University of Aberdeen

COVID-19 update: This university offers programs that will start online and continue on campus later.

Overview

The University of Aberdeen, founded in 1495, is the fifth oldest university in the UK. Scottish University of the Year 2019, 96% of graduates go on to find work within six months of leaving. There have been five Nobel Prizes across medicine, nutrition, chemistry, and physics with new ground-breaking research and innovation continuing to this day.

Facilities include the Olympic-standard Aberdeen Sports Village and an Aquatic Centre. There are also four libraries, including the university’s main GBP 57 million Sir Duncan Rice Library, home to over one million books and special collections. 

Aberdeen is one of the most affordable student cities in the UK. Rich in culture and history and surrounded by beautiful countryside and coastlines, there is plenty for students to do and see outside of the classroom. Attractions include theatre, museums and art galleries, Footdee, Union Square, sports, outdoor pursuits, festivals and lots more.

There are over 120 award-winning student clubs and societies, 1^st in Scotland and 5^th in the UK. These range from the Yoga Society to the Ice-Skating Society. The Students’ Union building is spread over three floors, and includes shops, cosmopolitan restaurants and a bar.

Students are well supported at the university with a number of dedicated services. This includes the accommodation service, which helps with finding housing and the careers service which is in place to support students with all aspects of finding employment after graduating, from CV writing to interview preparation.

The university has three campuses, Kings College and Foresterhill in Aberdeen, and one in Doha, Qatar. The university welcomes a diverse community of over 14,000 students from 130 nationalities to these sites. It also runs an International Exchange Programme with partner universities globally. Students also have the chance to take part in the Erasmus exchange programme to spend some of their course in another country and experience another culture.

What’s new

Flexible Online Learning Department

The University of Aberdeen launched an ‘on demand’ learning platform of flexible short courses. The courses offer students the opportunity to: achieve a postgraduate qualification, study a module or short course, access free short course, or take an Access Course as a step up to university-level study. These courses add to the University of Aberdeen’s international foundation programmes.

Department structure

The university is divided up into twelve schools:

• Divinity, history and philosophy
• Education
• Language, literature, music and visual culture
• Law
• Social science
• Business school
• Biological sciences
• Medicine, medical sciences and nutrition
• Psychology
• Engineering
• Geosciences
• Natural computing sciences

There are several research institutes and centres which cut across disciplines.

Each school has its own research themes and groups which sit within the institutes and centres.

Study Options

The university offers undergraduate, postgraduate taught and research degrees to PhD level with a growing online degree and short course offer.

Many programmes are offered on a part-time basis and can be fitted around work and life.

There are online programmes which offer flexible learning by modular learning or qualification to allow students to fit their learning into their life and pay for the degree as they go.

Entry requirements

To encourage a wide range of students to apply, Aberdeen consider a wide range of entry criteria such as ‘contextualised information’. To help students to apply for university level studies. For students without traditional entry requirements, there are other routes to study for a degree programme, including:

• advanced entry from college
• access courses
• articulation route
• International Foundation Programmes

For international students, entry requirements are found on the programme page, or by looking up their country of origin in the international section to find country specific qualifications. For further support, students should contact the university’s international team. Aberdeen offer English language support and courses before arrival and student volunteers support English language practice.

Scholarships & funding

Undergraduate

There are a broad range of scholarships and funding opportunities available at all levels for students studying at the University of Aberdeen.

Students have the chance to receive an undergraduate entrance scholarship, as well as a Gateway 2 Medicine Scholarship. These awards support talented Scottish and EU students who do not have the requisite funding or financial backing. Additional scholarships which can be applied for are:

• The Saltire Energy Sports Science Scholarship
• Derek Ogston
• Margaret Carlaw Music Scholarship

Facilities

Libraries

Aberdeen is home to the award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library, the Taylor Library for Law, and the Medical Library. The libraries offer:

• Access to over 1.3 million books and online sources
• 1500 individual study spaces
• Specialist advice, assistive technologies, galleries and events

Museums and Special Collections

Aberdeen holds 600 years’ worth of rare books and special collections and is home to several museums. Students can enjoy access to:

• The Gallery
• Zoology Museum
• Kings’ Museum
• Virtual Museum
• Exhibitions Archive
• Cruickshank Botanic Garden

Sports

Students can enjoy sport at whatever level they want to take part, at the Sports Village which offers:

• Health and fitness activities for individuals and groups
• Aquatics – swimming and pool sports
• Certification in fitness training, first aid and other courses
• Group exercise including popular Zumba, athletics, aerobics, and dance classes

The Sports Union offers competitive sports and events and there are a huge range of sports clubs and societies for outdoor sports including skiing, scuba diving, sailing and mountaineering.

Students’ Union

The Students’ Union located on campus offers several services which include:

• Infohub support and advice facilities
• Student Finance support hub
• Food outlets
• Aberdeen University Students Association (AUSA)

Accommodation

The University of Aberdeen offers students a range of accommodation, located close to Kings Campus, Hillhead Student Village and the City Centre.

Other Facilities

Students will also have access to email, IT support and Wi-Fi on site. There are classroom PCs in specific rooms across campus, and all programmes have their own unique facilities, details of which can be found on programme pages.

Students are supported by Infohub, IT services, campus libraries, Aberdeen University Student Association clubs and societies, The Food Hub, International Centre, and specialist facilities.

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