The University of Edinburgh, ranked 27th globally by QS World University Rankings 2025, attracts over 75,000 applicants annually, with international students from 180+ countries comprising 44% of its 2023 student body (University of Edinburgh Admissions Statistics). In 2022, it received 75,438 applications but accepted only 6,111 students, yielding an 8.1% acceptance rate (Crimson Education UK, 2024).
For international students, the offer rate was 40% in 2023, though final acceptance dipped to 9.2% due to fierce competition (UniversityLiving.com, 2024). Programs like Medicine (7% offer rate) and Business (13%) are especially selective (TutorChase, 2024). With 33% of its 2023 intake being international (unischolars.com), Edinburgh remains a top choice.
This article unpacks these stats to reveal what it takes to join this elite institution. Let’s explore the numbers
Why Should You Attend the University Of Edinburgh?
Located in the heart of Scotland. The University of Edinburgh was founded in 1583 making it one the oldest universities in the UK. Renowned for its research-oriented program making it earn 4th in the QS UK University rankings.
Even further, the university has 19 Nobel laureate winners with few acting at the administrative level at the university and most of its alumni had gone on to become heads of state or government. In a recent report, the Quality Assurance Agency awarded the university the highest possible ranking for the quality of student learning experience. Housing over 1.8 million printed volumes with 30 open-access computer labs, the university library is regarded as the largest and most important academic library in the world and as such, foreign students applying at the university would be sure of getting a world-class education while still enjoying the rich culture of the school.
Furthermore, The university offers various courses in Art, Humanities, Science and Technology, and Social Sciences, and five main sites in Edinburgh which include;
- Central Area
- King’s Buildings
- BioQuarter
- Easter Bush
- Western General
With its various schemes and programs aimed at helping new students settle in and get familiar with their new environment, making the university a better place for learning.
Besides, Extracurricular activities are not on the left side at the university, knowing the effect it has in enhancing student learning. With over 320 societies covering a diverse range of interests and 64 sports clubs in which students could get involved.
You may also check out Washington College Acceptance Rate
University Of Edinburgh Admission Requirements For International Students.
For international students seeking admission into the university, various admission requirements are needed for the application to be considered. Application requirements differ from region but there are a few that seem similar which are proficiency in the English language. This is included for both postgraduate and undergraduate applicants.
The following are postgraduate admission requirements;
- A GPA between 3.0 – 4.0.
- Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.
- Academic transcripts with 60%.
- Work experience.
- English proficiency TOEFL iBT – 100 or IELTS – minimum of 7.0
While undergraduate admission requirements includes;
- GCE a level
- IB, standard Test (SAT, ACT, AP).
- WAEC/NECO.
- A personal statement.
- A reference.
- English language proficiency.
For some degree, applicants may be asked to attend an interview or sit for an admission test.
It is important to note that applicants from west Africa with WAEC/NECO will be required to complete a foundation year however, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences does not accept applicants with WAEC/NECO.
Edinburgh Application Processes
Applications for all courses in the university are quite similar for all courses. As mentioned earlier, all applications should go through UCAS. Interested applicants should follow the guidelines in registering on the UCAS portal.
- Open the UCAS portal.
- Register a new account.
- Sign In with the new account details.
- Search for the University of Edinburgh.
- Choose a course.
- Fill in every necessary field.
At the end of the application process, students are expected to pay an application fee of 20 GBP and also, the applicant must submit a fully completed UCAS application including all the necessary admission requirements as listed above by the applicable deadline to ensure that the application is considered.
University Of Edinburgh Acceptance Rate For International Students
The University of Edinburgh is a top school in the UK that has a reasonable acceptance rate for international students.
Also, With over 40,000 students studying in various schools and colleges, 13,000 of those are international students. Hence, It is quite fair to say the school has a welcoming acceptance rate for international students.
The university acceptance rate for international students applying for postgraduate studies is at 48% while undergraduate studies is at 46%. Meaning 46 applications from a possible 100 will get accepted.
However, the acceptance rate will differ depending on the choice of program a student is applying for.
