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University of Aberdeen

About University of Aberdeen

Aberdeen University is a public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland It was established in 1860 by the merger of two colleges, King's (founded in 1495) and Marischal (founded in 1593).

Aberdeen University has a population of 14,500 students that includes more than 120 countries.

It is the third-oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth-oldest university in the English speaking world. Aberdeen is consistently ranked among the top 200 universities in the world and ranked among the top 30 universities in the United Kingdom. Moreover, from The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, it received the title 'Scottish University of the Year 2019.'

The University has an excellent reputation for teaching quality and research (the 2014 Research Excellence Framework results ranked more than 75% of the institution's research as world-leading or internationally excellent) and five Nobel Prize winners are associated with the University.

The University encourages major innovations and researchers have won five Nobel Prizes for groundbreaking discoveries, such as life-changing insulin, the development of the first MRI scanner, chromatography partition, radioactive isotopes, and advances in the fight against world hunger.

The graduate outcomes for The University of Aberdeen show that six months after leaving university, 96% of graduates are in work or further study.

University of Aberdeen Campus 

  • Old Aberdeen 
  • Foresterhill Campus 
  • Qatar Campus

There are two campuses in Uk; the King's College campus dominates the section of the city known as Old Aberdeen, which is approximately two miles north of the city centre. 

Old Aberdeen comprises ancient buildings alongside modern, newly refurbished labs, excellent computing facilities and state-of-the-art library technology. Social and sports facilities are of a high standard, with more than 150 sports clubs and societies available for students.

The Foresterhill University campus is situated adjacent to the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and houses the College of Medicine and Dentistry as well as the College of Medical Sciences. Together, these buildings form one of the largest health Campus in Europe.

In addition, there are smaller facilities at other locations, such as Oceanlab, a subsea research facility situated at the University of Aberdeen in Newburgh, on the North Sea Coast, 20 km north of the main university campus.

Rowett Institute at Foresthill Campus plays a key role in nutrition and human health studies in the United Kingdom.

Cromarty Lighthouse Field Station is home to research and training in marine ecology and resource management.

One international campus is also maintained by the university in Doha, Qatar which runs programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level. 

University of Aberdeen Location Specialities 

Aberdeen University is situated in Aberdeen, North East Scotland. Aberdeen is a beautiful and friendly town with an estimated population of 220,000.It is  relatively small but very diverse city that is renowned for the oil and gas industry worldwide.

Aberdeen is UK's second most 'affordable student town' (Royal Bank of Scotland Student Living Index 2017).

University of Aberdeen Accommodation

Undergraduate students are guaranteed a place in student accommodation owned by the University of Aberdeen or their chosen partner, provided that their application is received by the deadline.

Most university accommodation is within walking distance of the main campus, with a selection of accommodation in the student village of Hillhead, on campus of Kings College and in the city centre.

There are frequent free bus links between the campuses of Kings College and Foresterhill.

University of Aberdeen Ranking

  • 27th in the Times University Guide 2020
  • 34th in the Guardian University Guide 2020
  • 194th in the QS World University Rankings 2020

The University of Aberdeen is regularly ranked among the top 200 universities in the world, and Scotland's top medical school is ranked 5th overall in the UK. Aberdeen is one of the top academic universities in the UK, with 76% of studies measured by the UK's Research Excellence Framework rated as 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent.' Also in the United Kingdom, Aberdeen is ranked top in environmental and soil science research.

Academic Divisions

  • Business School
  • Arts and Social Sciences
  • Life Sciences and Medicine
  • Physical Sciences
  • Postgraduate Research School

University of Aberdeen Study Options

  • Business 
  • Divinity, History and Philosophy
  • Education
  • Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture
  • Law
  • Social Science
  • Biological Sciences
  • Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
  • Psychology
  • Engineering
  • Geosciences
  • Natural and Computing Sciences
  • Research 

Why University of Aberdeen?

