Our collection of real, honest student reviews of unis and courses is the largest in the UK, and help you make well-informed decisions about your future. Student reviews also form the basis of our annual Whatuni Student Choice Awards(WUSCAs), which highlight great work carried out by institutions for their students.
2023 WUSCA winners
Brilliant student support. The university has a modern feel & a friendly environment. The Union is always seeking ways to improve student experience & make the campus more inclusive & safe.
Really interesting course which I thoroughly enjoy, Medical school student support are brilliant. Could be more organised.
Large rooms. Nice amenities. Was not able to use communal areas due to COVID-19 restrictions. Recycling facilities were not great - often overflowing & very far from many flats.
The student union used to be more fun for nights out but it’s so expensive now.
My course is interesting but I don’t have any contact with lectures outside of class time
It was located so close to the university but was very expensive and management weren’t very helpful when someone keyed my boyfriend’s car
The worst experience at the university of Dundee dated back in 2018. I was a student for just two months, due to carer responsibilities and financial difficulties I had to leave. I did not know who to talk to, the staff helped to point me in the right direction, however my personal experiences as a student here felt like a missed opportunity for Dundee university to provide guidance on the matter. I decided to work and earn enough to pay for two years of funding. I returned back to Dundee university in 2021, having resolved my personal circumstances. The university has been very accommodating for my return, providing me with student support in counselling, health services and with my responsibilities as a remote carer at home. This personal triumph and direct support received by the university has been the best experience of my lifetime. My return to Dundee has been an extraordinary experience, joining many societies has opened up all the opportunities every student should have. A great community and helpful tutors to guide the learning process. My mental health as a carer has excelled and prospered! I believe the university can be improved to advertise to students with personal issues affecting their studies. More emphasis is needed on mental health to make situations like my own universal knowledge to all students. To campaign for student's mental health should be made more awareness and accessibility across the university.
The course is a research based degree, exploring subjects in a non-generic fashion allows us to comprehend the science better than applied generic vocational studies. The curriculum has been tailored to educate all students in a story-telling manner. Step-by-step and emphasis on basic principles. The lectures ae taught in-class and also videoed for the benefit of a review for revision material. Additional reading and helpful information has been provided and if missing, all tutors email promptly to all queries. The best part of the course is how strong the content has been defined throughout the years and expressed through teaching. The curriculum is well though out and assistance for the subject can always be asked over the discussion board. This degree is flexible to progress further onto a variety of roles, data science, science communication or research. I am building strong employable skills along the way of this course. The course is taught intensively in the space of two three days with almost two days of independently directed self study. This is perhaps the worst aspect about the course- my course in particular encompasses a lot of knowledge into ten to eleven weeks of study each semester at a fast pace. Structured organisation of revision is a big must and a lot of student's pitfalls in learning. I personally find it difficult to manage a job and study at the same time, which is why I took a gap year to accommodate for the costs of living. Although, the challenges I have faced balancing my abilities on the course have been appreciated as refining my ability to work ethic.
The university is in an affordable city, accommodation and bills are manageable to all UK students despite of their financial background. Dundee is a great place to stay and venture out to other parts of Scotland, albeit Edinburgh and Glasgow. A quiet city with all the shops and amenities for food culture that is hoped by all students. The location does need improving in terms of more student friendly places for activities and events.
My course is very self-led, which means we have a lot of freedom to lead our own learning - but also means we have to be incredibly reliant on self-motivation and ability to develop our own skills.
As with all universities, lecturer strikes have led to less contact time. However I think this is necessary to improve prospects for both lecturers and future students.
There is a lot of available support for students for a wide variety of things even outside of academic problems and the facilities that we can access within campus are really good. However since COVID, the student life especially at the Union has decreased so much, it’s just not the same.
The content and the lecturers are really good apart from some minor complaints that can be blamed on the move from in-person to online content and then back to normal after COVID. The only complaint is the lack of tutor contact unless scheduled but I believe that they are thinking of implementing that into our timetable in the future.
Belmont Tower is really convenient in terms of placement for classes and it’s in the centre of the action for student life, however my experience with it was during COVID so it definitely was lacking in some aspects especially with all the quarantining and restrictions.
