International Students

Welcome to the School of Chemistry. Our School has a long history of innovation and Nobel-prize winning research and is now home to students, researchers and academics from across the globe.  .

Our students are taught by a diverse team of engaged and dedicated staff in one of the best equipped and modern Chemistry facilities in the world. This delivers an outstanding learning experience for our students which is consistently recognised with excellent student satisfaction results in the National Student Survey (NSS).


Video Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]

What does chemistry mean to you? White lab coats, test tubes and Bunsen burners, think again. 
[Staff/students conducting experiments in laboratories]

Chemistry is finding real world solutions to global challenges such as sustainably living on our planet. [Nuclear power plant chimneys smoking]. At Birmingham, we are developing ways to replace and recycle critical elements. [Car being refuelled] And we are finding ways to reduce the ecological impacts of everyday materials. [Plastic waste being sorted by machinery] And chemistry is designing new medicines and improving health care.

[Laboratory experiments]
At Birmingham, we are developing molecular scale diagnostics to improve early cancer detection, and we are overcoming drug resistance for diseases such as tuberculosis.

[Bulb lighting up]Chemistry is finding new ways to harness energy. [Smart phone being charged] We are discovering new battery technologies to power our future.

[Laboratory experiments]
Sound interesting? At Birmingham, our degree courses allow you to explore these exciting areas of chemistry for yourself. Taught by our world-leading researchers, we have been producing Nobel Prize winners for over a century. We have a supportive and inclusive chemistry community that includes ChemSoc, our chemistry students society. We recognise the importance of chemistry. That's why we have invested over $100 million in chemistry at the University of Birmingham. So when you join us, you'll have access to state of the art labs, such as our collaborative teaching laboratory [interior of collaborative teaching laboratory], and on new purpose-built home the chemistry in the molecular sciences building [computer design image of the Molecular Sciences Building].

How about adding to your degree with industrial experience, or studying abroad for a year? [Laboratory experiments] We've got you covered with a wide range of key industrial placement opportunities, including the pharmaceutical industry, food, consumer products and energy, to name a few. [Rotating globe] Or a chance to study in many countries throughout the world, from Singapore [Singapore skyline], to the United States [USA skyline with flag] and Australia [Sydney harbour aerial view], your degree will open the door to many opportunities and career choices [graduates throwing hats in the air] such as drug design and development [tablets on production line], developing new energy technologies [car being driven on road], or designing environmentally friendly products [plastic bottles on production line]. Are you ready to take the next step? Start your journey today. [visit www.birmingham.ac.uk/chemistry-UG].

[MUSIC PLAYING]


Dr Paul Davies,

Dr Paul Davies,

Senior Admissions Tutor

“Our School welcomes many UG international students from countries and regions across the world, including China, Hong Kong, India, mainland Europe and many more Below we have provided some useful information for 2023 applicants, including what to expect during your first year, and some first-hand experiences from our current Chemistry students. If you have any further questions, myself and the team look forward to hearing from you.”

As a Chemistry student at the University of Birmingham your time will be full of interesting new experiences and opportunities. As well as all the support and guidance of the University, when studying Chemistry at Birmingham you’ll benefit from:

