Undergraduate study

Choose from a wide range of single and joint honours degrees across literatures, languages and cultures.

As global dynamics shift, an appreciation of diverse languages, literatures and cultures becomes ever more relevant, critical and sought after. Influencing the world since 1583, the University of Edinburgh is the ideal place to further your understanding.

Our School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) offers one of the widest range of languages of any UK university, including all six official languages of the United Nations.

Based in the first UNESCO City of Literature, we are home to the oldest department of English Literature in the world and the oldest Celtic department in Scotland.

Our international community is based at the heart of the University of Edinburgh, drawing connections between people and cultures both within and beyond our School, and thriving on our place in a global festival city.

Surrounded by world-class resources and collections, we encourage flexible, interdisciplinary learning. Our four year undergraduate degrees are specifically designed to enable choice and broaden minds.

Our graduates tell us that they value LLC’s friendliness, the connections they have made here and the in-depth guidance of our staff, who are experts in their field and passionate about what they do. We are proud of our traditions, but we are also a place of bold experimentation, always curious.

Undergraduate programmes

All programmes are four-year MA Honours degrees. Your first two years will be your pre-honours years; you will then have two honours years.

If you’re studying a language, your third year will typically be spent in full, or in part, in a country where the language is spoken. If not, studying abroad is optional.

Choose from a wide range of degrees in:

Understanding our programme changes

The study of literatures, languages and cultures transforms lives. Our students can choose from an exceptional range of subjects and languages. They leave us as independent-minded problem-solvers, effective communicators and experts in intercultural understanding.

To ensure our graduates remain ready for the changing demands of a complex and interdependent world, we review our degree programmes regularly. This year, we are embarking on our most adventurous reimagination of our curriculum for a generation.

LLC and the City from CAHSS Webteam on Vimeo

The study of literatures, languages, and cultures is ultimately a study in how our social world has come to be - and how it can be transformed! What’s most energising in the classroom is when we work together to analyse and appreciate fully the power of language in shaping our individual and collective experiences.
Through small-group tutorials, autonomous learning groups, peer-assisted learning, and various activities preparing you to do things like study abroad or write a dissertation, LLC works to enrich each phase of your academic, personal, and professional development.

How to apply

If you’d like to study on any of our undergraduate programmes, you must apply through UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. There’s lots of information about the application process on the University of Edinburgh website, including detailed entrance requirements and application dates.

Go to the University of Edinburgh web page on how to apply for undergraduate study

Fees and funding

The University of Edinburgh Tuition Fees website has all the information you need about your fee status, how much you’ll pay to study your chosen programme, and the University’s Fee Policy.

Go to the Tuition Fees website

Illustrated map of Edinburgh from Virtual Visit platform

Get to know us better

Thinking of joining us? Explore what it's like to study and live in Edinburgh.

QS World Rankings by Subject 2026

The University of Edinburgh is ranked 3rd in the UK for:

English Language and Literature
Modern Languages

We are ranked fourth in the UK in the broader subject area of the Arts & Humanities.

Globally, we’re in the World Top 15: English Language and Literature (6); Modern Languages (12); Arts and Humanities (9).

The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings are based on research citations and the results of major global surveys of employers and academics.

They are International Ranking Expert Group (IREG) approved.