How to apply for an undergraduate degree

To apply for a full-time undergraduate degree, you should apply through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

You can also view our application options for January and part-time entry, Forth Valley College degrees and international students.

UCAS application process

See the courses we have available

Use our course search to find your ideal course. You can also browse our range of subjects if you don't yet know what you want to study.

Register on UCAS website

Go to the UCAS Hub and complete the registration questions. Enter the year you want to start your course and that you're undertaking ‘Undergraduate’ level of study. You’ll go to your UCAS Hub dashboard, where you should click on the tile called ‘Your application’. Click ‘Start’ to begin your application.

Make your course choice

You can apply for up to five courses on your application. There’s no need to rank your choices, as universities don’t see your other choices. You don’t need to use all five choices and you can apply for several courses at the same university. UCAS has detailed advice on how to fill out your application.

Draft your UCAS personal statement

A personal statement generally takes the form of a short, reflective piece outlining why you've applied for your chosen course, and why you believe we should offer you a place to study on that course. See our guide to help you write a personal statement that'll make you shine.

Submit your UCAS application

For entry in 2024, you can submit your UCAS application from 5 September 2023. The deadline for applying is 31 January 2024.

Make sure you use the correct UCAS codes. Our UCAS name is STIRL and our UCAS institution code is S75. UCAS course codes are found on our course pages.

The UCAS application fee for 2024 is £27.50 for up to five course choices.

Track your application

Use UCAS Hub to see any offers as soon as they’re made.

You'll get an email from us giving you access to our Applicant Portal within a few days of submitting your application.

Additional steps for Nursing, Social Work and Sport, Physical Education and Professional Education

If you’re applying for a Nursing or Paramedic Science course, you’ll need to attend an interview. Find out more on the Adult Nursing course page, the Mental Health Nursing page or the Paramedic Science course page.

An interview is also part of the application process for the degree in Sports Studies, Physical Education and Professional Education.

If you’re a Social Work degree applicant and your UCAS application is successful, you will be asked to submit an additional piece of written work. Learn more about the Social Work application process.

student in cafe

What happens next?

Our Admissions team will deal with your application to the University of Stirling. Find out more about how we make decisions on your application and how to deal with any offers you're made.

Additional application routes

January entry for full-time study 

For international students and students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland there’s an option to start your degree in January on some of our courses. Applications for January entry must be made directly to the University and not through UCAS. See what courses are available and apply.

Part-time study

This is an option on some undergraduate courses. Part-time study is not available for those who require a visa. For part-time study starting in September or January, you need to apply to us directly.

International applicants

All students can apply through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) for September entry but if you only want to apply to the University of Stirling, then you can apply directly. However, you must not use UCAS and a direct entry application form for the same entry point.

EU applicants

If you have pre-settled or settled status living in Scotland or the UK, you may be eligible for “Home/Scottish” or “Rest of UK” (RUK) fee status. Fee status is assigned when you submit your application, and this can be checked with our Admissions team if you feel it is incorrect. For EU students who have a “Home/Scottish” fee status, all applications for September entry must be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

USA applicants

If you’re from the USA and you’re liable to pay tuition fees at the International rate. If you’re not applying through UCAS or direct to us, then you can apply through the Common Application for September entry.

Forth Valley Integrated Degrees 

This applies only to the following degrees delivered jointly with Forth Valley College: 

If you would like to apply only for one of these integrated degree courses, you can use our direct application form (instead of completing a UCAS application for multiple course choices). Email us at admissions@stir.ac.uk with the name of the course you want to apply for, and we will send you a link to the direct application form. We can also help you to complete the form if you need.

If you would like further information or guidance, please contact Forth Valley College’s University Partnership Officer, Lisa Baxter at lisa.baxter@forthvalley.ac.uk.

Deferred entry

We're happy to consider applications from students who may wish to defer their entry for a year. You should make deferred applications through UCAS by the 2023 deadline for entry in September 2024.

Advanced entry

Some of our courses offer Advanced Entry routes that enable students to gain exemption from Year 1 of study and go directly into Year 2. For students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales or International students, that means for some degrees you could complete your studies in three years.

Advanced Entry is not available on all courses, and entry requirements may vary. For more information, please have a look at the relevant course page or contact our Admissions team at admissions@stir.ac.uk.

We welcome applications via UCAS from HNC and HND students for advanced entry into Year 2 or Year 3 of their chosen degree courses where possible. College students can find more information on our articulation pages. Other UK students can get in touch with the admissions team.

Transferring from another university

Transfer applicants should apply via UCAS according to application deadline dates.