  • A supportive and inclusive environment. From the Chemistry welcome week and student ‘buddies’ to help you integrate at the start, to the tutoring system, welfare support, and a programme of social activities in the School, to help you flourish over the course.
  • An integrated tutor system: 
    • Each student has a dedicated personal academic tutor to support their academic progress and who meets with them regularly
    • Subject tutors run regular small group tutorials doing course related problem sets to support your learning
    • Our dedicated international tutors provide direct support to help international students make the most of studying in a new country
    • Our welfare tutor provides support and links to the wider university support teams for any problems you have outside of your studies 
  • Being part of a vibrant international department, which attracts leading researchers and students from across the globe due to its facilities, culture and reputation. The Chemistry community is housed in a new and state-of-the-art Molecular Sciences building, with dedicated undergraduate study space and tutorial rooms alongside world-class research facilities. 
  • A very active student community , with a dedicated international representative, run entirely by students who organise social and academic events for you to get involved in. This includes nights out, charity drives, guest lectures, quizzes, scientific debates and the annual ChemBall, a black tie dinner for all our undergraduate, postgraduate and academics.  
  • Being taught by internationally leading research experts who provide cutting-edge content for our degree programmes and by prize-winning experts in educational innovation for effective learning in Chemistry 
  • A research-informed practical course housed in modern lab facilities in the Collaborative Teaching Laboratory (CTL). Our students use state-of-the-art instrumentation and are trained to develop the scientific and transferable skills needed to undertake research. 
  • Your choice of research projects in Year 3 (BSc and MSci, based in the CTL) and Year 4 (MSci, based in the Molecular Sciences building) working with the School’s internationally leading researchers in areas including alternative energy supplies, fuel cells, battery technology, drug discovery, healthcare diagnostics, chemical biology, atmospheric chemistry, functional materials, sustainable synthesis and materials, plastics and catalysis and much more 
  • A range of flexible 3 or 4 year degree programmes, with options to study in industry and overseas, the ability to study the widest breadth of the subject, or to focus on Sustainability or Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery 
  • Free language lessons, whether that is to help develop more advanced English or to learn a new language

Hear from our international students

One of the best ways to find out what life is really like as an international Chemistry student is to hear from them! Here, Xiyue talks about her experience and gives real insight into student-life at Birmingham. To see full student profiles, as well as, student videos and much more, please see our International Students Information page. 

Xiyue Leng

Xiyue Leng

MSci Chemistry with Year in Industry

“The MSci Chemistry with Year in Industry programme allows me to gain industrial experience and enables me to see how my degree course can fit into the wider world and also develop both technical and transferable skills. One of the best points of the course is practicals! I really enjoy organic synthesis and doing reactions in the lab is one of the most exciting things for me.”

Mini-Projects in the CTL

In year 3 all of our students have the opportunity to participate in real research projects in Year 3 through our innovative undergraduate practical course. Hear from our staff and students about the third-year mini projects taking place in the Collaborative Teaching Laboratory.

Key Dates - 2024 UG admission

 

  • September 2023 - UCAS applications open
  • 16th October 2023 (6pm UK time) - Deadlines for applications if your options include Oxford or Cambridge
  • 31st January 2023 (6pm UK time) - Deadline for applications - First places*
  • 28th February 2024 - UCAS Extra opens (see here)
  • 6th June 2024 -  All applicants who received their decisions by 16 May must make their Firm and Insurance choices by this date otherwise all offers will be declined by default.
  • 30th June 2024 - All applications made after this date are entered in to UCAS Clearing
  • 4th July 2024 - Last date to make a UCAS Extra application
  • 5th July 2024 - UCAS Clearing opens. Birmingham Clearing programmes will confirmed in due course - Please note, limited programmes and places will be available in Clearing
  • 5th July 2024 - IB results date
  • 31st July 2024 - Birmingham accommodation application deadline (for Accommodation Guarantee scheme)
  • 15th August 2024 - A level results day. If you're not an A level student, you must send us your results directly
  • 31st August 2024 - Last date to meet any offer condition
  • 21st - 22nd September 2024 - Arrivals weekend
  • 23rd - 27th September 2024 - Welcome Week
  • 30th September 2024 - Semester One teaching begins

For more information on Birmingham term dates, please see here.

*All applications received by this date are given equal consideration. If you apply after this date then we cannot guarantee that we will be able to consider your application depending on the number and quality of applications we received before this UCAS deadline.

** If you apply after this date, your application is automatically entered into Clearing.

For further information on the UCAS process, please visit https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/ucas-undergraduate-when-apply

Contact us

Please contact us and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

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Useful Information