The University of Edinburgh
- Undergraduate Students
- Postgraduate Students
- International Students
View all undergraduate courses
The University of Edinburgh offers more than 400 undergraduate programmes across a wide range of disciplines. 86% of graduates leave the university with a 1st or 2:1 award in their degree. Edinburgh is a beautiful, historic city that is regularly voted as one of the most desirable places to live in the world.
UCAS Code: E56
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
This institution did not take part in the TEF. Participation is voluntary. Find out more about TEF.
Student Statistics
Student population
Small
<5,000
Medium
5–10,000
Large
10–25,000
Largest
>25,000
Level of study
- Undergraduate 68%
- Postgraduate 32%
Mode of study
- Full Time 89%
- Part Time 11%
Where students come from
- UK 64%
- EU 11%
- Other 25%
Student gender
- Male 39%
- Female 61%
Undergraduate Open Days
Open days allow you to experience the university first hand, and help you decide if it's the right place for you.
Student Services and Facilities
Library
- The main library, in George Square, is one of the largest academic libraries in the world, with more than 2,300 study spaces, with power and Wi-Fi available at every desk.
- The main library is open 24/7; other site libraries also have extensive opening hours and award-winning staff available to help.
- In total, the university's libraries and storage facilities hold in excess of 1.8 million volumes, almost 700,000 e-journal titles and 700 licensed databases. Electronic resources can be accessed on-or off-campus, 24 hours a day.
Student jobs
- The Careers Service advertises more than 2,200 part-time jobs annually, along with over 850 vacation jobs and specific information on opportunities for work at the world famous Edinburgh Festivals.
- The Students' Association also offer a range of part-time job opportunities throughout term time and the Festivals.
Careers advice
- An award-winning Careers Service, with professionally trained and experienced careers consultants, linked to and working in partnership with every school, supports students while at the university and beyond graduation.
- An excellent online portal, MyCareerHub, gives access to news, information resources, events, appointments and vacancies – from taster weeks to internships and graduate roles.
- An extensive range of on-campus fairs and events attracts employers and alumni, from big multinationals through to non-profit organisations, start-ups and local SMEs.
- A bespoke internship scheme, Employed, offers internships on campus, with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with the third sector, and overseas.
- The sector-leading Edinburgh Award gives students a chance to gain recognition for the skills developed from work experience.
Health services
- The university has its own Health Centre, which is an independent NHS partnership. Students living within the catchment area must register to use its services – which include comprehensive medical care, contraceptive advice, antenatal services, child welfare services and nursing services.
- Vitality, the university's dentist and optician service based in the Potterrow Student Union building, welcomes all students for free registrations and free NHS optical and dental examinations.
Counselling services
- A free, confidential counselling service provides professional short-term help for any personal concerns, whether or not they are related to study. All counsellors are experienced and professionally trained.
- Counselling is offered to help students work through their difficulty, understand themselves better and find ways of managing their situation; email counselling is available for those for whom face-to-face counselling is not an option.
- There is also a range of self-help workshops and literature.
Disability support
- More than 4,000 students at the University of Edinburgh disclosed a disability in 2016/17.
- The Student Disability Service supports students with a range of disabilities, learning difficulties and health conditions.
- Students can also be supported with applications for financial assistance; please refer to the university website for details.
Other services and facilities
- Every undergraduate has a personal tutor, who provides academic guidance and support, helps each student review their progress and can address any academic concerns.
- There is a system of peer support in the form of student-run help desks, information points, academic families, buddying and mentoring – this allows newer students to call on the help and advice of more experienced students as they progress through university life.
- The Students' Association runs the Advice Place, a professional advice service offering students free, impartial and confidential support on anything and everything – be it their studies, health and well-being, accommodation or finances.
Students' Union
- Edinburgh University Students' Association supports over 290 student societies and volunteering groups.
- One of its venues, Teviot Row House, is the oldest purpose-built student union in the UK – it looks like Hogwarts!
- There are 13 bars and two nightclubs across the campus, and the Students' Association hosts Edinburgh's biggest student club night every Saturday.
History
- Founded in 1583, the University of Edinburgh is one of the world's top universities.
- For more than 400 years the university has played host to scientists, philosophers and politicians who have shaped the modern world.
- Its graduates signed the United States' Declaration of Independence, founded Ivy League universities, brought modern medicine to China, post-colonial government to Africa, and wrote some of the world's most widely read books.
Fascinating Fact
- Nobel Prize winner, Emeritus Professor Peter Higgs was a lecturer at Edinburgh when he proposed the Higgs boson.
Notable Alumni and Famous Faces
- Sir Chris Hoy – former track cyclist and one of Great Britain's most successful Olympic athletes of all time, with 6 gold medals and 1 silver.
- Dame Katherine Grainger – rower with 5 Olympic medals, Great Britain's most decorated female Olympian.
- Gordon Brown – former Labour Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom.
- J.K. Rowling – British novelist, screenwriter and film producer best known for the Harry Potter series.
- Ian Rankin – crime writer, best known for his Inspector Rebus novels.
- Kirsty Wark – journalist and TV presenter, known for presenting Newsnight.
- David Hume – philosopher, historian, and economist who influenced and collaborated with Adam Smith.
- Joseph Black – physician and chemist, known for his discoveries of magnesium, latent and specific heat, and carbon dioxide.
- Charles Darwin – naturalist, geologist and biologist, best known for his contributions to the science of evolution.
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – writer and physician, most noted for creating the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes.
Address
University of Edinburgh, 33 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9JS