undergraduate offer

Students entering the Environmental Biological Sciences (International Year One) programme in September 2025 will receive a conditional offer in Semester 1 for a place on their intended degree programme at the University of St Andrews starting in September 2026. 
 
When you successfully complete the programme with the required grades listed above, your offer to enter the degree programme at St Andrews will become unconditional.

Join a live question and answer session

The International Education Institute offers question and answer sessions to prospective International Foundation students who would like more information about St Andrews, university life, and the application process at the University.

Meet us in your country

Staff of the University of St Andrews are always pleased to meet prospective students in person. We visit many schools, colleges and higher education fairs to talk about the University and provide support and information for those thinking about applying. Find out how you can meet us in your country.

Online information events

Join us for one of our online information events where you can find out about different levels of study and specific courses we run.

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.