Vice Chancellor’s Entrance Scholarship

International fee-paying students, applying for entry into the first year of an undergraduate bachelors degree programme. Students must be ordinarily domiciled in one of following countries: 

France 

Germany 

Spain 

Italy 

Norway 

Sweden 

Denmark 

The Netherlands 

Poland 

Canada 

USA 

China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan) 

Japan 

South Korea 

United Arab Emirates 

Saudi Arabia 

Qatar 

Bahrain 

Kuwait 

Oman 

Singapore 

The exams for 2025 entry will take place on the 7th of February 2025 in an eligible school. 

If you do not attend an eligible school (like an International School), you may have the option to take the exams at a British Council Office, or another agreed invigilation centre. Please keep in mind that, although Aberystwyth University can support and advise on your exam location, any arrangements for this will be your responsibility, and you should make those arrangements directly with your school or alternative exam centre. If you have any questions before submitting your application, please email us at international@aber.ac.uk.  

The exams are optional exams for students applying for an undergraduate degree scheme at Aberystwyth. 

The exams will be online and you will need access to a school/college computer with Microsoft Word, internet connection, and a web browser (preferably Chrome, Firefox or Edge) in order to access and submit the exam papers. You, and your school/college, will be provided with full instructions prior to the exam day. If you have special circumstances that prevents you from doing so, please note this on your application form.  

All candidates for the Mathematics and Further Mathematics exam will be asked to answer on paper, scanned and emailed to scholarships@aber.ac.uk  by your Exams Officer.  

You will sit TWO exams from the choice of subjects we offer (the choice of exam papers must be approved by the Department you have applied to study at). 

Each exam lasts for an hour and a half and both exams need to be taken on the same day. 

The exams are set and marked by our academic departments so they don’t follow any particular syllabus but they should be a similar standard to A-level exams. We do not offer marking schemes or feedback for exam papers. 

Please ensure you choose subjects which are relevant for the degree scheme you wish to pursue. If you don’t sit exams in appropriate subjects, this may affect your eligibility for an award. 

It's a good idea to look at some of the past papers to get a feel for the type and level of questions likely to be asked, but please note that the format of exam papers may change from year to year. 

It is your responsibility to ensure you have selected appropriate subjects.  

If you are applying for a course which includes a foundation year and you’re unsure about which subjects to choose, please email us:  
scholarships@aber.ac.uk   

Please note that Veterinary Science, Veterinary Nursing and Nursing applicants are not eligible to sit the exams. 

You can apply quickly and easily via the Application Form on our website. You should receive a confirmation email following completion. Please get in touch if you don’t receive this email. 

You MUST get permission from your Examinations Officer before submitting your application form to ensure they can make the necessary arrangements. We will need their email address as part of the application process in order to obtain confirmation, and send exam instructions in due course. 

Please note that although you must have applied to study at Aberystwyth University by the closing date, you do not need to wait to receive an offer before you can apply to sit the exams. 

*Details on how to apply for the 2025 Aberystwyth University Scholarships & Merit awards exams will be available here soon. 

Please read the Guide for Applicants - 2024 and watch the video on How to submit exam papers to familiarise yourself with the exams instructions before hand.  

Please also familiarise yourself with the Policy on Good and Unfair Academic Practice for the Exams. 

Please note that an updated Guide for the 2025 exams will be available here soon. 

Please consult with your Exams Officer regarding any arrangements you have in place for normal school/college exams. 

Eligible candidates may be entitled to 25% extra time, and arrangements as per normal school examinations, please see our Policy on making reasonable adjustments for applicants sitting the Exams. 

Candidates are not permitted to take mobile phones, smart watches or any similar digital devices into the Exams.  Unless specified otherwise below, no texts, dictionaries, atlases or other documents or equipment may be used: 

Accounting & Finance- non-programmable calculators may be used. 

Art Portfolio – candidates must arrange to submit their portfolio by the date of the written exams. 

Business and Management – non-programmable calculators may be used.  

Chemistry – a periodic table is provided and a calculator may be used.  

Economics – non-programmable calculators may be used.  

