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Aberdeen University

UCAS Code: A20

Location: Aberdeen, north of Scotland Show on Map

Site: Main teaching centre plus medicine, both within city

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A top UK research-intensive university.

Student Population

Total Students:	15,835
Undergraduates:	76%
Postgraduates:	24%
FE Students:	0%

Undergraduates

Total undergraduates:	12,065
Male:	46%
Female:	54%
Full Time:	90%
Mature on Entry:	17%
UK Students:	84%
Lower socio economic groups:	26%

Teaching Staff

1400 full-time

Broad study areas

Arts, sciences, education, engineering, medicine, dentistry, law, divinity, social sciences, music.

Freshers

Admission Information:	AS-levels accepted on some courses; most require A-levels or Highers & Advanced Highers.
Points on Entry (Mean):	359
Drop Out Rate:	9%
Accommodation:	All new students housed who apply by the deadline.

Institution

Founded:	1495 (King's College).
Site:	2 sites: King’s College in Old Aberdeen; medical sciences at Foresterhill.
How to get there:	Fast coach services from Edinburgh, Glasgow and all major cities; rail services north and south. For university, bus from Union St (nos 1, 2, 14, going east); by road, follow signs for A90 and Old Aberdeen.
Special features:	Institute of Scottish & Irish Studies, medical sciences, plus initiatives in ethnology and cultural studies

Student services & facilities

Student advice & services:	Medical practice; chaplaincy; counsellors; nursery; international student adviser; welfare, disability and financial advisers; information and advice centre.
Amenities:	Student centre; late buses, vacation employment office, university music groups; Students’ Association, student newspaper, SA babysitting agency.
Sporting facilities:	Swimming pool; two extensive sports fields including running tracks; cardiovascular performance gym; squash and tennis courts; rowing on River Dee; Cairngorms and Grampians (mountain hut) within easy reach for climbing, walking and skiing; 150 sports clubs and societies.
Accommodation:	All new students who wish it are guaranteed university accommodation, if they apply by the deadline (27 August); 38% of students overall. 3000 places available: 800 catered places (some ensuite) at £116–£137 per week, term-time only; 2200 self-catering (some ensuite) at £72–£120 pw, rentals 38–48 weeks; utility charge in addition to rent. University can offer accommodation to most students though many prefer to live in privately-owned accommodation for 1+ years: approx £70–£90 pw for self-catering. 25% of first-degree students live at home.

Study opportunities & careers

Library & information services:	4 library buildings, over 1.05 million volumes, inter-library loan service, short loan collections for course books in heaviest demand. Annual expenditure £225 per student (FTE), plus departmental purchases. IT and library services converged. 1000+ networked PCs have access to internet and so to library catalogue (ratio workstations to students 1:8), open 24 hours/day. IT support from 4 help desks in main library and in computing centre. Information skills week for new students, plus departmental inductions; informal classes on use of library.
Other learning resources:	Interactive video; satellite TV for language teaching. Specialist collections: Jacobite material, transport and photographic collections, pre-1800 British and European works, first editions of early science and medical volumes. Almost 250,000 maps, many historical.
Study abroad:	6% of students spend part of their course abroad, including those on courses in law with European law (or French, German, Spanish law) who study abroad for local diploma. Erasmus links with 155 European institutions, plus 5 formal scholarship exchanges (Lausanne, Rennes, Zurich, Geneva and Kiel) and exchanges with 20 American and 4 Canadian universities.
Careers:	Information and advice service; regular vacancy bulletins.

Money

Living expenses budget:	Minimum budget of £5400 (excluding tuition fees) recommended by university, for 9-month academic year.
Term-time work:	University allows term-time work for full-time students (30% believed to work); limit of 15 hours pw. Some work on campus in catering, bars, library and (in vacs) as porters, gardeners, groundsmen; also SU based Joblink agency helps in finding work off campus.
Financial help:	Entrance scholarships and access awards, of up to £1000 pa: access awards for those who need financial support to enter higher education; scholarships for academic merit or eg music, sport, agriculture.
University tuition fees:	Scottish and EU students pay no fees during their course; other UK students pay £9000 pa for first degree courses (up to a maximum of £27,000 for 3 or 4 year courses). International students £11,000 (classroom), £14,000 (lab), £24,500 (clinical).

Courses

Academic features:

Access courses and summer school. Courses in animal care, health & welfare, anthropology, Celtic civilisation, off-shore engineering, petroleum geology, cultural history, safety engineering, sports & exercise science, social research and all biosciences including tropical environmental science.

Awarding body:

University of Aberdeen.

Main undergraduate awards:

MA, BEd, BMus, BD, BTh, LLB, BSc, BSc Med Sci, BScEng, BEng, BDS, MB ChB, MEng, MPhys, MChem, MSci.

Length of courses:

3 years (ordinary/designated), 4 years (Honours and divinity), 5 years (MB ChB, MChem, MEng, MPhys, MSci).

