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Study at University of Dundee

Dundee

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Location: Dundee
Founded: 1881 as a university college (independent university since 1967)
Students: about 13,400 (2024/25)
Type: Public research university
Main intakes: September, January (selected postgraduate courses)
Study levels: Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Research

The University of Dundee is a public research university in Dundee, on Scotland's east coast. Founded as a university college in 1881 with a donation from the Baxter family of textile manufacturers, it spent seventy years as part of the University of St Andrews before gaining independent status by royal charter in 1967. Today it teaches around 13,400 students across a compact city campus and specialist sites. Dundee is known for life sciences, medicine and dentistry, alongside art and design through Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design. Its School of Dentistry and its bioengineering and biomedical engineering provision have topped UK subject tables, with medicine also ranked near the top. The university rose to joint 23rd in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026 and describes itself as Scottish University of the Year in the Daily Mail University Guide 2025.

Location and student life

The main City Campus sits in Dundee's West End and holds most teaching and research facilities, including Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, the Law School and the Dental Hospital and School. Medicine is based at Ninewells Hospital, with a clinical research centre at Perth Royal Infirmary and part of the School of Health Sciences in Kirkcaldy, Fife. Dundee is a compact coastal city on the east coast of the central Lowlands of Scotland, and Dundee station is served by ScotRail, CrossCountry and London North Eastern Railway trains connecting it with the rest of Scotland and the UK. The university's West End site sits close to the city centre, and its accommodation guarantee for new students who apply by the deadline helps international arrivals plan their first year.

Courses and subjects

Teaching is organised into academic schools: Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design; the Schools of Business; Dentistry; Health Sciences; Humanities, Social Sciences and Law; Life Sciences; Medicine; and Science and Engineering, with nursing and health sciences provision including a base in Kirkcaldy, Fife. Dundee is strongest in life sciences, medicine, dentistry and art and design: it topped the UK for bioengineering and biomedical engineering and ranked second for both medicine and dentistry in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026. If you do not meet the grades or English score for direct entry, check the university's international pages for current pathway and pre-sessional options.

Entry requirements for international students

International applicants generally need their country's recognised school-leaving qualifications for undergraduate entry, or a bachelor's degree for postgraduate study, plus proof of English. Many courses ask for IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with 6.0 in writing, as published on the university's course entry-requirements pages. Exact grades and English scores differ by course, so always check the entry-requirements tab of the course you want before you apply, and allow time for a visa.

Accommodation

The university guarantees new full-time students one offer of single student accommodation for their first year, provided they apply by the published deadline for that year. University halls are the simplest option for international arrivals, with private rentals across Dundee as an alternative. Check the official accommodation pages for current residence options, prices and deadlines, since these change each year.

Scholarships and funding

Dundee does not offer fully funded scholarships; its international awards are partial tuition-fee reductions. The main university-wide award is the Global Excellence Scholarship, worth £5,000 per year of study for eligible international students, alongside Vice-Chancellor's International scholarships for students from regions including Africa, the Americas and Asia. Names, values and eligibility change each year, so check the university's scholarships pages for the intake you plan to join.