Can I sit Highers as a private candidate in Scotland?

Yes, but not on your own. Qualifications Scotland (which replaced SQA in February 2026) doesn't take entries from individuals, so a school, college or training provider has to enter you as your presenting centre. Ask as early as you can, ideally before the academic year starts.

How much does it cost to resit a Higher?

At college in 2026-27, examples are £370 for UHI's online Higher Maths, £416 at Edinburgh College, £560 at City of Glasgow College and £640 at Glasgow Clyde. At a private centre like Education Academy Scotland, exam-only Maths is £350 and a science with its assignment is £1,250.

When are the 2027 Higher exams?

The 2027 exam diet runs from 26 April to 3 June 2027. Higher Physics is on 4 May, English on 7 May, Biology on 12 May, Maths on 14 May and Chemistry on 21 May. Results day is 10 August 2027.

Do universities accept resat Highers?

Usually, but with conditions. Edinburgh will consider resits but may ask for higher grades, and wants at least BBB in one year of S4 to S6. Strathclyde says you can usually make up missing grades in S6. Medicine is the big exception, where Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen normally only count your first attempt.

Do I have to redo the Higher Physics assignment if I resit?

Plan on it. Coursework has to be done under your presenting centre's supervision and submitted by them, so you can't send one in yourself. Ask your centre early how they'll handle it.

How to resit Highers after leaving school in Scotland

Q: Can I go back to school to resit?

If you haven't left yet, yes. You have a right to stay on at school after 16, and a council shouldn't stop you finishing S6 because of your age. Going back after you've already left is up to the school and council.

Results didn’t go the way you wanted and you’ve left school, or you’re about to. The good news is that resitting a Higher as an adult is completely normal and there are proper routes for it. The catch is that you can’t just book an exam yourself, and some subjects come with coursework that someone has to supervise.

You need a centre to enter you

Qualifications Scotland, which took over from SQA in February 2026, doesn’t take entries from individuals. A school, college or training provider has to act as your “presenting centre”. They register you, sort out your Scottish Candidate Number (it’s on your old certificate if you’ve already got one), supervise any coursework and send it all off.

So the real question is which kind of centre, and there are three.

Option 1: a college evening or online class

This is what most people do. You get taught the whole course, the college enters you, and the coursework’s handled. Some 2026-27 examples for Higher Maths:

College	Format	Fee
UHI North, West and Hebrides	Online, Thursdays 6–9pm, exam at one of their centres	£370
Edinburgh College	Sighthill campus, Tuesdays 6–9pm	£416
City of Glasgow College	Wednesdays 6–9pm (full when checked, waiting list only)	£560
Glasgow Clyde College	Langside campus, Wednesdays 6–9pm	£640

Glasgow Clyde also runs evening Higher Physics, Chemistry and English at £640 each. Most of these started in August, so you’ll need to ask about late joining now, or look at the 2027-28 intake.

It can be free. Under the Scottish Funding Council’s 2026-27 fee waiver policy, part-time college courses like these can have the fee waived if you or your family get benefits such as Universal Credit, or if your household income is low enough. For example, the limit is £29,100 taxable income for a couple with children, or £18,000 for a couple without. Care experienced students qualify too. Not every course offers it, though: Glasgow Clyde’s evening Higher pages say no waiver is available, and Edinburgh College says “fee remission may apply”. Ask the college before you enrol.

Most colleges also want around 80% attendance before they’ll enter you for the exam.

Option 2: exam only, through a private centre

If you already know the course and just need to sit it again, some independent centres take private candidates. Education Academy Scotland in Glasgow, for example, charges:

Higher Maths, exam only: £350
Higher English, exam plus portfolio: £950
Higher Biology, Chemistry or Physics, exam plus assignment: £1,250

Maths is the cheapest by miles because it has no coursework at all. The sciences cost more because the centre has to run and supervise your assignment.

Option 3: stay at school

If you haven’t actually left yet, this is the free option. You have a right to stay on at school after 16, and a council shouldn’t stop you finishing S6 because of your age. Going back after you’ve already left is up to the school and the council, so ask the head teacher.

Coursework, subject by subject

Higher	Exam	Coursework
Maths	Two papers: 55 marks (non-calculator) and 65 marks	None
Physics	One paper, 130 marks, 2 hours 30	Assignment, 20 marks scaled to 33
Chemistry	One paper, 100 marks, 2 hours 30	Assignment, 20 marks scaled to 25
Biology / Human Biology	One paper, 100 marks, 2 hours 30	Assignment, 20 marks scaled to 25
English	Reading (30 marks) and Critical Reading (40 marks)	Writing portfolio (30 marks), plus a spoken language pass or fail

Heads up if you’re resitting a science: Physics, Chemistry and Biology all changed for 2026-27. The exam is now one paper instead of two, and the assignment is worth more. Past papers still show the old layout, so the questions are useful, but don’t practise timing against them.

The coursework has to be done at your centre under supervision. There’s no way to write it at home and send it in yourself.

The 2027 dates

The 2027 exams run from Monday 26 April to Thursday 3 June 2027.

Higher	Date
Physics	Tuesday 4 May
English	Friday 7 May
Biology	Wednesday 12 May
Maths	Friday 14 May
Chemistry	Friday 21 May

Results day is Tuesday 10 August 2027. Past papers and marking instructions for the last five years are on the Qualifications Scotland site, free to download.

Will universities accept it?

For most courses, yes. Some examples:

Edinburgh will consider resits, but says any offer “may be based on grades above those usually required”. You don’t need all your Highers in one year, but you need at least BBB in one year of S4 to S6.
Strathclyde says that if you don’t get the Highers you need by the end of S5, you can usually make up the difference in S6.
Glasgow says some clinical subjects need the grades in one sitting and looks at everything else case by case.

The big exception is Medicine. Edinburgh only counts your first attempt, Glasgow wants the grades at one sitting and first attempt, and Aberdeen doesn’t normally consider resits unless something serious happened the first time. There’s a separate guide on Highers for Medicine if that’s you.

And if you’re resitting to get into Computer Science, check you actually need the Higher first. A lot of Scottish universities don’t ask for Higher Maths.