University of Edinburgh Courses
The University of Edinburgh offers at both postgraduate and undergraduate levels, over 500 degree courses and 180 research-oriented programs across its 5 main campuses.
The university’s academic structure is based on 3 colleges containing 21 schools which include the following;
- Colleges of Art, Humanities and Social Science
- Colleges of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
- College of Science and Engineering
Colleges of Art, Humanities and Social Science
CAHSS for short was founded in 2002. It offers both postgraduate, undergraduate and research programs with a total of 12 schools which includes:
- Business School
- School of Divinity
- School of Economics
- Edinburgh College of Art
- Moray House School of Education and Sport
- School of Health in Social Science
- School of History, Classics and Archaeology
- School of Law
- School of Literature, Languages and Cultures
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences
- School of Social and Political Science
- Centre for Open Learning
Colleges of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
The college, founded as far back 1726 is regarded as one of the best medical schools in the UK. with 7 Nobel laureate winners associated with its medical school, and in 2022 was ranked 1st in the Uk by the Guardian University Guide. It has 2 schools which are;
- Edinburgh Medical School
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
College of Science and Engineering
The college is one of the largest in the university with about 200 staff, 200 research students with over 1300 undergraduate students. It has 7 schools;
- School of Biological Sciences
- School of Chemistry
- School of Engineering
- School of GeoSciences
- School of Informatics
- School of Mathematics
- School of Physics and Astronomy
International Foundation Programme (IFP)
At Edinburgh, there are various other programs tailored to prepare international students for the undergraduate level. One such program is the International Foundational Programme.
International Foundation Programme (IFP): The International Foundation Programme is a one-year preparation course for students outside the UK prepared to give the students experience and skills required to advance at the undergraduate level in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Science at the university. Hence, After completion of the IFP, foreign students can progress to study in any of the colleges of Arts, Humanities, and Social Science.
However, if a student decided not to continue at the University of Edinburgh, the student could apply as a transfer student at another university since the IFP is a globally recognized qualification taught by expert academic staff at the university.
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University Of Edinburgh Transfer Acceptance Rate
The university transfer rate is quite competitive due to the many applications and qualified applications received every year.
Applicants who want to apply from another school at the end of their first year will be accepted. However such an application would be treated as followed;
Year 1: Transferring to Edinburgh may require the applicant to restart year 1 at a different course or transfer to the same course in year 1 or year 2. It is however not possible to transfer beyond year 2.
Year 2: Transferring to year 2 at the university would require the necessary information regarding the courses studied at the previous university.
Furthermore, transferring to year 2 doesn’t guarantee automatic acceptance into the university. Applicants would be considered in the same way as a year 1 applicant and transfer applications must be made through UCAS.
It should be noted that the university does not accept transfer into medical and veterinary degrees but preclinical medical students from Oxford, Cambridge, or St Andrews universities may apply for medicine. Also, students may have left their previous institution during or at the end of their first year, and may be able to apply as a year 1 student of MBChB Medicine or BVM & S Veterinary Medicine degree.
University Of Edinburgh Graduate Acceptance Rate
The acceptance rate for graduates at the university as stated earlier is 48% making it a little lower than the undergraduate acceptance rate.
Additionally, The university offers various graduate courses across its schools and colleges however, there are various requirements needed to get into the university, and one must demonstrate a level of English language proficiency.
Conclusion
With over 68,954 applications yearly, the University of Edinburgh is quite a competitive school however, its acceptance rate for international students is 48% for postgraduate and 47% for undergraduate levels. This could be fair enough compared to other UK universities.
Hence, International students seeking admission into the University of Edinburgh should rest assured of getting their application accepted but that will strongly depend on if they meet the admission requirements. Also, you can take a look at the Trinity College Dublin Acceptance Rate.
FAQs
The Edinburgh University acceptance rate for postgraduates is 48% while undergraduate is 46% making it much easier for students to get into.
Getting into the university is not difficult since its minimum academic requirement is 85% for Undergraduate courses and 60% for Postgraduate courses. This is depending on the choice of program as requirements vary across different courses.
The university requires a minimum of 3.4 GPA to stand a good chance of getting admission. However, the GPA may vary depending on the country the student is applying from.
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