BSc (Hons) Computer Science Bachelor's degree at the University of Surrey
BSc (Hons) Computer Science at University of Surrey is taught in English and leads to a nationally recognised Bachelor's degree. Surrey holds Silver status for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023 and is.
About this course
Study our Computer Science BSc or MEng courses to gain the skills and knowledge you need to understand and design the next generation of computational systems. From the provider’s course page.
BSc (Hons) Computer Science is a Bachelor's degree (BSc (Hons)) at the University of Surrey. It runs 4 years, studied full-time.
For Computer science graduates from this provider, 90% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 95% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £31,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Computer Science, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Limited evidence Published sample: 15; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 90% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 90% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1, Semester 1 3 modules
- FOUNDATIONS OF COMPUTINGCompulsory
Module details
This module aims to introduce students to some of the key concepts of set theory, relations, functions, automata, logic, graphs, trees, proof methods, probability and statistics in order to highlight the importance and power of abstraction within computer science. These concepts are useful throughout the programme.
- COMPUTER LOGICCompulsory
Module details
To introduce the fundamental principles of digital logic, circuits and systems starting with symbolic logic through to the concept of logic gates to the structure and operation of digital logic circuits and systems. This module provides an understanding of the underlying computer architecture and internal operation of computer systems.
- DATA AND DATABASE SYSTEMSCompulsory
Module details
This module introduces students to the fundamental concepts of data storage with a focus on relational database systems. Students will learn database design and development to solve real-world problems. The module uses a problem-based approach to provide students with the necessary support to develop their analytical and problem-solving skills.
Year 1, Semester 2 3 modules
- DATA STRUCTURES AND ALGORITHMSCompulsory
Module details
Appropriate choices of data structures can expedite algorithm efficiency and also aid clear thinking when designing algorithms. It is thus natural for data structures to be studied with algorithms. An algorithm is a sequence of steps for performing some process. A computer program is not an algorithm but a representation of an algorithm. There is a need to be able to create effective algorithms, quantify their efficiency and classify them independently of any computing system or language.
- OPERATING SYSTEMSCompulsory
Module details
The module covers the main concepts of modern operating systems (OS), including process, memory, file, and input/output management, as well as fundamental security principles that ensure the protection and reliability of system resources. The first part of the course provides a short history of operating systems and their purposes. It also introduces the student to multiprocessing and multithreading, i.e. how an OS manages multiple tasks that execute at the same time (concurrently) and share res
- FOUNDATIONS OF COMPUTING IICompulsory
Module details
The course builds upon COM1026, Foundations of Computing, and introduces the key concepts of linear algebra and multivariate calculus.
Year 1, Semesters 1 & 2 1 modules
- SOFTWARE ENGINEERING AND OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMINGCompulsory
Module details
This module will introduce software engineering principles with a technical focus on Object-Oriented Programming (OOP). Students will explore software development through the lens of the systems development lifecycle. In doing so, experience will be gained in requirements engineering, software design, implementation, testing and how to tackle real-world collaboration. Throughout, software engineering methods will be put into practice, and Java programming skills will be taught. Starting with und
Year 2, Semester 1 3 modules
- ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCECompulsory
Module details
Computers have become commonplace in many areas of our lives and are able to accomplish many things that humans would find difficult, if not impossible, to do by their own unaided efforts. Whilst computers can perform many calculations in a very short time they generally do not possess the ability to learn or to reason about novel situations or to process incomplete or uncertain data. They will need knowledge of the environment in which they operate so that they can understand what their sensors
- FURTHER PROGRAMMING PARADIGMSCompulsory
Module details
This module will introduce fundamental concepts of Theory of Programming Languages using two programming paradigms: Object-Oriented Paradigm and the Functional Paradigm. The module will provide a foundation for the theoretical and practical aspects of building programs using these paradigms. Object Orientated Paradigm is first introduced as a popular methodology for large application development. The module will then cover an alternative programming paradigm, Functional Programming, with a focus
- COMPUTER SECURITYCompulsory
Module details
The digital world critically relies on cyber security to prevent harm and misuse. This module provides a foundational introduction to computer security, focusing on how to protect information, systems and networks from attackers. Students explore foundational cryptography and security protocols, covering core principles such as confidentiality, integrity and availability across various domains.
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
This course equips you with the skills and knowledge to understand and design the next generation of computational systems. You'll usually begin with programming fundamentals in Python and Java, alongside computer systems architecture and discrete mathematics for computing. In Year 2, a course like this normally progresses to algorithms and data structures, databases and software engineering, and artificial intelligence with machine learning. Year 3 focuses on specialist options, such as cybersecurity, data science, software engineering, human-computer interaction, systems and networks, or artificial intelligence, alongside security, networks, and a substantial individual software project. Throughout, you'll move from theoretical foundations to practical system design and independent research.
