We welcome applications from students at US colleges or universities, who wish to transfer to the University of Aberdeen to complete their undergraduate degree.
The Aberdeen Degree
Like in the US, undergraduate degree programmes at Aberdeen are four years. While students are not tied to their major from their first year, they do begin taking some of their major classes in their first year. This is different to the US system, where students are required to take a good number of general education courses during their first two years.
The Master of Arts (MA) is the name given to the four-year undergraduate degree programme awarded in the arts and social sciences by the University of Aberdeen and the other ancient universities of Scotland. The MA is a broad-based, flexible degree and includes subjects (majors) such as Business Management, English, History, and Politics & International Relations. Other programmes such as the Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) and Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) have a more rigid structure with more prescribed courses from the first year of study, and are therefore more difficult to transfer into.
Degree Structure
The classes students take here at Aberdeen are categorised by level, with level 1 classes taken in year one, level 2 in year two, etc. When you apply to transfer to a UK university, you are in effect applying for entry to level 2 (2nd year) or level 3 (third year) of a specific degree programme, rather than simply applying to transfer credits from your first university or college. It is important therefore, as a transfer applicant, to have a clear plan of study and to understand how your existing credits might compare to your chosen programme (major) here.
Step 1 - Research
The first thing to do before applying to transfer is to refer to our list of programmes and look at how the classes taken by students here in their first year compare to those you have taken. The course catalogue also provides information on individual classes within each subject.
If you have taken classes that are broadly similar those at level 1 (first year) in your chosen subject, then you can apply to transfer into level 2 of that programme. The classes don’t need to be identical, but should be relatively similar.
Step 2 - Apply
Transfer applicants apply through UCAS or Common App Transfer Your application will then be assessed by the relevant Admissions Selector, who will determine the stage of the degree programme here you can transfer into, based on your previous studies (e.g. Level 1 freshman, Level 2 sophomore, Level 3 junior etc.).
Please note, we only have one start date each year for undergraduate students, in September.
Step 3 - Submit your Supporting Documents
Finally, remember to submit copies of your transcripts and course descriptions relating to your college level courses to the Undergraduate Admissions Office, so that the Admissions Selector can review your application. Documents can be emailed to ugadmissions@abdn.ac.uk. Please remember to quote your UCAS ID number on all correspondence.
