Aston University • Birmingham
A verified £24,800 data science master’s at a top-50 campus university — cut to £20,800 by the automatic scholarship, with multiple start dates.
Our take
Aston’s Data Science MSc carries a verified £24,800 fee that the automatic £4,000 International Community Scholarship pulls to an effective £20,800 for on-time deposits — flagship-school data training at mid-market pricing. The course welcomes numerate graduates beyond computer science (engineering, maths, economics), teaching the Python-statistics-machine-learning core that UK data hiring screens for. Aston’s employability machine matters here: data roles are among the UK’s most sponsorship-friendly, and the university’s top-30 graduate-prospects record converts directly in this market. September and January cohorts run, with April starts offered in some years.
| Duration | 1 year full-time |
| Intake | September & January |
| Accreditation | Aston University — Guardian top-50 |
| Tuition | £24,800 for 2026/27 (verified against Aston’s published course fee); the automatic £4,000 scholarship applies with an on-time deposit — effective fee £20,800 for most self-funded students. |
Where this leads: A master’s-level technology qualification — no professional registration involved. Data roles are among the UK’s most Skilled-Worker-sponsored, making this one of the stronger post-study visa pathways.
September and January reliably; Aston has also run April cohorts on this course.
Why Aston
£24,800 published, £20,800 effective with the on-time deposit — we sequence every client’s payment to capture the £4,000.
Engineering, maths, economics and science graduates qualify — not just computer scientists.
Data science sits high on UK employers’ sponsored-role lists — the Graduate-visa year converts to Skilled Worker more often here than in most fields.
Financial services, health tech and consulting build data teams in the UK’s second city — at second-city living costs.
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 UAECompare
FAQ
The published fee is £24,800 for 2026/27; paying your deposit by the acceptance deadline triggers the automatic £4,000 International Community Scholarship, making the effective fee £20,800. We manage the deadline so no client leaves it behind.
Yes — Aston takes numerate graduates from engineering, mathematics, economics and the sciences. The course builds the programming stack; what it assumes is quantitative comfort.
Among the best of any master’s field. Data and software roles appear constantly on sponsored-role lists, and most of our data-science clients convert the Graduate visa into Skilled Worker sponsorship within the first 18 months.
September and January cohorts run reliably, and Aston has offered April starts on this course in some cycles — useful when tests or funds need one more term.
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.
Free consultation
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