Application & admissions

Contents

Access courses

Access programs provide structured pathways for adult learners, especially those returning to education after a gap, to prepare for and progress into a variety of undergraduate degree courses, facilitated by partnerships with colleges and tailored widening participation criteria. 

For entry to our undergraduate Initial Teacher Education programmes, we accept:

Application process

To apply for undergraduate and postgraduate (PGDE) degree programmes at our institution, all prospective students should submit their applications via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). UCAS is the central application portal for most higher education courses in the UK.

For more information and to begin your application process, please visit the UCAS website.

Key application dates

For Undergraduate courses, applying via UCAS, applications are accepted from September with a closing date of the 31st January for entry the following September.

For Postgraduate (PGDE) courses, applying via UCAS, applications are accepted from September with a closing date of the 31st January for entry the following August. Applications received will be given equal consideration and some courses may remain open after 26th January, but we recommend that you apply early to have the best chance of being considered for entry.

To check whether a specific programme is still open, visit the ‘How to apply’ section of the programme page as we will update this when a programme is closed for applications. You can also find this information on UCAS.

Courses, course codes & campus codes

Please visit our programme pages for more information. 

Catholic Teacher’s Certificate

Catholic students who intend to teach in a Catholic school after graduating can undertake the Catholic Teacher's Certificate concurrently with their degree studies at no extra cost.  Students interested in this option must be practising Catholics and will be required to provide a Priest's reference.  Please note your interest for this in the personal statement of your application.

Clearing

Clearing is a university admissions process that provides additional opportunities for students to secure a place on courses with available spots.

For clearing vacancies on undergraduate programmes, please check the Clearing pages of the University of Glasgow website in early August.

For Clearing vacancies on PGDE programmes, please check the Clearing pages of the University of Glasgow website in June.

Criminal record/PVG check

All initial teacher education students are required to be members of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG) or to provide the University with a scheme record update. 

In early July, the School of Education will be in contact with those applicants holding an offer who are classed as home students, with details on how to complete the online PVG application form.

If you are an EU or International applicant you will be required to become a member of the PVG Scheme when you arrive in Scotland and the Programme Secretary will be in contact on induction day.

Deferred entry

Though UCAS allows applicants to apply for programmes to the next academic year (for example, applications to 2025 may be made in UCAS in 2023), we are not able to make deferred offers for the following academic year due to the high number of applications we receive each year. Please only apply for entry to the upcoming academic year.

Degree requirements

A specific class of honours degree is not required and ordinary degrees may be acceptable for entry on the PGDE programme.

Applicants to PGDE Primary should note that whilst all degree classifications will be considered, priority will be given to applicants who have a 2.1 honours degree or better.

Because there are a high number of applicants for the PGDE Primary programme who have academic qualifications significantly above the minimum, it is likely that not all qualified applicants will be invited to participate in face-to-face selection. Those with a combination of excellent qualifications and significant work experience with children and/or young people will be given priority.

For more information on specific degree requirements for PGDE Secondary and PGDE Secondary STEM, please visit our programme pages.

Direct entry

Direct entry to Year 2 or 3 of our undergraduate ITE degrees is not available due to the specific structure of our programmes of study and placements.

Entry requirements

Before you apply, ensure you're familiar with the specific qualifications and grades required for entry to your chosen programme.

Meeting the required grades in English and Mathematics is essential for your application's progression. Applicants to PGDE Primary must have completed English and Mathematics qualifications PRIOR to application, while PGDE Secondary applicants can still have English and Mathematics in-progress at point of application.

Accepted alternative English and Mathematics qualifications can be found by visiting the programme pages linked at the top of this page.

Please note: While we value all experiences, work experience alone cannot replace these qualifications.

Equivalency tests

For our mandatory requirements, we specifically require Higher English and National 5 Mathematics. We do not offer, nor do we accept, equivalency tests as substitutes for these qualifications.

Higher National Certificate (HNC) / Higher National Diploma (HND)

Higher National Certificates and Higher National Diploma are acceptable for entry on undergraduate Initial Teacher Education programmes if they are in an education-related subject and if a Grade ‘A’ is obtained in the graded unit. Ideally, they should be supplemented by Scottish Highers or A-Levels. Qualifications in English and Mathematics are still required. 

Interviews

For more information on the interview process for your chosen programme, please visit our information for applicants' pages for the programme to which you have applied. 
 
Main Glasgow campus teacher training: 

Dumfries campus teacher training:  

Mature applicants

The same entry requirements apply to mature applicants due to competitive entry. Work and life experience cannot be accepted as an alternative to the required qualifications. Access courses are often the option preferred by mature students for entry on to our undergraduate programmes (see Access courses).

Non-UK qualifications

Non-UK qualifications may be acceptable if they are comparable to the required UK qualifications and grades, please see NARIC

Once you have applied, please send in your high school and/or degree qualifications with an English translation. While we do not require an official translation at the application stage, any offer will be conditional on an official translation being provided.  If you have a NARIC comparability statement, it is helpful if you also send this in.

Offers

Applicants who are successful at interview will receive an offer through UCAS.

Unconditional offers will be given to applicants who have already achieved the grades/qualifications required for entry to the relevant programme where the qualifications have been verified by the Admissions Team.

Conditional offers will be given to applicants who are currently studying subjects required for entry to the programme AND/OR those who need to send in evidence of completed qualification(s) for verification by the Admissions Team.

