Departmental Requirements

Applicants to degree schemes including Fine Art must submit a Portfolio of their art work as one of their Entrance Examinations.

Applicants to degree schemes including Art History must take the Art History paper in combination with any other humanities subject.

Applicants with both Fine Art and Art History in their degree scheme (for example BA Fine Art / Art History) must submit both the Fine Art portfolio and the Art History paper. 

Applicants to degree schemes including Photography must also submit a portfolio of their work. 

Please note that only ONE portfolio may be submitted for the Entrance Exam competition.

Although applicants to the Business School are encouraged to consider selecting the paper for the subject which they have applied to study, any subject combination is acceptable.

Candidates who have applied for a course that includes Computer Science must take at least one of the Computer Science or Information Technology papers.

The exam paper is suitable both for candidates currently studying for a qualification in Education or Childhood and those who have an interest in the subject. Although applicants to the Department are encouraged to consider selecting this paper, any subject combination is acceptable.

Applicants to the Department of English and Creative Writing are expected to take one or both of the papers we offer: Creative Writing (in English) and English Literature. Although applicants are encouraged to take both papers they may choose to take one of these papers in combination with any other subject.

Applicants applying to study Geography, Sociology, Earth or Environmental Sciences are expected to sit at least one exam offered by the department, including: Physical Geography, Human Geography, Geology, Environmental Science, Sociology.

Applicants to the Department of History and Welsh History are required to take at least one of the papers we offer: History – British Isles and History – World. Although applicants are encouraged to consider taking both papers they may choose to take one of these papers in combination with any other subject.

The paper will consist of questions focusing on all aspects of information studies, including the role and impact of information on society, in particular the impact of the internet, social media and digital world, library and archive studies, cultural heritage, information organisation and management. No specialist or technical knowledge is expected but being able to demonstrate an engagement with current affairs especially where information has an impact – e.g. ‘fake news’, censorship, privacy, electronic media, will be an advantage. 

Applicants to the Department of International Politics are required to take at least one of the papers we offer: Politics and International Politics. Although applicants are encouraged to consider taking both papers they may choose to take one of these papers in combination with any other subject.

Although applicants to the Department of Law and Criminology are encouraged to consider selecting the Law / Criminology papers, any subject combination is acceptable.

Applicants should select at least one exam paper which is directly related to the course they are applying for. If candidates are uncertain regarding choices, they can contact the Life Sciences admissions team on ibtstaff@aber.ac.uk for guidance.

The Biology 1 and Biology 2 papers are based on the A level syllabus for Biology.

Candidates who have applied for a course that includes mathematics* must take the Mathematics paper as one of their subject options.
* The courses that include mathematics are those listed at https://courses.aber.ac.uk/subject/mathematics 

If applicants are studying the modern language to A level standard they will be expected to select that language as one of their subject options.

If you are applying to a degree scheme including Photography, you must submit a portfolio of your original photographs as one of your Entrance Exams. We are looking for work that shows a variety of media, techniques and subject matter, a strong aptitude for observational photography, and a wider interest in photography through the study of photographers and photographic collections, historical and contemporary. 

A PowerPoint file of up to 20 of your self-selected best photographic works should be submitted to: Professor Catrin Webster caw117@aber.ac.uk or artschool@aber.ac.uk , clearly marked ‘Entrance Scholarship Photography Portfolio’ and including your full name and UCAS number. The submission deadline is 2 February and late submissions will not be accepted. PowerPoints may be sent by email attachment, or submitted online via Dropbox, WeTransfer or equivalent, or alternatively uploaded onto a personal webpage or Blog.

Please note that only ONE portfolio may be submitted for the Entrance Exam competition.

Please contact the School of Art with any submission queries: 01970 622460, artschool@aber.ac.uk. 

Scholarship applicants intending to study Physics must take the Physics paper as one of their options. If candidates are taking A level Mathematics they can choose any other subject for their second paper. However, candidates not taking A level Maths should choose Mathematics as their second paper. If an applicant is applying for the foundation degree in Physics, these conditions may not be applicable.

Candidates who have applied to the Department of Psychology should take the Psychology paper as one of their options.

Applicants to Sociology are expected to sit the Sociology paper and any other paper of their choosing. We would recommend considering the papers in human geography and psychology.

Any applicant for a single or joint honours course in Drama and Theatre Studies will be expected to take the Drama and Theatre Studies paper as one of their subject options. Any applicant for a single or joint honours course in Film and Television Studies will be expected to take the Film and Television exam paper as one of their subject options

Applicants to study Welsh are encouraged to choose one of the two scholarship papers, either the Cymraeg Iaith Fodern paper for second language Welsh speakers, or the Cymraeg Iaith Gyntaf paper, in the case of first language Welsh speakers.