26 reasons to study in Scotland

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However, if the lure of haggis and Susan Boyle isn't enough to convince you, let us help you make up your mind with our list of the top 26 reasons to study in Scotland.

1. Royal connections

Wills and Kate Graduation

Via biography.com

Wills and Kate famously met at Scotland’s St Andrews University – here they are pictured at their graduation. If it’s good enough for the Prince and Princess of Wales, it’s good enough for you.

2. Haggis

Haggis

Via www.frogsiders.com

While you could be forgiven for not finding a mixture of sheep’s lung, heart and liver, ground up and served in a bag made of intestines that appealing, it’s a delicacy everyone should try at least once. Plus, the relish with which native Scots tuck into haggis on Burns Night is truly a sight to behold. You can get vegetarian ones as well if the thought of ground up sheep organs isn't doing it for you.

3. Neeps and tatties

Neeps and Tatties

Via coffeemuffins.com

Largely included for its glorious name (Neeps and tatties! Neeps and tatties! It’s fun to say, isn’t it?), neeps and tatties is actually a simple Scottish side dish made of mashed turnips and potatoes.

4. Basically, a veritable plethora of delicious treats

Scottish Cranachan

Via christinascucina.com

We could fill this entire list with examples of yummy Scottish foods. But we won’t. Instead we’ll just say that between the Cranachan (pictured, a creamy, oaty, raspberry-ey concoction), Scottish tablet (melt in the mouth, crumbly fudge), shortbread, and traditional Scottish toffee, you’re likely to leave Scotland several pounds heavier than when you arrived.

5. Degrees in Scotland are longer

Standard undergraduate degrees in Scotland are four years rather than three, as in the rest of the UK, and often have a higher qualification, such as a master’s degree built in. So if you go to uni not quite sure what it is you want to do when you finish, you’ve got another year to figure it out and/or numb the pain of your existential crisis with copious amounts of alcohol.

6. Degrees in Scotland can work out more affordable

Make it rain money gif

Via myprettypennies.com

The standard tuition fee for undergraduate courses at Scottish universities is £1,820, which the Scottish government pays on behalf of all Scottish students. Students from the rest of the UK can be charged up to £9,000, but there are many scholarships and bursaries students from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can apply for to cover the difference. The University of Edinburgh offers the most generous grants in the UK.

7. Scotch whisky

scotch whiskies

Via commons.wikimedia.org

You’ll never go back to J.D and coke.

8. The cost of living is generally much cheaper.

The average cost of a pint of beer in Scotland is much lower than in, say, London. There's variation across Scotland though, with capital Edinburgh having a higher cost of living than many of the other cities across the country.

9. Kilts

Via eirinip5.deviantart.com

Enough said.

10. Highland dancing

Highland Dancing

Via dailyrecord.co.uk

Similar to Irish dancing, but with even more jumping around with giddy abandon. Plus, the outfits are pretty swish.

11. Scottish music is awesome

bagpipes

Via flickr.com

Admit it, bagpipes are cool. And even if for some reason playing the bagpipes isn’t your thing, check out some of the other ace bands to come out of Scotland, like Texas, Franz Ferdinand, Primal Scream, Mogwai, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Biffy Clyro to name but a few.

12. The Loch Ness monster

Loch Ness Monster

Via telegraph.co.uk

Is Nessie real? Here’s your chance to find out! Head to Loch Ness to learn all about the myth of Nessie and see if you can spot a monster.

13. Scotland is home to some of the oldest unis in the world

Glasgow University

Via lyellcollection.org

The University of St Andrews was founded in 1413, and is the UK’s third oldest university after Oxford and Cambridge. The University of Glasgow University comes in fourth place at 1451, the University of Aberdeen (1495) is fifth and the University of Edinburgh takes sixth, having been established in 1582. Hands up who wants to study in a castle? Thought so.

