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Archaeology at The University of Edinburgh - UCAS

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2025 - 20262026 - 2027
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This course is not open to application until the 13th May 2025.

Course summary

Archaeology is the study of the human past from our origins several million years ago to recent times. While historians are primarily concerned with oral, written and transcribed accounts of the past, archaeologists use material remains to study the lives, societies and cultures of past peoples. What the programme covers This programme:

  • covers current thinking on some of the best known and most significant archaeological sites
  • considers the most pressing questions in archaeological research
  • provides an introduction to the tools and skills archaeologists use to reconstruct the past
  • offers an insight into how past humans interacted with the environment and adapted to periods of climate change
Our teaching is multidisciplinary, reflecting the broad range of disciplines that underpin archaeological method and theory. You can study a broad range of time periods and different approaches to reconstructing the past. These include:
  • human evolution
  • later hunter-gatherers
  • the first farmers
  • the later prehistoric societies of the Iron Age
Our geographical scope reaches from the north of Scotland over central and southern Europe, the western and eastern Mediterranean to Egypt and the Near East. We also specialise in osteology, the study of the skeletal remains of humans and animals. In Years 3 and 4, you can choose to specialise in a specific time period, geographic area or culture. Practical skills We emphasise the importance of training in practical archaeological skills. You will have an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in artefact identification and analysis in practical sessions using artefacts from our own Vere Gordon Childe collection. Fieldwork You will complete three weeks of archaeological fieldwork at the end of Year 1. In later years of study, you will also have the option to do:
  • further fieldwork
  • projects in heritage management and public engagement
  • lab-based analysis of archaeological remains
Programme benefits
  • Uncover the latest thinking on the world’s most spectacular archaeological sites.
  • Reconstruct the past using the latest archaeological tools and skills.
  • Complete archaeological fieldwork in the UK or abroad.
  • Gain hands-on experience with the Vere Gordon Childe collection, learning artefact identification and analysis.
  • Visit the National Museum of Scotland for classes and field trips.

How to apply

This course is not open to application until the 13th May 2025.

15Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
V400
Institution code:
E56
Campus name:
Central area campus
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

Standard Qualification Requirements

Detailed entry requirements, including typical offer levels, and information about other qualifications we accept, are available on the University of Edinburgh’s website. You’ll also find important information on how to apply. You must submit a fully completed UCAS application that includes details of the qualifications you are taking, including full predicted grades for qualifications not yet completed, your personal statement and your reference.

Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course

https://study.ed.ac.uk/programmes/undergraduate/310-archaeology

Minimum Qualification Requirements

Please click the following link to find out more about minimum qualification requirements for this course

https://study.ed.ac.uk/programmes/undergraduate/310-archaeology

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6.5total 6.5 with at least 5.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
TOEFL (iBT)92total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
Cambridge English Advancedtotal 176 with at least 162 in each component.
Cambridge English Proficiencytotal 176 with at least 162 in each component.
Trinity ISEISE II with distinctions in all four components.

You must prove that you can read, write, listen and speak in the English language at a level that will allow you to succeed in your studies. This is the case for all applicants, including UK nationals. You can meet our English language requirements with qualifications from school or an English language test. We accept any of the following, at the specified grade or higher: SQA National 5: English at C; GCSE: English at C or 4; Level 2 Certificate: English at C; International Baccalaureate (IB) Standard Level: English at 5 (English ab initio is not accepted for entry). Before you apply, check the required subjects for this programme, as you may need a higher English grade to meet the academic requirements. We also accept other qualifications from around the world. If you don’t have school qualifications that meet our requirements, we accept any of the English language tests, at the specified grade or higher, as detailed above. Qualifications from the following English language tests must be no more than two years old from the start date of your programme, regardless of your nationality: IELTS, TOEFL, Oxford ELLT. All other types of English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of your programme. If you are a national of a majority English-speaking country or region, as defined by UKVI, there is no time limit on how old these other types of English language qualifications can be.

Full details of our English language requirements can be found on our website:

https://study.ed.ac.uk/undergraduate/entry-requirements/english-language

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Channel Islands £9535* Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9535* Year 1
Scotland £1820* Year 1
England £9535* Year 1
Northern Ireland £9535* Year 1
Wales £9535* Year 1
EU £29600 Year 1
International £29600 Year 1

*This is a provisional fee and subject to change.

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Scotland - Scottish students must apply to the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) for payment of their tuition fees. Please note the 2026-27 fee rate is yet to be confirmed by the Scottish Government. England/Wales/Northern Ireland - The Rest of UK (RUK) rate is yet to be confirmed. The fee for 2025 entry was £9,535. For 2026 entry this may increase in line with inflation and will be subject to government limits. EU On 9th July 2020 the decision was made by the Scottish Government to end free university tuition for European Union (EU) students starting in 2021-22. Funding policy for EU nationals and associated groups starting a course of study in academic year 2022-23 or later will be in line with international fees. Full time international and EU students will pay a fixed annual fee rate for the duration of their programme
Archaeology at The University of Edinburgh - UCAS