Undergraduate Applicants

Applicants from the United Kingdom

If you applied through UCAS then the deadlines in place are established and agreed by UCAS. To guarantee equal consideration applications should be submitted to UCAS by 29 January, however most courses will accept applications after this date. 

You can check all the important key dates for UCAS on their webpages, but you will also receive reminders from then as you approach key dates, so you can take any actions or make decisions before the date they have set.

Institution name: RGU Institution code: R36

Applicants from International Countries, including EU

You can choose one of these methods of application:

UCAS

Applicants for first year entry will apply to other universities as well as to RGU through a single online Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) application.

Direct application

Before you begin, make sure you know the name of the course that you are applying for and have copies of relevant documents to hand.

• Official copies of your senior school / college certificate (if available at time of application)
• Official copies of your academic transcripts of courses studied (if available at time of application)
• Statement of purpose / personal statement
• Proof of English language Proficiency
• Copy of Passport (international and EU students)
• Evidence of Sponsorship or scholarship) if appropriate/applicable

I have started or submitted my application

If you need to re-access your application to submit it or upload further information or documents.

How long will my application take to get processed?

• We will acknowledge your application within 5 working days. Ensuring the application provides all the information needed for us to make a decision, will reduce the timeframe needed to make a decision. At present the timeframe is several weeks due to the significant volumes being received. Applications which require an assessment by academic staff, such as those applications for advanced entry or for portfolio assessment, may take longer.
• Please understand that this timeframe alters depending on the course you are applying for and also the time of year that you apply.
• If you have any queries about your application, we are happy to answer these over the phone or through email.
• If you have applied online, we will start to process your application as soon as we have received all of the supporting documents that are required.
• Once we have made a decision we will send you an email confirming this.
• If you have been successful in your application, you will be able to follow a link from this email to your Offer Letter.
• Decisions on the academic entry requirements are made centrally for the majority of courses.
• Paper and electronic application records are held securely by the Admissions Office and access is restricted to those involved in the admissions process.

January Intake - International undergraduate applicants only

International fee-paying students applying to start an undergraduate course in January should apply via International College at Robert Gordon University (ICRGU). The International Year 1 has the same learning outcomes as those students studying the first year undergraduate programme at the University, it simply offers an alternative start date for your convenience. The duration of the International Year 1 is 9 months and will be taught over the summer months to lead seamlessly onto Year 2 of your chosen degree programme.

Applying through Clearing

Applications are encouraged to be submitted by January of the year intended study will begin, however the cycle remains open until the end of June each year. After that, applications can be submitted through “Clearing” the final point of the application cycle that allows new applications to be submitted once exam results are received in August.

After I apply for undergraduate courses

The University operates a centralised admissions service and all undergraduate applications are submitted to the Student Admissions Service. All applications are then checked to ensure they are complete and ready to be assessed by an Admissions Officer.

During the assessment, applications are checked for Fee Status, Criminal Conviction declaration (if required) and any Disability declaration. In all instances further information will be requested from the applicant in line with Data Protection and Freedom of Information Policies (see policies and procedures).

Undergraduate applications to courses with compulsory interview/selection visit are assessed for academic entry prior to being invited to interview. More information is in our section on Selection Visits.

How long will my application take to be processed? 

• Applications made through UCAS, will be processed at different times so don't worry if you don't hear anything for a while. 
• If you are applying directly to Robert Gordon University, we will we will acknowledge your application within 5 working days. If the application provides all the information needed for us to make a decision, we will be able to make that decision within 5 working days. 
• If you have applied online, we will start to process your application as soon as we have received all the supporting documents that we require.
• Applications made through UCAS can be tracked. Check your UCAS Hub Account to see your personal deadline.

Once we have made a decision we will send you an email confirming this, and if relevant, directing you to check your online record through UCAS. Decisions on the academic entry requirements are made centrally for the majority of courses.

Paper and electronic application records are held securely by the Student Admissions Office and access is restricted to those involved in the admissions process.

Acceptance Decisions

All applications are submitted to the Student Admissions Service where the decisions are made by our Admissions Officers.

When a decision has been made to offer or not offer a place, the decision will be sent to an individual applicant by email.

The offer sent to you will be either:

• An unconditional offer which means you already satisfy all the academic and financial conditions required before entry and we are offering you a place.
• A conditional offer which means you do not yet satisfy the conditions required before entry. The conditions which need to be met are given in the offer letter.

How do I accept or decline an offer?

• If you applied via UCAS you must log back into your application where you can accept or decline using Track

Deferring Entry

Undergraduate applicants applying through UCAS can apply for deferred entry in accordance with UCAS application procedures.

Applicants who apply direct to the University can apply for deferred entry as long as it is within the next two Academic Years.

The decision to allow deferment will be made on an individual basis and should be requested in writing to the Student Admissions Service. 

Appeals Feedback and Complaints

The University is committed to providing feedback, when requested, to any applicant whose application has been unsuccessful.

Feedback will be given to enable applicants to reflect on their progress through the application process and does not constitute a reconsideration of an application or a challenge to the University's decision on an application.

Further information

The University aims to consider all applications fairly and effectively in line with our policies and procedures. If an applicant is dissatisfied with the outcome or treatment of their application they are entitled to submit an appeal or complaint and should refer to the Appeals Procedure for Applicants for further information including the permissible grounds for appeal or the Complaints Handling Procedure (see policies and procedures).

Policies and Procedures 

There are a number of policies and procedures that may affect an individual who is applying to the University.

Some policies or procedures are only applicable to applicants to certain courses or only to one group of applicants (e.g. international students). If you have any queries about the information on these pages and whether they affect you, please contact admissions@rgu.ac.uk.

The main policies and procedures effecting applicants are:

• Recruitment and Admissions to Higher Education Policy (PDF 170KB)
• Terms and Conditions of Admissions and Enrolment (PDF 286KB)
• Appeals Procedures for Applicants (DOC 195KB)
• Complaints Procedure
• Criminal Conviction Declarations
• Student Criminal Conviction Policy & Procedure (PDF 468KB)
• Data Protection
• Deposit Policy for International Applicants (PDF 67KB)
• Procedure for Applicants Requesting Feedback (DOC 37KB)
• Universities Scotland - Guarantee of Fairness (PDF 106KB)
• Finance & Scholarships - more information on all aspects of funding and payment.

RGU Policies are reviewed and refreshed on a regular basis so check regularly for the current version.

Course and module disclaimer

Our website contains information intended as a guide for applicants for courses delivered by Robert Gordon University. To ensure the continued currency of its courses and modules the University addresses the requirements of external advisors and associated professional, statutory or regulatory bodies, and implements changes to content and/or structure. The University has taken every care to be as accurate as possible. However, the information must be read as subject to change and you are recommended to review the website on a regular basis.