Undergraduate programmes

Your UCAS application is completed in 10 steps:

1. Registration: create a UCAS Hub account and click the 'Start Application' button
2. Personal details: your name, address, date of birth, contact details, nationality, residential status and an outline of any disabilities
3. Additional information (UK applicants only): additional details about any non-examination-based activities you have taken in preparation for higher education
4. Choices: a list of the programmes, and the universities and colleges that you are applying to
5. Education: details of where you have studied and which qualifications you are taking/have taken
6. Employment: details of your work history and employers
7. Personal statement: a statement that tells us why you are applying for the programme(s) you've chosen and why we should want you as a student
8. Reference: a reference from a tutor, careers adviser or other professional who knows you
9. Declaration: confirming that the information you've given is correct and agreeing to use the UCAS application service.
10. Pay and send: paying the application fee online using a credit or debit card.

If you need help with your application you should contact UCAS Customer Services on 0371 468 0468 (within UK) or +44 330 3330 230 (outside the UK).

• The UCAS institution code for Heriot-Watt is H24
• The programme codes you will need for your application are listed against each programme
• Programmes based at our Edinburgh Campus do not have a Campus Code
• Programmes based at our Scottish Borders Campus have the Campus Code S.

We can accept direct applications from overseas applicants.

You must create an account to use our online application form. You don’t have to complete the application in one session, you can save what you have done so far and return to complete it at a later time.

Once you create an account please fill in and submit your application form (NB select the Undergraduate (Dubai and Malaysia) option to take you to our direct form). The application status will show as submitted and you can then proceed to upload your supporting documents.

The only document you are required to upload initially for your application to be reviewed is your academic transcript/marks sheet. However, we recommend you upload the following documents (including certified translation if applicable):

• Academic transcript (if you haven't completed your studies yet, please include your transcript to date or predicted grades) 
• A copy of the picture page of your passport if you are an international student.
• Evidence of English language if English is not your first language. Please find information of the types of English evidence we can accept.

In some cases, after your application is reviewed you may be requested to provide additional documents such as:

• Supporting or personal statement/statement of purpose
• CV
• Academic reference
• Digital Portfolio (for some of our School of Textiles and Design courses)

Once your academic transcript has been uploaded in slot marked with an asterisk *, the application status will show as ‘Completed' and will be reviewed by the Admissions team, we will get in touch with you directly if we require anything else from you.

UCAS applicants can use the tracking service on your UCAS Hub account to keep up-to-date with your progress and reply to your offers. Direct applicants can view the latest on their application by logging into your application account. We’ll send you an email to notify you when an update has been made.

We aim to make decisions on applications submitted on or before 29 January 2025 by the middle of May, typically around 14 May. Whatever our decision you will be able to see this on your UCAS Hub account. That is also where you can accept our offers.

UCAS will email you to advise if there has been a change to your application and ask you to check your UCAS Hub account. Please ensure that you have access to the email address which you have used on your UCAS application, throughout the summer so that you can receive any important emails from your chosen universities.

You should notify UCAS if you decide to change your email address throughout the application process.

If you have not already submitted an application in this current cycle you can do so by creating a UCAS Hub account and submitting an application.

Alternatively, if you have already used all five choices on your UCAS application this year but are not currently holding any offers, or if you choose to decline your offers or withdraw your choices, you will be eligible to apply through UCAS Extra. Where we can no longer accept applications through UCAS Extra due to high demand we will publish this on the UCAS website.

International applicants (including EU)

All our undergraduate programmes are open to International applicants.

Applicants from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland

All our undergraduate programmes are open to applicants from England, Wales, Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland who are classed as Rest of UK (RUK) for fees purposes.

Scottish applicants

Places for Scottish applicants are limited due to Scottish Government limits on the number of funded places available. In line with our commitment to widening access to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, priority will be given to Scottish applicants whose home address falls within the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 20% most deprived areas or those with care experience.

We recommend you check with us for more information about the availability of places as this may be subject to change.

All applications to Heriot-Watt University are carefully considered. We take into account your personal statement and reference as well as your grades. We will make one of the following responses to you:

• an unconditional offer, (you have achieved the entry requirements). In other words, if you accept this offer, you have a place at Heriot-Watt.
• a conditional offer (you need to achieve specified entry requirements before you are accepted). If you accept this offer, and get the results we've asked for, you have a place at Heriot-Watt.
• no offer - we will inform you that your application has been unsuccessful this time. This does not prevent you from applying again in a subsequent year.

Responding to our offers

The deadline for you to respond to your offers will be displayed on your UCAS Hub account if you applied via UCAS. Please ensure that you respond by the deadline stated.

Direct applicants should respond as soon as you can, bearing in mind the time it can take to apply for a visa to study in the UK.

If you have already applied and are now unable to start your studies as planned, you can request to change your start date. Our Deferral Policy provides guidance as to when and how deferrals can be requested and the rationale for accepting or declining this request.

Due to the specialised nature of some of our programmes e.g. British Sign Language or Textiles and Design programmes, applicants may be invited to attend an online or in person interview to further assess their suitability for the programme they have applied to. 

Applicants who have received an offer from us will be invited to visit the University (usually between January and April), in order to find out more about their chosen programme and about the University more generally.

It is also possible to visit us outside of the dates offered – our Student Recruitment team would be pleased to arrange informal visits to the university for applicants and potential applicants on request. Alternatively you can attend one of our open days.

• Heriot-Watt University is committed to widening access to students from disadvantaged backgrounds and uses a contextual approach in our admissions procedures to enable us to select applicants with the greatest potential to succeed.
• As part of our Fair Access Admissions Policy, students who are care experienced or whose home address is within one of the Scottish government's priority postcodes (commonly referred to as SIMD20) are guaranteed an offer if they have the ability to meet our minimum entry requirements. Please see our Coming from School page for more information.
• In addition to our guaranteed offer above we will also look to make a contextual, or amended, offer to other groups of students depending on their background. Find out which groups of students are eligible.
• This initiative is aimed at further increasing the number of students who reside in key areas of underrepresentation in higher education taking up a place of study at the University.
• Find out more on how we support Wider Access students.

If you are from overseas and are self-funding your studies we will ask you to pay an advanced instalment on your fees. We will provide details of this with your offer or at acceptance stage.

If you are under 18 we will require parental consent and will contact you to request this.

The University is able to sponsor suitably qualified students for a visa to study in the UK. If you require a visa we will contact you once you have met all the condition on your offer and have accepted this with information on what to do next.  

It is sometimes possible to enter directly into second or third year of our degree programmes. This is based on previous qualifications and availability. Our entry requirements list qualifications required for year 2 entry. If you do not see your qualifications listed here or want to discuss the possibility of direct entry please contact us.

Applicants who are considering transferring from another higher education institution should get in touch to discuss compatibility. We will require transcripts from your previous institution to assess your eligibility.