  • The University has a strong history of academic subjects which have continued to thrive since 1495.
  • 1st in the UK for Environmental and Soil Science Research (REF 2014)
  • 76% of research ‘World leading’ or Internationally Excellent’ (REF 2014)
  • Law 9th in UK (Complete University Guide 2020)
  • Ranked in the top 200 universities in the world (QS World Rankings 2019), 
  • first UK University to operate on a dedicated campus in Qatar.
  • Over 75% of the University's Postgraduate Research is classified as ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (REF 2014).

How to Reach? Or Travel

Universities  both campuses are within a 30-minute walk or 20-minute cycle of the city centre.

The city and university campuses are served by buses. There is an hourly train service to Edinburgh, Glasgow and London. 

Flights  and ferry services are also nearyby

University of Aberdeen Tuition Fees

Courses Duration Tuition Fees
Medicine and HealthCare (1 Courses) 1 year GBP 16200
MBA (1 Courses) 1 year GBP 18000
Engineering (4 Courses) 1 Year - 4 Year GBP 19000 - GBP 20700
Science (10 Courses) 1 Year - 4 Year GBP 23500
Arts (1 Courses) 4 year GBP 20700
Information Technology (IT) (2 Courses) 15 Month - 4 Year GBP 20700
Management (7 Courses) 1 Year - 4 Year GBP 19053

University of Aberdeen Entry Requirements

Courses Exam
Arts IELTS , TOEFL , PTE
Engineering IELTS , TOEFL , PTE
Information Technology (IT) IELTS , TOEFL , PTE
Management IELTS , TOEFL , PTE , ielts
MBA IELTS , TOEFL , PTE
Medicine and HealthCare ielts
Science IELTS , TOEFL , PTE , ielts

Scholarships & Financial Aid for international students

University of Aberdeen does not offer scholarships for international undergraduate students. Only domestic students qualify for the scholarship offered by the university. One needs to find the scholarships available for their particular field of study from the database University also offers Scholarship for international self-funded masters students, £2,000 will be an amount given for eligible applicants.

University of Aberdeen English Language Requirements:

English Language Requirements for Undergraduate Programs

Undergraduate Standard

IELTS Academic: Listening – 5.5 or above, Reading – 5.5 or  above Speaking – 5.5 or above, Writing – 6.0 or  above Overall – 6.0

TOEFL: Listening – 17 or above, Reading – 18 or  above Speaking – 20 or above, Writing – 21 or  above Overall – 78

 PTE Academic:  Listening – 51 or above, Reading – 51 or  above Speaking – 51 or above, Writing  – 54 or  above Overall – 54 or above

Medicine (MB ChB)

Listening – 5.5 or above, Reading – 5.5 or  above Speaking – 7.0 or above, Writing – 6.0 or  above Overall – 7.0

 Listening – 21 or above, Reading – 22 or  above Speaking – 28 or above, Writing – 21 or above Overall – 100

Listening – 51 or above, Reading – 51 or  above Speaking – 70 or above, Writing  – 54 or  above Overall – 70 or above 

English Language Requirements for Undergraduate Programs

  • College of Arts and Social Science

All postgraduate programmes (both taught and  research) have the following English Language requirements:

 IELTS Academic: Listening – 5.5 or above, Reading – 6.0 or above, Speaking – 5.5 or above, Writing – 6.0 or above Overall – 6.5

 TOEFL: Listening – 17 or above, Reading – 21 or above, Speaking – 20 or above, Writing – 21 or above Overall – 90

 PTE Academic: Listening – 51 or above, Reading – 54 or above, Speaking – 51 or above, Writing – 54 or above Overall – 62

  • College of Physical Sciences

For postgraduate study, there are two distinct English Language criteria, referred to as Postgraduate Standard and Postgraduate Higher as outlined in the table below. 

