Aston University • Birmingham
Computer science with Aston’s placement year — a verified £22,575 fee, and a salaried year in the software industry before you graduate.
Our take
Aston applies its placement formula to the degree where industry experience converts most directly: computer science. A salaried year in software — charged at roughly £2,500 rather than the verified £22,575 tuition — means Aston graduates interview with commercial code on their CV, the exact evidence junior-developer hiring screens for. The curriculum runs the standard core (programming, algorithms, systems) with the 2026-relevant extensions employers expect, Birmingham’s growing tech scene supplies placements and first jobs at second-city costs, and software occupations remain among the UK’s most Skilled-Worker-sponsored — the visa-durable choice for a technically-minded school-leaver.
| Duration | 3 years full-time, or 4 with the placement year most students take |
| Intake | September |
| Accreditation | Aston University — Computer Science, Guardian top-50 institution |
| Tuition | £22,575 per year for 2026/27 (verified against Aston’s published fee); placement years charge around £2,500. The application-based £9,000 undergraduate scholarship can apply. |
Where this leads: A computing degree — no professional registration involved. The placement year plus the Graduate visa form the standard runway into UK software employment, where Skilled Worker sponsorship is routine.
September entry via UCAS; undergraduate degrees run September-only at Aston.
Why Aston
A salaried software year before graduation — commercial experience that separates Aston CVs in the junior-developer market.
£22,575 published, with the placement year at ~£2,500 cutting the four-year total below many three-year alternatives’ value.
The second city’s software sector is expanding from a low cost base — placements and graduate roles without London rents.
Software engineering sits permanently among the most Skilled-Worker-sponsored occupations — strong Graduate-visa conversion odds.
What you study
Entry requirements
English language
Aston can consider Medium of Instruction (MOI) evidence for some courses — though clinical and regulated programmes usually still require a formal test. Aston formally accepts Medium of Instruction evidence — a rarity it actually publishes country by country. Graduates of designated ‘Tier 1’ universities in Pakistan (ten institutions including LUMS, NUST, IBA Karachi and UET Lahore) and India can usually have IELTS waived on an MOI letter alone; Tier 2/3 graduates typically need around 65–70% in a wholly English-taught degree, normally completed within the last five years. Nigerian applicants can usually use WAEC English at C6 or above instead of IELTS.
Also accepted: PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT (Home Edition not accepted), Oxford ELLT, Duolingo English Test, Cambridge C1 Advanced / C2 Proficiency, WAEC English C6+ (Nigeria). Pre-sessional English is available if you fall short.
Careers
Your country
HSSC/FSc holders join a foundation programme or International Year One before the bachelor’s degree. For master’s entry Aston publishes a tiered system: graduates of Tier 1 universities typically need 55–65% (or CGPA 2.6–2.9), Tier 2 around 60–75%, and Tier 3 around 70–85% depending on the classification required. Graduates of ten designated universities — including LUMS, NUST, IBA Karachi and UET Lahore — can usually have IELTS waived on Medium of Instruction evidence, and Aston has a dedicated regional manager for Pakistan.
Full guide for PakistanDirect undergraduate entry is possible with strong CBSE/ISC results — typically 70–85% depending on the course (state boards slightly higher). For master’s courses, 70%+ or CGPA 7.0/10 is treated as a First, 60% or 6.0 as a 2:1 and 50% or 5.0 as a 2:2. Tier 1 university graduates can usually have IELTS waived on a Medium of Instruction letter alone; Tier 2/3 graduates typically need 65–70%.
Full guide for IndiaWASSCE holders usually enter via the International Foundation Programme (around eight subjects at C6 or above). Master’s applicants typically need an upper second-class honours degree from an NUC-recognised university, and the MBA additionally asks for at least three years’ managerial experience. Helpfully, WAEC English at C6 or above is generally accepted in place of IELTS, and Aston has a regional manager for Africa.
Full guide for NigeriaThanawiya (UAE secondary certificate) holders take the one-year International Foundation Programme before starting a bachelor’s degree. Master’s applicants from recognised Emirati universities typically need a four-year degree with a GPA of around 3.0/4.0. CBSE students in the UAE with 75% in English can usually waive IELTS (treated as a 6.5 equivalent).
Full guide for the UAEFAQ
£22,575 per year for 2026/27 — verified against Aston’s published fee — with the placement year charged at roughly £2,500 and the application-based £9,000 undergraduate scholarship available to competitive applicants. We build the full four-year budget with every family.
Junior-developer hiring screens for commercial experience above almost everything. A salaried year shipping real code answers that requirement before graduation — and placement employers convert a large share of interns into graduate offers.
No — the course builds from foundations; what entry requires is strong mathematics. Prior coding helps you start faster but is not a gate.
Among the best of any degree: software occupations sponsor heavily for Skilled Worker visas, and the Graduate visa bridges the gap. Most computing clients we advise convert to sponsorship within the first 18 months of work.
Fees, entry requirements, English-language policies and intake dates are correct to the best of our knowledge at the date shown, but universities review them every cycle and immigration rules change. Always treat figures as a guide — we confirm the exact, current requirements with the university before you apply. Facts on this page last checked July 2026.
Intakes shown are for this course specifically; Aston runs other intakes for other programmes — see the full Aston profile.
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