Affordable cost of living and availability of teaching and learning facilities. For improvement student reduced costs may be supported. Also, modern teaching and learning such as online and conferencing need be integrated into the school curriculum.
Best course aspect is independent research improving creativity and originality of research work. Worst aspect is when there delay in feedback from supervisors.
Studying at uni is lovely. There were group assignments wherein we are able to work and make friends. The uni gives a lot of part-time working along with studies in the uni which boosts the confidence of students. If you are an international student, getting accommodations and settling down is a bit tough. But the university supports throughout if there a mental health issue or problems in making the assignment, communicating your problems and handles every kind of enquiry of the student. I thoroughly enjoy the learning process of this uni and recommend it to everyone. The uni is beautiful quite big. The libraries are spacious and equipped with latest technology. The professors have great knowledge and experience. I would like to stay with the uni and would want to work with them in future.
The course gave an in-depth knowledge about the subject and various modules covered all the topics which are indeed important in today’s world. There were loads of case studies done which helped in understanding the concept in a better way. There were regular classes in the uni which helped to maintain the flow of studies.
Good. Dundee has good transport links to cities/towns across Scotland Dundee is a cheap area to live in. Cons. Mass cuts to the Humanities division, including a reduction in module choice and the failure to hire new staff. The politics department is doing its best with what they have. The university is in constant battle with its lesser paid staff over unfair conditions - e.g., failure to pay estates staff holiday pay (resolved Feb 2023 at threat of legal action) and scrapping pensions (ongoing dispute). Some of the main on-campus student cafes (ran by the University catering service) have been closed since the begging of the year and are yet to re-open.
Tutors often reply to emails quickly and in cases outside of the scheduled day. Placements are seen in other courses (medicines, architecture, etc.) but not (widely) in humanities.
Dundee is a cheap town to live in, with a good series of retail and other summer jobs available. Dundee suffers from a series of issues ranging from youth violence to substance abuse and to economic depression. Despite this a series of projects are in progress to help rejuvenate Dundee. Dundee has good transport links across Scotland.
Long (-ish) walk to the city center/Uni Arguably best value for money when considering the size of flat, rooms and shared common areas. Often noisy. Parking available. Few washing/drying facilities between all flats (shared)
Really engaging staff on a tutor/lecturer level - approachable and helpful (at least within my course). It's been great finally being able to build a studio community that covid had previously made difficult. Having access to studios and labs at almost any time is really helpful. Management level and above feel very detached from students. They also give off an air of a 'money first' attitude. Whilst I'd recommend Dundee to others because of my course staff being very strong, I'm open about the fact that I don't like how the overall uni is run a lot of the time. Ask anyone about the attendance system and you'll get a sigh and/or eye roll. It's nice having some green around campus, you just have to ignore some of the very ugly and kind of grimy buildings. A lot of the uni's strong points rely on individual/groups of staff members going above and beyond to see their students succeed.
There's been a great chance this year to build a good relationship with staff. They're all ready to help as much as they can and give helpful, kind responses. It would be nice to have been taught more skills practically, definitely feels like you're missing a lot if you don't learn loads outside of uni. Has felt a little bit like being thrown in the deep end at times, but there is support if you need it. Theory lectures are very helpful and on topic. The dissertation module is a massive time waster, and it would be more helpful to spend that time with your main course learning applicable skills.
It's great having all en suite rooms, especially when moving in with strangers. Rooms are cosy, but perfectly suitable for uni halls - definitely have to be practical with kitchen space, pretty tight storage-wise. Having a decent shared living space allows for the social aspects. One of the weirder things was staff being able to enter the flat as they pleased. Certain staff were very good at knocking a clearly announcing their entrance, but some would just appear in your kitchen without warning. It would be nice to be notified of an upcoming visit.
Really welcoming environment, close-knit community and great studying facilities. On-campus socialisation could be improved - The Union is lacking the charm and appeal it used to have.
Course content is really engaging, law specific study areas are great. Most staff are very helpful and welcoming. Some modules are poorly organised and difficult to follow.
Modern, fresh halls, great location, felt super safe. Laundry is poorly organised. Property managers could be more attentive (we had ants and they did not care…)