14. Scottish universities lead the way in research

Scotland publishes more academic papers a year than anywhere else in the world, pretty impressive.

15. Scotland has a long history of inventions

Lady Gaga Telephone gif

Via photobucket.com

Two of the greatest inventions of all time, the TV and the telephone, were invented by Scotsmen John Logie Baird and Alexander Graham Bell. More recently, Scotland was behind medical innovations such as key hole surgery and the MRI scanner.

16. Higher education in Scotland is more flexible

In most of the UK, degree courses are quite rigid in how they are assessed, but in Scotland there is more flexibility – if you prefer coursework and no exams or vice versa, there are opportunities to tailor your course to suit you.

17. All national museums and art galleries in Scotland are free

Easy A Emma Stone Excited Gif

Via cynthias-reveries.blogspot.co.uk

And there's lots of them to visit as well. No excuse not to learn more about art and history while you're studying!

18. Scotland has its own skiing season

Skiing Cat

Via newwavecrashing.tumblr.com

Bet you didn’t know that, huh? Who needs the Swiss Alps, when there are five seasonal ski resorts in the Highlands and an all-year-round indoor ski slope in Glasgow?

19. Munro bagging

Munros

Via flickr.com

That’s mountain climbing to me and you. Scotland is full of so many inviting peaks it would just be rude not to have a go at scaling one or two. You can go munro bagging just for fun, but if you think you’ve got what it takes, it’s also a competitive sport in Scotland.

20. The scenery

Scottish Lake

Via visitscotland.com

Mountains not your thing? Oh well. You’ll have to make do with the lakes, forests, rolling countryside and historic city centres instead.

21. Scottish people are really, really ridiculously happy

Emma Stone Thumbs Up Gif

Via gifbuffet.tumblr.com

Mostly about just being in Scotland. A recent survey by the Scottish government found that 91% of people thought that Scotland was a good place to be, and 86% would recommend it.

22. Scotland is home to some of the most remote places in the UK

Far Far Away Sign Shrek

Via amberazalea.tumblr.com

If you ever feel like you just need to get away from it all, Scotland, with its mountainous terrain and tiny islands far off the coast, has some incredibly remote civilisations. If you’re up for a challenge, why not pay a visit to The Old Forge in Knoydart? It’s the most remote pub in Britain, and can only be reached by a boat trip followed by a hike over the ragged hills – it’s 20 miles from the nearest road.

23. Professor Higgs

Professor Higgs

Via broadsheet.ie

If you’re interested in science (or you’re a fan of the Big Bang Theory), you’ve probably heard of the Higgs Boson particle. It’s been called ‘the most sought-after particle in modern physics’ and it’s a pretty big deal. Big enough, in fact, that Professor Peter Higgs, who first predicted the existence of the particle, was awarded a Nobel Prize for his work, after none other than Professor Stephen Hawking lobbied for him to be recognised. Why are we telling you this? Professor Higgs is Scottish, and he is still a professor emeritus at the University of Edinburgh.

24. Scottish universities are among the most multi-cultural in the UK

On average, 21% of students at Scottish universities are not Scottish. 11% are from other parts of the E.U. and 10% are international students.

25. Graduates of Scottish universities enjoy higher starting salaries than graduates of universities anywhere else in the UK

Boo Yah Kat Dennings 2 Broke Girls

Via imgur.com

Employability is built into all Scottish degree courses, and studies have shown that graduates of Scottish universities have are more likely to get a job within six months of graduation than graduates of other UK universities, and have higher starting salaries too.

26. You’re probably Scottish anyway

Chandler Friends Really

Via activia-tvd-stelena.tumblr.com

Yes, really! For every Scottish person, there are five more that have Scottish ancestry, and most probably don’t even know it.

Yay!

Yay gif

Via imgur.com

I know, right!

If you're thinking Scotland might be the place for you to do your degree, why not learn more about the student things to do in some of its most popular student cities?

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26 reasons to study in Scotland

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