We know that you might be worried about the coronavirus pandemic and how it will affect your plans to study in Scotland. This is a constantly evolving situation, but we’re here for you during this difficult time.
Current situation in Scotland
Scotland’s universities continue to support their students, whether they are staying on campus or are studying online from their home country. As always, the teaching you will receive in Scotland will be of the standard you would expect from some of the best universities in the world.
Advice and guidance on staying safe and protecting others in Scotland can be found on the Scottish Government page. This includes information about wearing face coverings, testing and isolation. Information for international travel can be found on the guidance for international travel and managed isolation.
Eligibility to vaccination programme
International students are included in the national coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination programme. Please note that this is an entitlement and not a requirement for entry. The roll-out of vaccines to international students is to ensure that you are protected during your studies and to prevent possible further transmission. FAQs on vaccinations for international students are available on the Student Information Scotland page
Support for International Students
Universities are working closely with the Scottish Government to ensure an effective response to any issues facing international students including mobility, visa requirements and quarantine. For the latest SG guidance, please visit: Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Student Support - Scotland (studentinformation.gov.scot)
We appreciate that there may be different scenarios depending on students’ situations, therefore we recommend that you visit the student support page above for more information or speak to your institution if you have any concerns about your situation.
Applications & Language tests
UCAS Applications
If you're wondering about your university application we recommend checking the UCAS site for information.
English Language Tests
For details of the Coronavirus concessions put in place for testing English language ability, see English language ability and Coronavirus (Covid-19).
Travel & Visas
International travel
As the situation keeps changing, we strongly recommend that you check the dedicated Scottish Government page on international travel and quarantine. As well as this, we would also suggest checking your own country’s guidance with regards to travel restrictions.
Passengers travelling to Scotland from outside the Common Travel Area must have a valid negative COVID-19 test result, taken no more than three days before the scheduled time of departure. Read more about testing for people travelling to Scotland.
Visas
The UK government provides advice for UK visa applicants and temporary UK residents whose requests are affected by travel restrictions associated with coronavirus. For the latest advice we recommend checking out the UK Government's dedicated page, which will have the most up to date information.
Graduate route
Students who are due to graduate in 2021 and who are currently distance learning outside the UK due to the pandemic will need to return to the UK in order to apply under the Graduate route.
Students who began a course of 12 months or shorter in 2020 or 2021 via distance learning, and who have not previously entered the UK to study that course will still be eligible for the Graduate route if they hold a successful Student visa application and arrive in the UK either before their visa ends or by 27 September 2021, whichever is sooner.
For more information, please visit the UKCISA page on working after your studies, which provides a separate section on the graduate route and Covid concessions.
Other resources
Scottish universities are doing their best to ensure that activities run as safely as possible.
If you have other questions that we've not been able to help you with here, there are a few other great resources that might be worth checking out that include help and advice for prospective international students:
Universities UK International FAQs – please see tab for future international students