University of Aberdeen

Infrastructure

The teaching and research centers and the Medicine and Life Sciences courses of the University of Aberdeen are based at Foresterhill campus, while the Social Sciences, Arts, and Physical Sciences courses and the main university library are in Old Aberdeen. Additionally, the university also has an international campus in Doha in Qatar.

In terms of accommodation, the University of Aberdeen provides many housing options to students located in the Old Aberdeen campus, City Center, and Hillhead Student Village.

Some of the accommodation buildings are:

1. Hector Boece Court

2. Kings Hall

3. Fyfe House

4. Wavell House

5. Elphinstone Road Flats

As a prospective student, you would also be happy to know that the University of Aberdeen’s research is based on many world-class institutes and centers. As such, the research impact of streams like Life Sciences and Medicine, Physical Sciences, and Arts and Social Sciences are particularly remarkable.

Lastly, you should also keep in mind before you apply that the language of instruction at the University of Aberdeen UK is English. All the 204 Master’s degrees, 408 Bachelor’s programs, and 41 online courses are taught in English.

Academic

There are two admission intakes at the University of Aberdeen, namely the September intake and the January intake. However, all the applications for undergraduate degree programs must be submitted by last Wednesday of January.

Additionally, the University of Aberdeen admission process is simple. All the applications for the postgraduate programs should be applied and managed online via the university’s Applicant portal. But if you wish to apply to the university’s PGDE program, you will have to follow a separate process for application.

Moreover, you should note that for undergraduate programs, the applications must be made by the main undergraduate UCAS scheme only. This rule applies to every institution in Scotland offering the PGDE and not just this university. A point to note here is if you are applying for programs in Music, Medicine or Education, the university may call you for an interview.

However, you can also apply for professional undergraduate programs by the paper application form. Once the application has been submitted, students will receive an email acknowledgment from the university’s side. The applications will be checked by an admissions officer and an admissions coordinator.

Thereafter, the university will contact the student if any extra documentation or information is needed before a final decision. You will have to upload these additional documents to the ‘Applicant portal’ if requested.

Subsequently, you can check the application status at any time on this ‘Applicant portal,’ although the university will always convey any information over an e-mail which has been added by you on your application.

So, if you receive an offer from the university, we strongly suggest you understand the request entirely before deciding. Your offer can be either conditional or unconditional, and you can accept the offer even if it has a condition. All you have to do is provide the evidence/ information requested by the university. However, keep in mind that this has to be done six weeks before the program’s start date.

To ensure you don’t miss out on any of the University of Aberdeen admission requirements, we list the same below:

1. Completed application form

2. Resume or CV

3. Educational qualifications: transcripts and certificates– there might be specific minimum scores required for programs.

4. Degree completion certificate

5. Personal Statement

6. English language proficiency exam results

7. Referees or letters of reference

8. Copy of passport

As a prospective candidate, you would also be happy to know that the University of Aberdeen’s acceptance rate is 78%. So, with good grades and an impressive statement of purpose, you should be able to crack the admission process easily.

Courses

The University of Aberdeen UK has several courses suited to the interests of every student. Here are the streams available for Master’s degrees, along with the number of courses per stream:

1. Social Sciences (65)

2. Business & Management (47)

3. Engineering & Technology (40)

4. Law (35)

5. Medicine & Health (30)

6. Environmental Studies & Earth Sciences (25)

7. Humanities (24)

8. Natural Sciences & Mathematics (24)

9. Education & Training (14)

10. Applied Sciences & Professions (9)

11. Computer Science & IT (9)

12. Arts, Design & Architecture (5)

13. Journalism & Media (4)

14. Agriculture & Forestry (3)

Additionally, some of the popular courses offered at the institution are in Engineering, Science, and Education. It is also essential that you keep in mind that as a full-time undergraduate student, irrespective of your stream, you will be required to study eight courses that are worth 15 credits each during your first year.

This means that you will need to study four courses in the first half-session– September to December and four more in the second half-session– January to May.

Furthermore, for postgraduate courses, the credit divisions based on different programs are as follows:

1. Master’s degrees– 180 credit points that include a minimum of 150 at level 5, which usually consists of an individual research project and dissertation

2. Postgraduate diploma– 120 credit points inclusive of at least 90 at level 5

3. Postgraduate Certificate– 60 credit points inclusive of at least 40 at level 5

We have also added the college calendar for you to understand some of the critical dates for the academic session 2022-23 at the University of Aberdeen, UK:

1. Term opens: 12 September 2022

2. Teaching commences: 19 September 2022

3. Term closes: 16 December 2022

4. Term opens: 16 January 2023

5. Teaching begins: 23 January 2023

6. Spring break starts: 31 March 2023

7. Spring break ends: 24 April 2023

8. Term closes: 12 May 2023

Extracurriculars and diversity

The University of Aberdeen has an up and running student’s association that represents students, supports them, and offers innumerable extracurricular activities.

These activities allow students to explore their interests and talents and make their time at the university as productive as possible. You would be happy to know that there are more than 100 societies that can be divided into the following broad categories:

1. Department societies or academic societies– these clubs involve both fun and learning at the same time

2. Cultural societies– Such associations are dedicated to celebrating varied world cultures

3. Faith societies– These clubs celebrate several world faiths

4. Create Change Societies– dedicated to political and environmental concerns

5. General interest societies– these are for students who have a specific hobby or interest

6. Creative Arts societies– Like the name suggests, these societies create or perform art

Additionally, the university also has a cosmopolitan atmosphere of students from more than 120 countries, ensuring a multicultural academic experience. As such, the university has a student support service in place for international students willing to study in Aberdeen. Hence, help is provided to overseas students from the moment they arrive on campus in all the matters related to academic, personal, financial, and medical concerns.

Career/ professional

The Career service supports and motivates students through innovation, professionalism, and collaboration. Students are provided with information and advice required for practical skill development and career planning.

They also allow their students to effectively plan their careers, connect with employees, and network with the right people.

Following are some of the services provided by the Career Services team at the University of Aberdeen:

1. Virtual advisor

2. One to one appointment

3. Careers service library– second floor, the student’s union

4. A searchable database of the right career planning resources

Lastly, some renowned alumni at the University of Aberdeen include government officials like Tessa Jowell and Alistair Darling, along with television and radio personalities like Sandy Gall, Glen Oglaza, Nicky Campbell, James Naughtie, and Derek Rae, among others.

Financial

The University of Aberdeen fees vary from program to program, level of education, and residential status. On average, the fee for international students is GBP 14,300 to GBP 18,000 (INR 14,30,000 to INR 18,00,000) at the university.

Since living costs are a crucial aspect of university life at Aberdeen. A Bachelor’s or Master’s student should set aside GBP 12,300 (INR 12,30,000) for living expenses during their time at the University of Aberdeen.