Advice for students who commute to campus

Just because you don't live on campus, it doesn't mean that you can't fully enjoy student life. Sometimes, students who are not living in University accommodation may worry they will be left out from making friends, social events, or academically.

In fact many of our students live locally in Dundee, or commute in from Fife, Angus, Perthshire, or sometimes even further and are able to take part in University life the same, or sometimes even more, than someone who lives on campus. 

Get connected

Although you may have an active social life in your own area, getting to know other University of Dundee students as well will help you to feel part of the University community.

Welcome / Freshers Week is a great opportunity for you to get involved in a variety of activities and events. You can meet other new students and familiarise yourself with the campus facilities and buildings. The Freshers and Sports Fairs let you meet people from clubs, societies, and sports teams.

There are also some events are specifically aimed at local and commuter students.

Outside of Welcome, you will often find you make friends with students in your classes, plus many clubs and societies now let you join online throughout the year so there is more opportunity than there was in the past.

Facebook group for local students

We have an officially run private Facebook group for students who live locally in Dundee, Angus, Perth, and Fife. This will make it easier for you to connect with other local students or those who commute to the University. To join email the Enquiry Centre team using your University email address and they will send you the link to join.

Travel and parking for students

Travel by bus

City campus and Ninewells Hospital share many popular bus routes including the 5/10, 6, 16, 17, 22, 39, 73, and X7. Other buses connect to these in the city centre.

Under 22s get free bus travel in Scotland, and for over-22s there are student tickets are available from Xplore Dundee and Stagecoach.

Other transport options

City campus is a 15 minute walk from Dundee Railway Station. Kirkcaldy campus is a 5 minute walk from Kirkcaldy Railway station.

There are also bike lockers and other cycling facilities on our campuses. In the evening, there is also the Night Bus and DUSA Taxi scheme run by DUSA The Union which can help you get home safely after a night out.

Student parking for city campus

Students who are blue badge holders can park in designated accessible bays on City campus for free.

If you choose to drive to City campus, you can make use of Dundee City Council managed car parks nearby.

Generally speaking the closer to the city centre, the more expensive the parking will be. Parking in car parks off Perth Road is free for two hours or £2 for a full day, check signage for full details. If you pay using the app you can extend your stay if you are running out of time.

You may also be able to find parking on streets within a 10-20 minute walk to campus, although check signage for time limits and other restrictions.

Do you frequently travel to Dundee by car?

Join our liftshare scheme for staff and students

Student parking at Ninewells Hospital

Parking at Ninewells Hospital is now free, although some car parks have time limits. For these car parks you need to take a free ticket from the machine.

As car parking is shared between patients, visitors, staff, and students the car parks may be busy. Streets around Menzieshill have a residents permit scheme so check signage if you are using street parking.

Student parking at Kirkcaldy campus

There is on site parking at Kirkcaldy campus although spaces are limited.

Lockers

There are lockers available in our Main, Ninewells, and Kirkcaldy libraries. There are also bike lockers available on campus.

IT and technology

As well as our libraries there are areas across campus where you can work between scheduled classes. Our campuses have full wifi coverage so you can work from DUSA The Union, other social spaces, or even campus green.

If you have difficulty making it onto campus, we've upgraded many rooms to hybrid learning which enables certain classes to offer the ability to attend remotely.

We've also created a new virtual desktop product which allows you to use even more software from home rather than needing to use an IT suite. All your files are stored on OneDrive and therefore are accessible from any device.

Food and drink on campus

City campus has many food and drink outlets including Air and The Liar bars, Pavement Cafe, Library Cafe, Dental Cafe, and DJCAD Cantina. As well as the DUSA operated outlets there is also Top of The Tower Cafe, the Chaplaincy Coffee Shop, and The Street Cafe (in Life Sciences).

There are three shops on campus, Premier at The Union (a full supermarket), College Shop (a smaller shop behind the Tower Building), and a shop within Cantina.

Dundee city centre is a 10-15 minute walk with dozens of shops, coffee shops, cafes, and restaurants. In the other direction Perth Road has many local retailers and cafes plus a Sainsbury's Local.

Ninewells Hospital has multiple shops, cafes, and canteens throughout the building.

Kirkcaldy campus has a canteen serving hot and cold food and drinks. There is also an Aldi across the road, and the town centre is a 10 minute walk.

Heating up your own food

There are microwaves in the Library Cafe, and the Main Library has boiling water taps and sinks for cleaning dishes on Level 1B.

There are several kitchens (tea/coffee making, fridges, microwaves) and social areas throughout city campus and Ninewells Hospital which can be used by students. These are mostly run by schools and departments and will each have their own rules so check with your school office / adviser of studies what is available to you.

There is also outdoor seating throughout all our campuses.