Scotland has a strong international reputation for the quality of its higher education.

Scottish universities offer a range of courses, mainly for Honours degrees which take four years to complete, rather than the three year courses more common in England and Wales.

The Scottish system has a greater degree of flexibility and choice, many courses offering a range of subjects in years one and two before requiring you to be more specific in the final two years. This makes the Scottish system particularly attractive to students who have not yet committed themselves to a particular course. Some professional degrees offer less choice, however, and may take longer than four years. Do your research.

In Scotland the cost of living is low and the quality of life is high. In addition, student funding is very different. UK students pay less than they do if they study in the UK.

However, most universities will give preference to Scottish students during the selection process and the high reputation of a Scottish education means that entry requirements to a Scottish university are amongst some of the highest in the UK. A Scottish application is therefore highly competitive.

You apply to a Scottish university through the UCAS system in the normal way.