Plants are fundamental to our survival, providing oxygen, food, materials and medicines, underpinning habitats, engineering soils and acting as major carbon sinks.
Advances in plant science have revolutionised our understanding of the world, and saved millions of lives from starvation. As we face a future with an increasingly variable climate, it is important to find ways to feed more people with fewer resources, whilst maintaining natural diversity and minimizing our negative impact on the planet.
Whether your interests are in pure or applied science and whether you prefer to work at the environmental, organismal or molecular level, now is an exciting time to be a plant scientist. Plant science research leverages state-of-the-art advances in sequencing, imaging and molecular biology to:
understanding plant diversity and evolution
identify new medicines
engineer crops to have better yields both on earth and in space.
Plant science is also at the heart of controversial debates relating to genetic modification, gene editing and habitat reconstruction.
We have a strong international reputation for plant science research and offer many research opportunities. This ranges from fundamental topics, such as how plants sense time, to applied studies on the future of food production and the biotechnological use of plants as vaccines.
We study plants ranging from single-celled algae, to liverworts, snapdragons and crop plants to answer a wide variety of biological questions.
There is close collaboration with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Your final year project can be based there, or at one of the many plant research institutes in the area.
Flexibility
Biological sciences explores the study of living organisms, covering everything from the interactions of animals in their environment to how genes are expressed.
We offer a flexible learning experience. With 12 different biological sciences subject areas, you can tailor your programme to your preferred career path. Regardless of your initial application choice, you will have the opportunity to explore aspects of each of our programmes in the early years and can choose to specialise in whichever one interests you.
Our skills-based curriculum will equip you with data analysis, programming and problem-solving skills, as well as teaching you effective communication, and independent thinking. This will prepare you to be a part of the next generation of scientific thinkers who apply their skills in various contexts.
Programme benefits
Study on a flexible programme. Explore different areas of biological sciences before specialising in the later years of your degree programme.
You will learn in state-of-the-art laboratories, interactive computing studio facilities, and collaborative lecture theatres, ensuring a dynamic and immersive study experience.
Experience hands-on learning with fieldwork at local sites such as the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.
Gain key skills valued by employers such as communication, collaboration, problem solving and data analysis.
We have a strong international reputation for plant science research and offer many research opportunities, including an independent research project in your final year.
This course is not accepting applications at this time. Please contact the provider to find out more.
The following entry points are available for this course:
Direct entry to second year is available; see our website for entry requirements. Apply for only one Biological Sciences degree as we are only able to consider one application to this subject area. You will have the opportunity to switch between degrees in later years provided the required courses have been passed. We normally make offers to the highest qualified applicants. If competition for places is high this may mean that offers will only be made to applicants who are predicted, or who have achieved, above the single set of grades or the upper grade level in a range. Any conditional offer made may require you to achieve grades above the upper grade level. Therefore, achieving the top of our standard entry requirements does not guarantee a place on the relevant degree.
Detailed entry requirements, including typical offer levels, and information about other qualifications we accept, are available on the University of Edinburgh’s website. You’ll also find important information on how to apply. You must submit a fully completed UCAS application that includes details of the qualifications you are taking, including full predicted grades for qualifications not yet completed, your personal statement and your reference.
Find out more about qualification requirements for this course.
Find out more about minimum qualification requirements for this course.
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6.5 | total 6.5 with at least 5.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements. |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 92 | total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements. |
| Cambridge English Advanced | total 176 with at least 162 in each component. | |
| Cambridge English Proficiency | total 176 with at least 162 in each component. | |
| Trinity ISE | ISE II with distinctions in all four components. |
Full details of our English language requirements can be found on our website:https://study.ed.ac.uk/undergraduate/entry-requirements/english-language
The University of Edinburgh welcomes students from the UK and all over the world. We accept a wide range of qualifications and our policies support students with diverse backgrounds and experience. UCAS entry grade data is currently not available for our degrees but we publish admissions statistics on our website. We also provide information on widening access offers and entry requirements.
This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).
It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.
Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.
Historical entry grades data is not currently available for The University of Edinburgh - we are working with them to try and make it available soon - learn more.
This report uses your grades to show how students with similar results have done when applying to this course in the past. Sometimes, there isn’t data for every possible set of grades. When that happens, universities and colleges occasionally fill in the gaps for sets of grades that are typically accepted.
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
Scottish students must apply to the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) for payment of their tuition fees.
England/Wales/Northern Ireland - The Rest of UK (RUK) students commencing or continuing their studies in September 2026, the tuition fees will be £9,790. This is subject to Parliamentary approval and is an increase of £255 on the fee rate for academic year 2025-2026.
EU On 9th July 2020 the decision was made by the Scottish Government to end free university tuition for European Union (EU) students starting in 2021-22. Funding policy for EU nationals and associated groups starting a course of study in academic year 2022-23 or later will be in line with international fees.
Full time international and EU students will pay a fixed annual fee rate for the duration of their programme
Phone:0131 297 3272
Have a question about undergraduate study?
Email:futurestudents@ed.ac.uk
Phone:0131 650 1000
The University of Edinburgh
Old College
South Bridge
Edinburgh
EH8 9YL
At The University of Edinburgh
