University of Aberdeen

History

• Scotland's third oldest university, founded in 1495.
• First chair of medicine in the English-speaking world.
• Four Nobel prizes have been awarded for work begun or carried out at Aberdeen.

Location and transport

• Aberdeen is an attractive, cosmopolitan city of 220,000, with first-class sport and leisure facilities, and a vibrant nightlife.
• There is easy access to nearby hills and countryside. Aberdeen itself has miles of golden sandy beaches.
• Communication and travel links are excellent.

Entry standards

• Full details of our entry requirements can be found on the online prospectus.

Student mix

• A student population of around 14,000.
• 120 nationalities represented in the student body.
• Male to female ratio 46:54.

Course flexibility

• As a result of an extensive review of the curriculum, from 2010, undergraduate students at Aberdeen have a more flexible degree structure which retains all the quality and depth of the traditional Scottish degree and adds further benefits.
• Opportunities to choose new cross-disciplinary courses focused on real world problems or sustained study in a language or business.
• Increased opportunities to broaden experience and skills through a wide range of optional activities overseen by the University, such as study overseas, work placements and voluntary work.
• Over 550 first degree programmes on offer across three colleges.
  Students are encouraged to tailor-make their degree programme to suit their interests and ambitions, and every student has an academic adviser to provide guidance.

Teaching standards

• 89% of subjects rated excellent/highly satisfactory.
• The University has been praised by the UK Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education for the quality of relationships between students and staff.

Research standards

• Aberdeen has a long and distinguished research pedigree.
• In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), 89% of the University's research was rated as of international quality, and 50% internationally excellent or world-leading.

Academic strengths

• More than 500 years of academic excellence.
• Within the three colleges of Arts and Social Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Life Sciences and Medicine, many degree programmes have been rated either the best in Scotland or in the top ten in the UK by numerous league tables.
• Particular strengths lie in the university's founding disciplines of Arts and Humanities, Engineering, Medicine, Education, Divinity and Law.

Student facilities, including library and computing

• In August 2009, the University, in partnership with the local city council, opened Aberdeen Sports Village, a modern, vibrant new facility which provides a variety of sports for all.
• Brand new £6-million students' centre, the Hub, opened in 2006, with dining and retail outlets, an internet cafè and drop-in centres.
• Libraries contain over 1,050,000 volumes, with wireless network access across campus from this year. All students receive free internet and email.

Disability services

• Visit the website to find out about disability services at the University of Aberdeen.
• Telephone +44 (0)1224 273935, fax +44 (0)1224 273569, or email student.disability@abdn.ac.uk.

Students' union

• Visit the website to discover more about the Aberdeen University Students' Association and the 150 student societies.

Sport

• New £24.5-million sports facility, Aberdeen Sports Village, opened in 2009.
• There are a number of sports bursaries available.
• Over 50 sports clubs on offer for the amateur novice or professional athlete.

Recent/prospective new builds

• Planned investment of £240 million over the next ten years, including a new flagship library for the 21st century.
• This also includes a brand new sports centre, the recent opening of a new on-campus student-centre, and a new teaching centre for clinical medicine.

Availability of part-time work

• Plenty of part-time work available. The Students' Association runs a Joblink service, which advertises vacancies specifically for students.

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