Applicants who receive a conditional offer MUST adhere to the date in their offer conditions. Those who email qualifications after this date will not be guaranteed their place. If you expect a delay in obtaining your result or official certificate, please email us no later than the date on your offer to let us know about the delay. Late qualifications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

We DO NOT require applicants whose only condition is to achieve Scottish Higher results (including those conditional on achieving Scottish Higher English for PGDE Secondary) to send in their SQA certification as we will receive Scottish Higher results directly through UCAS.

We DO NOT require applicants whose only condition is to achieve A-Level results or BTEC results to send in their A-Level certification as we will receive these results directly through UCAS.

Open days

If you're considering joining the University of Glasgow, attending one of our Open Days is a great way to get a feel for campus life and our academic offerings.

For information on Open Days tailored for prospective undergraduate applicants, please visit:

Personal statement

Your personal statement on the application form will be used to identify evidence of your understanding of and commitment to teaching, and evidence of personal competence in written English. 

Personal statement guidance for PGDE applicants

The personal statement is a major part of your application and this guidance gives an indication of the information you should include in it.

We look for evidence of commitment, motivation and suitability for your chosen Teacher Education programme and we consider your personal statement alongside all other information supplied in your UCAS application when making decisions.

The space available is limited to 4000 characters or 47 lines of print (including spaces and blank lines). Please therefore be concise, avoiding lists or famous quotations without explaining their relevance in more detail. Be enthusiastic, but be yourself.

Don’t copy another personal statement as it is likely that UCAS will pick up on this and it may lead to your application being declined.

What information should you include?

Below is a rough guide on what you should include in your personal statement and is by no means an exhaustive list. We would strongly advise that you contact the relevant institution/s that you are applying to for further guidance.

1. Why are you applying?

Give details on why you wish to be a teacher and why you think you are suited to the teaching profession. Be specific about why you have chosen your particular Primary/ Secondary subject area.

2. Relevant work experience with children

Please detail this in chronological order including dates, most recent first, quantifying the numbers of hours spent per week over the number of weeks/months and list the school/s attended e.g. ‘1 hour per week for a full school year (Approximately 40 hours total) undertaken in 2013’. Please also include any other work undertaken with children e.g. Brownies, Scouts, Nursery, After School clubs etc.

3. Reflection on work with children

We expect you to comment and reflect on what you learned during your school work experience in relation to the skills, attributes and the understanding that you have gained from this experience. 

4. Understanding of the role of a teacher

Explain what you understand the role of a teacher to be. You can use examples of your experience to underpin this section.

5. Knowledge of Scottish Curriculum for Excellence

Elaborate on your knowledge of the Education system in Scotland and for example the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence.

6. Transferrable skills/outside interests

Give an indication of your work/life balance by including any long term hobbies or interests you have e.g. playing a musical instrument, drama, sports, Duke of Edinburgh award or any voluntary work you undertake. Explain why this enhances your application to your chosen course. 

7. Degree suitability

Briefly explain why the content of your University studies make you a suitable candidate. For Secondary you should clearly indicate the aspects of your degree that meet the specific entry requirements. For Primary, you should indicate the aspects of your degree that cover the range of subject areas relevant to the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence.

Pending qualifications

You do not have to wait for your results to place your application, but you must have the potential to meet the entry requirements in the year of application. 

If you are successful at interview, we can make you an offer conditional on achieving the required qualification(s) and grade(s). The only exception to this is for PGDE Primary applicants who MUST HAVE achieved their English and Maths qualifications PRIOR to applying.

Pre-application review

We are happy to offer advice on entry requirements and eligibility for our programmes prior to application submission. However, we do not offer a pre-application review and our priority will always be to assess applications that have been submitted through UCAS.

Priest’s reference

If you are a practising Catholic and intend on teaching in a Catholic school, please complete the attached Priest’s reference form: Priest Reference 2023-24

References

You should select a referee who is in a position to attest to your suitability to take a place on the PGDE programme and to ultimately be a teacher. They should be able to write convincingly about your qualities, skills and attributes in relation to your studies, employment or life experiences.

PGDE applicants who have attended university within the last 5 years should provide an academic referee who can comment on their ability to study at postgraduate level.

PGDE applicants who attended university more than 5 years ago should provide an employment referee who can comment on their suitability as a teacher.

References from family and friends are not acceptable.

Secondary transcript review (PGDE secondary applicants)

If you are unsure whether your undergraduate degree makes you eligible for a PGDE Secondary Education programme, you should check your degree transcript/s against the subject specific requirements on the programme webpage. 

We do not commit to assessing degree transcripts for suitability to our PGDE Secondary Programmes in advance of application as priority will always be given to those who have applied.

If you graduated from the University of Glasgow and require a copy of your transcript or degree parchment, please see transcripts.

Work experience requirements

During the selection process we would expect to see some evidence of a candidates experience of working with school-aged children. This could include youth clubs, sports clubs, school trips, classroom assistance or teacher observation.

For applicants to the Undergraduate and PGDE Primary programmes we would expect evidence of at least two weeks spent in a Primary School (preferably a Scottish School).

For Secondary we would expect to see a minimum of two days experience working with a teacher of the subject you wish to qualify in.

Teaching programmes

Main Glasgow campus teacher training programmes

Dumfries campus teacher training programmes