Overview

The University of Aberdeen was founded in 1495, making it the third oldest university in Scotland and fifth oldest in the UK. Five Nobel Prize winners are associated with the University and students electing to study at Aberdeen would be joining a varied and thriving community of around 12,000 students from around the world.

The University of Aberdeen offers first class learning resources situated in a beautiful campus. At the main campus you will find ancient buildings side by side with modern, newly refurbished laboratories, excellent computing facilities and the latest library technology. Social and sporting facilities are of a high standard with over 150 sports clubs and societies available for students to join.

Roughly half of University of Aberdeen students study medicine, science or engineering, with arts and social sciences also popular. A cosmopolitan atmosphere of Scottish and English students alongside 120 different nationalities ensures an exciting multi-cultural atmosphere, with Aberdeen’s remote location attractive to students from all over the world. University of Aberdeen graduates also enjoy some of the highest starting salaries in Scotland and was named as Scotland's safest university city by the Complete University Guide.

Services for International Students

The University of Aberdeen has a 14,500 student population made up over 120 countries. The Student Support Service will ensure that any international student wanting to study in Aberdeen is made to feel right at home from the moment they arrive, and advice is available on a number of issues including academic, personal, medical and financial.

Ranking

• 27th in the Times University Guide 2021
• 20th in the Guardian University Guide 2021
• 207th in the QS World University Rankings 2021

The University of Aberdeen is consistently ranked in the top 200 universities in the world, and has Scotland’s top rated medical school, ranked 5th overall in the UK. Aberdeen is among the UK’s top research universities, with 76% of research assessed through the UK's Research Excellence Framework classed as ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Aberdeen is rated top in the UK for environmental and soil science research.

Accommodation

The University of Aberdeen guarantees accommodation for all first-year undergraduate students. The university has recently invested £20m in new accommodation, and wireless internet is accessible and free of charge in all halls of residence.

Catered and self catered accommodation is available depending on your budget and preference, while the Student Accommodation Office can assist when looking for private housing in the city with its new student friendly online database.

Location

The University of Aberdeen is located in Aberdeen, a city boasting a rich cultural heritage. Aberdeen is an attractive and welcoming city with a population of approximately 220,000. Aberdeen is both big enough to offer a ‘big city’ experience, but also compact enough to navigate easily.

Aberdeen caters for all tastes in arts, culture, leisure and entertainment, with a wide variety of museums, galleries and leisure and sport facilities all in close range of student accommodation. The city also offers a fantastic nightlife, particularly for students.

Aberdeen airport connects the city to the rest of the UK and Europe, while the train station runs direct services to both Edinburgh and London.

Alumni

Many famous faces have studied at the University of Aberdeen, including a leading number of UK government officials including Alistair Darling and Tessa Jowell. Radio and television personalities Nicky Campbell, James Naughtie, Sandy Gall, Glen Oglaza and Derek Rae were also students at the University of Aberdeen.