Who it's for
This course suits students with A-level qualifications or equivalent. Most accepted students (95% over recent years) held A-levels or equivalent. The typical UCAS tariff band among accepted students was 112–127 points. You should check specific entry requirements with the university, as these figures reflect recent entrants rather than formal prerequisites.
Careers & job market
Across Computer Science courses nationally, 85% of graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduating. Of those working, 75% are in highly skilled roles or pursuing further study. National graduate earnings data shows: starting salaries (15 months) typically range from £25,000 to £35,000; after 3 years, £23,375 to £33,000; and after 5 years, £29,750 to £42,000. These are national figures for Computer Science graduates, not university-specific guarantees. First-year retention across the sector stands at 85%.
University & format
The University of Surrey is a public university founded in 1966, located in Surrey, England. The BSc (Hons) Computer Science course runs for 4 years full-time, taught in English. It is a recognised UK degree-awarding body, so your degree is nationally recognised. The course received a Silver award for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Provider-published requirement; check the linked course page before applying.
The provider publishes contextual-offer information. Eligibility and any reduced offer are applicant-specific.
Names detected beside accreditation or recognition copy on the provider course page; verify the route and intake.
Placement year. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 95% |
| a Baccalaureate | 3% |
| another higher-education qualification | 2% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Entry is set by the university and based on your offer. Use your predicted grades to see how you compare, then check the university's stated requirements.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code G400). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).
Check fees at University of Surrey →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Computer Science graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £31,000 | £28,000 – £36,000 | 15 |
| 3 years after | £41,500 | £31,500 – £50,000 | 50 |
| 5 years after | £49,000 | £38,000 – £65,500 | 50 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Limited evidence. Published sample: 15; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate / Junior DeveloperFirst engineering role · 0–2 yrs
- 2Software EngineerShipping features end-to-end · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / Lead EngineerOwning systems and mentoring · 5–9 yrs
- 4Principal / Engineering ManagerArchitecture or leading teams · 9+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Computer Science nationally
National figures for Computer Science graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Limited evidence. Published sample: 15; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Computer Science courses at the same study level.
Compared with 1,820 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Information Technology ProfessionalsSOC 2020 213 · 85% of published destinations · ASHE median £55,357
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 40; response rate: 60%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Is BSc (Hons) Computer Science worth it?
Yes, for most students BSc (Hons) Computer Science is well worth it. On its graduates’ median earnings, the course is worth about +£210,840 more over the first ten years of work than going straight to a job, after the fees you pay.
Cumulative earnings vs. going straight to work at 18, counting tuition and 4 years of wages given up while studying. The line clears zero around year 9.6. This is a simplified gross-earnings comparison, not a forecast of cash loan repayments.
Model: this course’s own median graduate earnings (Graduate Outcomes / LEO) above the £24,000 non-graduate baseline (ONS), net of £9,790/yr over 4 years (published course home fee). Eligible England-domiciled students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan; repayments are 9% only on income above the threshold, with anything left written off after 40 years. That makes the cash flow different from conventional commercial debt. Opportunity cost assumes £18,000 gross earnings forgone in each study year; figures are nominal and exclude tax, living costs, investment returns and loan interest. A simplified estimate. Earnings and actual fees vary by graduate, provider, fee status and UK nation.
Job market & outlook
How Computer Science graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Boilerplate and scaffolding code
- First-pass tests and docs
- Routine debugging and refactors
- Standard data wrangling
More human than ever
- System design and architecture trade-offs
- Reviewing and owning correctness & security
- Translating fuzzy problems into software
- Leading delivery and mentoring
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Computer Science graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Tech companies
- Banks & fintech
- Consultancies
- Government (GDS) & startups
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Computer Science graduates.
Software Developer Placement Programme No experience neededIT Online LearningSoftware Developer - .NET & Azure for Green Energy ProjectsOfgemSoftware Developer Backend (SFIA5)ZaiziSoftware Developer (Mobile Apps) in Guildford - ECM Selection (Holdings) LimitedJava Script WorksSoftware Developer (Contract) – Higher Education Projects (UK)Burman RecruitmentSoftware Developer – Distributed Scheduling & Workload OrchestrationCGG Services (UK) LimitedIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
Published home tuition is £9,790/year for this course. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
90% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £31,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 8.8 out of 10: NSS 83% · in work or study 90% · continued 90%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The University of Surrey
Computing across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around University of Surrey
1,620 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Computer Science right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to University of Surrey from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is £27,000 / year for this course (from the provider’s fee page). You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check University of Surrey’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with University of Surrey and gov.uk before you apply.
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Common questions
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