Skip to main content Skip to navigation

Frequently asked questions

You may have unanswered questions about the admission process for our undergraduate programmes. This page attempts to answer them for applicants to the courses offered by the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick. The information here does not necessarily apply to any other University, or to any other department at the University of Warwick.

Kevin Purdy

Dr Kevin Purdy
Director of Undergraduate Admissions
Email: 
Telephone: +44 (0)24 7657 4187

For general enquiries you may wish to contact our Educational Support Services Office.
Email: 
Telephone: +44 (0)24 765 28261

Academic talking with students

Your offer

Do you interview?
No we don't interview, however, we will invite you to visit the School and during that day you will the opportunity to talk to members of academic staff and present undergraduates. You will also take a mini-tutorial with a member of academic staff to get a feel for what our tutorial system is like.

Do you offer part-time degree courses?
Not at undergraduate level.

International Applicants

Do you discriminate between home and overseas applicants in the offers you make?
The School of Life Sciences makes the same offer to a student regardless as to whether or not they are resident in the European Union.

How do you set the level of offer you make?
Each University in the UK has a quota of students from the European Union, and receives public funding for that number, and is not allowed to exceed that quota. The offers we make to EU applicants reflect market conditions, and are high so that we do not exceed that quota.

Can I attend some modules of your courses, or a whole year, as part of my course in my own country (not the UK)?
You are welcome to apply through the International Office as a Visiting Student, though we encourage visiting students to stay for a complete academic year if possible. There are a variety of schemes, such as Socrates-Erasmus, which assist student mobility within the EU.

Confirming your offer

I have just received my exam results, and I have missed the offer you have made me; what should I do?
Contact the University and talk to us. The outcome depends on how much you missed the offer by. If it's a "narrow miss" (such as one A-level grade), then we may be able to accept you on our course, and it will depend on whether our course is full. If you have missed the offer by a long way, we will probably have to disappoint you.

You made me an offer of ABB, and I got AAC in the A-levels; have I met your offer?
Unfortunately we may not accept you in this case as our offers are based on specific grades, not on "point scores". However, as above, the best thing to do is to contact the University and talk to us.

Biology books

Before I arrive

Do I need to do any preliminary reading?
We publish a reading list, which we strongly recommend you look at, but it is not compulsory.

Making changes to your programme of studies

Can I choose to take a year-off before re-starting my studies?
The School of Life Sciences welcomes applications from students who wish to take a "gap year" and defer entry.

If a student has not applied for deferred entry, and wishes to change their application, they should formally write to the University requesting deferral and we will act upon such a request.

Can I join the course at the start of the second semester in January/February?
The University does not have semesters (we have three terms in an academic year), and registration for a degree course is only allowed at the start of the academic year.

Can I transfer credit earned at another institution?
It is not possible for entrants to claim credit transfer from other institutions for individual modules. Whether you start in the first year, or as a direct entrant to the second year of our degrees, you must follow the full syllabus from the point of entry.

Can I transfer between degree courses once I have started at Warwick?
It is normally possible to change between degrees within Life Sciences, with the exception that we do not allow transfer into Biochemistry unless it is very early in your First Year. Transfers normally occur at the end of the First Year. It is possible to move to a different department at Warwick, but this is quite rare. The department you want to move to make the decision about whether they are happy to take you and you will normally start again in Year 1.

Our admissions team are happy to answer your questions and help with any queries you may have.
For further information please contact (preferably by email in the first instance) the Director of Undergraduate Admissions. We will endeavour to respond to you either by phone or email within 72 hours. If you mark the header of your email 'UG entry' it will receive prompt attention.