Main subjects offered:

Accountancy
Agricultural Botany
Agricultural Economics
Agriculture
Anatomy
Animal Science
Anthropology
Archaeology
Art History
Artificial Intelligence
Behavioural Science
Biblical Studies
Biochemistry
Biological Chemistry
Biology
Biomedical Science
Biophysics
Biotechnology
Building Surveying
Business Economics
Business Studies
Catalan
Cell Biology
Celtic Studies
Chemical Engineering
Chemistry
Church History
Civil Engineering
Classical Studies
Computer Engineering
Computer Science
Computer Technology
Computing
Conservation
Control Engineering
Countryside Management
Crop Science/Technology
Cultural Studies
Data Processing
Dentistry
Developmental Biology
E-business
Earth Sciences
Ecology
Econometrics
Economic History
Economics
Education
Electrical Engineering
Electronic Engineering
Electronics
Energy Studies
Engineering (General)
Engineering Mathematics
English
Environmental Biology
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Engineering
Environmental Management
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Equine Studies
Estate Management
EU Studies
European Business Studies
European Studies
Film Studies
Finance
Financial Economics
Fishery Science
Food Science
Food Technology
Forestry
French
Genetics
Geography
Geology
Geophysics
Geoscience
German
Health
Hebrew
Hispanic Studies
History
History/Philosophy of Science
Human Biology
Human Sciences
Humanities
Immunology
Industrial Engineering
Informatics
Information Systems
Information Technology
International Business
International Relations
Internet Technology
Italian
Land Economy
Latin
Latin American Studies
Law
Linguistics
Management
Manufacturing Engineering
Marine Biology
Materials Science
Materials Technology
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Medical Microbiology
Medicinal Chemistry
Medicine
Microbiology
Microelectronics
Molecular Biology
Music
Neuroscience
Nutrition
Oceanography
Offshore Engineering
Parasitology
Pathology
Petroleum Engineering
Pharmacology
Philosophy
Physics
Physiology
Plant Science
Politics
Pollution
Polymers
Psychology
Recreation Studies
Religious Studies
Rural Environment Studies
Scottish Studies
Semitic Languages
Social Anthropology
Social History
Social Science
Sociology
Software Engineering
Soil Science
Spanish
Sports Sciences
Sports Studies
Statistics
Structural Engineering
Surveying
Systems Analysis
Teacher Training
Theology
Town/Country Planning
Toxicology
Urban Estate Management
Urban Studies
Wildlife Management
Zoology

Student view

Angela Fraser, Student President (4th year, MA Economics)

Living

What’s it like as a place to live? Aberdeen is the perfect size for a city. Big enough that it has everything. Pubs, clubs, music scene, theatre and football club but small enough to easily get around and not get lost.

How’s the student accommodation? University accommodation is amongst the cheapest in Scotland. It is spacious and very close to the campus with some accommodation in the heart of the campus.

What’s the student population like? A large number of students come from Aberdeen and Scotland but the University also has students from 120 different countries and a hugely active International Students Society.

How do students and locals get on? Aberdeen, which is the oil capital of Europe, is very diverse and students and locals get along fantastically well with no areas a no go for students. The student charities campaign donates £80,000 (approx) every year to local charities.

Studying

What’s it like as a place to study? Probably the most flexible degree programme in the UK. You can arrive with the intention of studying chemistry then get a degree four years later in Economics, I did!

What are the teaching staff like? The University has a real commitment to students and all students will meet international and 5-star lecturers during their time at the University of Aberdeen.

Socialising

What are student societies like? With more than 95 different societies there are societies for everyone. Harry Potter to Dance, French to Economics. Most students are a member of a society or sports club or both.What’s a typical night out? Going to one of the great nights at the Union, then a club. And how much does it cost? £20ish, depends if you’re thrifty.How can you get home safely? Loads of taxis, night bus at the weekend, not far to walk.

Money

Is it an expensive place to live? Rental prices are similar to that of Edinburgh and Glasgow but cost of living is cheap.

Average price of a pint? £2.10 in city centre. £1.90 on campus.

And the price of a takeaway? Cheap curry and rice with nan and snack, £5!

What’s the part-time work situation? Lots of well-paid work in city readily available, students association has joblink service.

Summary

What’s the best feature about the place?The history, established in 1495, Aberdeen University is in its 6th Century! When the whole of England had two universities so did Aberdeen!

And the worst? In the winter its get dark very early in Aberdeen, as early as 3.30 pm in deep winter.

And to sum it all up? The University of Aberdeen is the most beautiful, ancient meets modern, university in the UK.

Past Students

Sandy Gall (ITN newscaster); Iain Cuthbertson (actor); Douglas Henderson, David McLean, Alistair Darling (MPs); James Naughtie (BBC broadcaster); Sir Denys Henderson (ICI); Lord Addington, Earl of Strathmore (politicians); Ian Crichton Smith (writer); Catherine Gavin (author); Nikki Campbell (radio broadcaster); Kenneth McKellar (opera singer); Evelyn Glennie (percussionist).

More info?

Ring SA on 01224 272965, ask for Freshers’ Mag, or look at www.ausa.org.uk.

Open days

28th August 2012

University Open Day.

Throughout the year, the university operates an open-door policy for prospective students and their parents/guardians/teachers. If you would like us to organise an individual visit for you, please contact Student Recruitment and Admissions at sras@abdn.ac.uk.