University of Edinburgh

Overview

The University of Edinburgh is centuries old, having first opened its gates in 1583, making it the sixth oldest university in the UK. The university sits across several campuses in and around the city of Edinburgh, which is regarded by many as one of the most desirable cities in the UK to live in.

As one of the most visited places in the UK, an atmospheric buzz fills the city on a daily basis. There are also 112 parks in Scotland’s capital, making it one of the UK’s greener cities.

The city of Edinburgh is compact and easy to navigate by foot and bike, although it’s hilly in places. Public transport connections are good and three main train stations provide access to other major cities in the UK. An international airport means foreign travel is also easily accessible.

As Scotland’s capital, there’s plenty to do in the city for students, both in terms of culture and nightlife. There are more libraries per person than any other city in the world, which helped it become the first-ever UNESCO city of literature. Additionally, every summer the city hosts the world’s biggest arts festival, the Edinburgh Fringe, attracting tens of thousands of performers and hundreds of thousands of visitors.

The university plays a big part in city life and is famous throughout the world. It was there that Arthur Conan Doyle was inspired to create the character Sherlock Holmes and Dolly the Sheep was cloned. Other notable ex-students include Alexander Graham Bell, Charles Darwin and JM Barrie.

The University of Edinburgh offers a wide range of undergraduate courses, including degrees in the arts, humanities, social sciences, science and engineering.

Most courses are flexible four-year degrees, in line with the way Scottish degree programmes are designed. This allows you to try a range of subjects before choosing what to specialise in. For instance, most degree programmes give students the chance to study a few subjects in the first two years, before specialising in the final two years.

Several courses give students the chance to study abroad in their third year through an exchange programme which has over 300 available destinations worldwide. Most study abroad experiences last the full year, but there are some semester-only options too.

It should be noted that there are three-year degree courses available as well. For example, in many of the science and engineering courses, you can go straight into second year if you’re already qualified enough. Entry to second year is also an option for many of the uni’s art and design programmes.

There are also five- and six-year degree options, including veterinary medicine and medicine.

To apply for a place at the University of Edinburgh you’ll need to meet the requested entry requirements, e.g., achieving certain grades.

Applicants may be required to have studied certain subjects at A-level (or equivalent) to be offered a place on a degree programme. You may also find preferred and recommended subjects listed. While these subjects aren’t required for entry onto the course, they’ll give your application more of a chance of being accepted.

You can find each course’s specific entry requirements on the university’s website but we have given a few general examples here as well. For example, to study a business-related degree, you’ll likely be asked for A-levels of AAA–ABB, Scottish Highers of AAAAA–AABB, or an equivalent level of accepted qualification.

To study an engineering degree, the grade entry requirements usually range from AAA–ABB for A-levels and AAAA–AAAB for Scottish Highers and in terms of the humanities subjects, A-level grades of AAA–ABB and Scottish Highers of AAAAA–ABBB are normally needed.

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

At the University of Edinburgh, there’s accommodation available for over 9,000 students, with both catered and self-catered options. Most rooms are single occupancy but there are twin-room options as well, which are slightly cheaper.

Most of the accommodation is clustered around the university and close to key buildings and facilities, providing an ideal location.

For most options, rent fees include all heating, hot water and electricity costs, as well as in-room internet access, contents insurance, bike storage and laundry facilities.

First-year undergraduate students from outside Edinburgh are guaranteed student accommodation in their first year, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria and applying before the deadline.

Due to the high number of student residences on offer, there’s a wide variety in terms of price and facilities, meaning different lifestyle preferences are catered for. Single rooms range in price from £3,671 to £9,399 per year and twin rooms are available from £2,756 per year.

If uni accommodation isn’t for you, you can find private rented accommodation in the city, which the university can help with and advise you on.

The University of Edinburgh states it’s committed to improving the employability of its students and its Careers Service will aim to help you realise your career ambitions. The service offers advice, guidance and careers information for students and graduates.

The Careers Service has its own website that includes information on identifying your strengths and skills, building experience, finding internships and graduate jobs, preparing for assessment centres and writing CVs, cover letters and job applications. Careers fairs and other events are held each year.

The uni also has contact with a global network of employers and proactively looks for quality internship opportunities for its students and graduates. These include summer internships on-campus, opportunities with local employers in various sectors, work shadowing alumni and international summer internships.

Links with recruiters also provide employment opportunities for the uni’s graduates.

For those students who want to set up their own venture, the Edinburgh Innovations’ enterprise service for students is a programme that encourages entrepreneurship by providing business advice meetings, start-up workshops, events and networking opportunities.

The University of Edinburgh states that it’s committed to helping students of all ages and social backgrounds get into higher education. According to the university, they offer one of the most generous financial support packages in the UK for students with the lowest household incomes.

Scholarships and bursaries can be put towards either tuition fees or living costs and they don’t need to be repaid. You can see the details of every scholarship and bursary by using the university’s scholarship search function, found on their website. Here you’ll be able to view the eligibility criteria for each funding option to give you an idea of whether you should apply.

Some specific departments will also offer scholarships to students who meet the criteria, e.g., the school of Engineering offers a scholarship of £1,500 a year to students of electronics and electrical engineering who demonstrate excellent academic potential.

You’ll also find scholarships to support endeavours outside the classroom, for example, there are various elite sporting and music scholarships to apply for.