Mathematics - Candidates may take into the examination any information booklets or statistical tables approved by their examining board for use in examinations. Candidates are permitted to use calculators, provided they comply with A level examining board regulations.  

Physics – all relevant information will be contained within the paper, but candidates may take into the examination room any ‘Information Booklets’ permitted by their Examining Boards for use in those examinations if they wish. Candidates are permitted to use calculators (provided they are silent, self-powered, without communication facilities, and incapable of holding text or other material that could be used to gain an unfair advantage). 

Photography Portfolio – candidates must arrange to submit their portfolio by the date of the written exams. 

Candidates are required to sit both papers in the same day. Schools may determine start times to suit their own timetables. The exams last for one and a half hours each.   

All instructions and materials for the exams will be sent to the nominated Examinations Officer approximately one week before the exams.  

There is no charge associated with sitting the exams, but the University is unable to contribute to any invigilation or room booking costs which may be incurred. Normal exam arrangements apply. 

If you have any questions that have not been answered in the above document, please contact scholarships@aber.ac.uk. 

All results will be sent to applicants via email within 4-6 weeks of the exams taking place. 

The top 20% of all international students who pass the exam in that academic year will receive a tuition-fee discount of £2,000 per year for every year of their undergraduate studies (maximum of £6,000). The remaining 80% who pass will receive £2,000 in the first year only. 

Tuition -fee discounts will be applied automatically to your account. 

1. Open to candidates aged at least 17 by 1st October in the year of university entry. Applications from mature students are welcome. Candidates who have been a degree student at any university for more than one semester are NOT permitted to sit the Exams. 
2. Applicants must apply for full-time undergraduate degrees at Aberystwyth University. An online application form must be submitted by the published closing date, indicating two exam subjects. Ensure selected subjects are acceptable to the proposed department. 
3. Candidates will receive exam results within 4-6 weeks of the exam date. 
4. The University reserves the right to withdraw a Vice Chancellor’s Entrance Scholarship application for candidates to whom they cannot offer a place, even after exams have been taken.  
5. To be considered for an award, ensure the selected exam papers are acceptable to your chosen department. 
6. If a department cannot offer your first-choice course but provides a similar course with a foundation year, the award applies only to that course. Awards for courses that include a foundation year are not transferable to a three-year degree scheme. 
7. Students deferring their entry are entitled to Scholarships at the level publicized for the year of application. 
8. Aberystwyth University reserves the right to change or remove any current Scholarships, Bursaries, and Financial Awards. 
9. Failure to meet any requirements will result in the withdrawal of the Scholarship. 

Policy on Good and Unfair Academic Practice for the Entrance Exams 

Reasonable adjustment policy 

We are happy to make reasonable adjustments for candidates wishing to sit the Aberystwyth University Scholarships and Merit Awards Exams who have specific requirements.  Arrangements will normally be the same as candidates receive for their school/college exams, as approved by their Examinations Officer, and can include the following:  

• Provision of 25% additional time 
• Use of designated rooms or workstations 
• Use of assistive technologies (including P.C. but not including internet access) 
• Use of a standard toolbar spell checker 
• Provision of an amanuensis or reader 
• Rest breaks 
• Use of coloured overlays 
• Papers in alternative formats (e.g. Braille)  

This list is not exhaustive as arrangements are intended to be responsive to individual needs.  Furthermore, some candidates may require a combination of arrangements.  

It is the responsibility of the individual candidate to bring his or her requirements to the attention of the University and their Examinations Officer at the earliest possible opportunity.  Adjustments must be both reasonable in accordance with the demands of equality legislation and practical to implement within the time available (no fewer than seven working days before the exam).  Where it is not practical to make adjustments within the time available or where requests are received later than seven working days before the exam it will not normally be possible to implement adjustments and it may be necessary for the candidate to undertake the exam without any adjustment. 

Where adjustments are put in place, thus ensuring all candidates are assessed on an equal basis with their peers, there will normally be no requirement to take further account of the candidate’s needs when marking papers. 

The University will require schools/colleges to confirm by email that the adjustments are in line with those usually made for the candidate when sitting exams and are necessary as a result of a long standing impairment/health issues for which evidence has been provided to the school - scholarships@aber.ac.uk