Postgraduate Standard

IELTS Academic: Listening – 5.5 or above, Reading – 5.5 or above Speaking – 5.5 or above, Writing – 6.0 or above Overall – 6.5

TOEFL iBT: Listening – 17 or above, Reading – 21 or above Speaking – 20 or above, Writing – 21 or above Overall – 90

PTE: Listening – 51 or above, Reading – 51 or above Speaking – 51 or above, Writing – 54 or above Overall – 62

Postgraduate Higher

IELTS Academic: Listening – 5.5 or above, Reading – 5.5 or above Speaking – 5.5 or above, Writing – 6.0 or above Overall – 7.0

TOEFL iBT: Listening – 17 or above, Reading – 21 or above Speaking – 20 or above, Writing – 21 or above Overall – 90

PTE: Listening – 51 or above, Reading – 51 or above Speaking – 51 or above, Writing – 54 or above Overall – 70

  • College of Life Sciences and Medicine

IELTS Academic: Listening – 5.5 or above, Reading – 5.5 or above Speaking – 5.5 or above, Writing – 6.0 or above Overall – 6.5

TOEFL iBT: Listening – 17 or above, Reading – 21 or above Speaking – 20 or above, Writing – 21 or above Overall – 90

PTE: Listening – 51 or above, Reading – 51 or above Speaking – 51 or above, Writing – 54 or above Overall – 62


University of Aberdeen Highlights

% International Students 33 %
Male/Female Ratio 1 : 1.16
Endowments Value Pound 45 million
No.of Campuses 5
Yearly Hostel & Meals Expense £14,300-18,000

University of Aberdeen Tuition Fees And Other Expenses

Aberdeen manages to provide a fixed fee structure throughout the program for international students so that they can project the amount in advance.

  • The undergraduate arts fee starts from £17,200 and for sciences, it’s around £19,700.
  • The postgraduate fee is variable and depends upon the degree chosen and discount of around 20% can be availed by Alumni of college
  • For Undergraduate arts degree annual fee is of £ 17,200 which adds up for £68,800 and for engineering it is £19,700 and a total of £78,800.
  • As per the calculation done by college the minimum cost of living in the U.K which covers all the basic expenses is around £1,000.
Program type Per year fee
Undergraduate Arts £17,200
Undergraduate Science £19,700
Postgraduate Research £16,500
Cost of living per year* Around £1,000

Aberdeen University Cost of Attendance

Aberdeen manages to provide a fixed fee structure throughout the program for international students so that they can project the amount in advance. Details for 2021-2022 academic session are tabulated below:

Type of Expense Annual Fees (GBP)
Tuition Fees
Undergraduate Arts Courses 17,200
Undergraduate Science Courses 19,700
Postgraduate Taught Courses 20,000- 30,000
Postgraduate Research Courses 16,500
Cost of Living
Accommodation  5,500-7,800
Books & Supplies 1,000-1,500
Transportation 500-1,000
Miscellaneous  1,500-2,500

Know more about Studying in UK

Tuition Fees in UK (1st Year Average) MS: £17276 | MBA: £17276 | BE/Btech: £16632 | BBA: £15130 | BSc: £16632 | MFin: £19000 | MA: £15560 | MIM: £18241 | MEM: £16950 | MArch: £14271 | BHM: £12662 | MIS: £15344 | MEng: £12876 | MBBS: £28865| MPharm: £15452
Average Accomodation & Food Costs in UK £850 to £1,050 a month
Entrance Exams in UK TOEFL: 88 | IELTS: 6.5 | PTE: 59 | GMAT: 590
Work and Study in UK Permitted for 20 hours/week with a valid study permit.
Post Study Work Permit in UK 2 Year after graduation depending on the course.
Cost of Student Visa in UK £348
Student Visa in UK Your nationality, duration of your stay and purpose of your stay are the three essential factors for UK visa. For Non-EU students UK visa is mandatory.
Intakes in UK There are mainly two intakes in UK: January/February & September/October.
Top Job Sectors in UK IT Engineering, Product Design, Mobile Development, Designers, Logistics, etc.
Economy in UK Growth Rate: 1.3% (2018) 1.4% (2019) 1.4% (2020e), 6th Largest Economy in the World by Nominal

University of Aberdeen Average Tuition Fee Per Year

Undergraduate

£ 18,340

Postgraduate

£ 18,340

Costs per year

Overall cost of living

£ 3,342

Campus accommodation

£ 6,035

Please note that fees will vary. Always check the exact cost of the program and bear in mind likely additional expenses.