University of Dundee

Overview

The University of Dundee was officially opened in 1967, although its roots date back to the 1880s. It’s since achieved a reputation as one of Scotland’s leading universities and often gets good rankings in uni league tables.

The city of Dundee sits on the east coast of Scotland, surrounded by beautiful countryside, around an hour and a half north of the capital, Edinburgh. Dundee’s a compact city that can be explored on foot and by bike, meaning it’s a manageable place to live and be a student.

It’s known as one of the safest cities in the UK and has a strong student population. Due to this, there’s a fun student scene and exciting and vibrant nightlife, with bars, pubs and clubs for students to enjoy. The city is full of local businesses and independent eateries, bars and social spaces.

Dundee airport has regular flights to London and Edinburgh, and Glasgow’s international airports are a short trip away, meaning there’s good access to budget flights abroad.

Few people know that Dundee is the birthplace of the Grand Theft Auto series of video games and is the home of the Dandy comic’s Desperate Dan, as marked by a large statue in the city.

You can choose from over 200 different undergraduate degree combinations at the University of Dundee, many of which include professional accreditation. Most of the courses are only available to study on a full-time basis, although several courses can be studied through online and distance learning, such as Childhood Practice BA and Professional Development in Leadership and Management BA.

Typically, undergraduate degrees at Dundee take three or four years to study, but a number of courses include placement years, study abroad options or an integrated master’s year. These courses usually take four or five years to complete. Medical courses usually take five years to study and some courses, like architecture, take longer.

Most degrees include optional modules, as well as core modules, meaning you can study the degree topics you’re most interested in.

It's also possible to combine two or three subjects within an undergraduate degree in what’s called a combined honours degree. For example, it’s fairly common to study a humanities course, like history, alongside a language, such as French or Spanish.

The University of Dundee accepts a variety of qualifications, such as A-levels, BTECs, the International Baccalaureate and Scottish Highers/Advanced Highers.

Each course has its own specific entry requirements, including academic qualifications, references and sometimes the requirement to have studied a particular subject. For your reference, we’ve set out the grade requirements here for certain subject areas at Dundee.

For instance, to study a degree in accounting, finance or business you’ll likely be asked for A-levels ranging from BBB–BCC or Scottish Highers ranging from AABB–BBBB (or equivalent qualification).

To get onto a degree course in the hard sciences (biology, physics, chemistry etc.), you’ll probably need A-levels ranging from AAA–BCC or Scottish Highers of AAAAB–BBBB (or equivalent qualification).

For humanities subjects, you’ll probably be asked for A-levels ranging from AAB–BCC or Scottish Highers of AAABB–BBBB (or equivalent qualification).

It should be noted that entry requirements can change so you should always confirm these with the university before applying.

There’s a range of uni accommodation available at the University of Dundee. All options are self-catered and on a single occupancy, en suite basis. Halls include access to laundry facilities and bicycle storage, and your rent payments include utility bills, wifi and connection to Freeview or Freesat.

There are almost 1,600 bedrooms available across four main sites. Two of the sites are on campus, Belmont and Heathfield, while Seabraes is a couple of minutes away and West Park sits in between campus and the teaching hospital.

The campus is situated five minutes away from the city centre, meaning all halls have good access to everything Dundee has to offer. Due to the close proximity of the campus and four accommodation sites, it’s easy to visit other students, even if they’re not in your halls.

Each accommodation facility has security services day and night, including a 24-hour helpline, and a team of student support assistants who live in the accommodations.

The University of Dundee has a specialist careers service that supports the career development and helps improve the job prospects of its students and graduates.

You’ll be able to take advantage of several resources on offer, such as the careers portal which will allow you to access a range of career-related services and information.

You’ll be able to explore career options and develop your career path by booking a one-to-one appointment with a careers adviser, as well as develop your employability skills by using guides and attending workshops.

You’ll be given the opportunity to attend events, like careers and recruitment fairs. These will allow you to meet potential employers, learn about industry sectors, find out about opportunities and start to develop your professional network.

Support is also available in your search for jobs. The uni will help you find opportunities, such as full-time positions, internships and work experience, as well as give you information about working abroad.

The University of Dundee supports students who meet certain criteria by providing additional funding in the form of scholarships and bursaries. Scholarships are usually awarded based on academic or extra-curricular merit, while bursaries are dependent on individual circumstances. Scholarships and bursaries don’t need to be repaid.

There are several scholarships available at Dundee, including the Academic Excellence RUK scholarships, which are awarded for academic achievement. This scholarship is worth £3,000 per year of study and is available for students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To qualify for this bursary, you’ll need to have A-level grades of AAB or higher.

Some scholarships will be available for students of certain degree subjects. For example, the Discover Nursing at Dundee scholarship is worth £2,250 per year of study and is available for full-time students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland who are studying a nursing or health science course.

Among the bursaries that the University of Dundee offers is the Rest of UK bursary, which is available for students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To be eligible, you must come from a household with a combined annual income of less than £25,000. Eligible students receive £2,000 per year of study.

You can find more information on the bursaries and scholarships available, and their eligibility criteria, online on the uni’s funding pages.