Departmental Requirements

Applicants who have applied for Veterinary Nursing D31F are eligible to sit the scholarship exam. Veterinary Nursing applicants will need to sit the ‘Biology 1: Molecules to Organisms’ exam to be considered for an unconditional offer and/or financial award.

Applicants who have only applied for Veterinary Science YD105 BVSc are not eligible to sit the scholarship exam.

Applicants who have applied for Veterinary Science YD105 BVSc and other courses (for example, Veterinary Biosciences or Veterinary Nursing) at Aberystwyth University are eligible to sit the scholarship exam. However, please note that any unconditional offer, scholarship or merit award received due to sitting the scholarship exam will not be applied to Veterinary Science YD105 BVSc.

For information about scholarships and bursaries available specifically for Veterinary Science YD105 BVSc, please visit our webpage.

Applicants to degree schemes including Fine Art must submit a digital Portfolio of their original artworks as one of their exam papers.

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 digital Fine Art portfolio and the Art History paper. 

Please note that only ONE portfolio may be submitted for the Aberystwyth University Scholarship and Merit Award Exams.

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', 'International Politics'. Applicants are encouraged to consider taking both papers. They may choose to take one of these papers, or one of these papers in combination with another 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.

The Mathematics paper is available to all Scholarship candidates. To be considered for an unconditional offer and/or financial award, applicants who have applied to the Department of Mathematics must sit a relevant exam paper as outlined below:

• Candidates who have applied for the courses FG31 (Mathematics / Physics), or F340 or F341 (Mathematical and Theoretical Physics), must take either the Mathematics paper or the Physics paper.
• Candidates who have applied for any other course that includes mathematics* must take the Mathematics paper.

*the courses that include mathematics are those listed at https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/maths/study-with-us/undergrad/.

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.

Applicants intending to study one of the following courses must take either the Physics or Mathematics paper as one of their exam papers: 

• Astrophysics (F510, F511, F512)
• Engineering Physics (179H, 179G, 168F)
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering (163F, 163H, 163Y)
• Physics (F300, F301, F303, F304, F305)
• Physics with Planetary and Space Physics (F364, F366)
• Space Science and Robotics (FH56)

For the second paper, applicants may choose any subject of their choice. 

Applicants intending to study one of the following courses must take both the Physics and Mathematics papers: 

• Mathematics and Physics (FG31)
• Mathematical and Theoretical Physics courses (F340, F341) 

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.