Dundee - one of THE best places to be a student

The Sunday Times & The Times Good University Guide named Dundee their 2020 University of the Year for Student Experience. 

That followed Dundee being named the Best Place to Live in Scotland by the Sunday Times. The quality of the student experience has also been shown through the results of the National Student Survey, where we are 11th in the UK for overall satisfaction. 

Our students have consistently pointed to the quality of teaching, strong student representation, the friendly nature of a campus set in the heart of the city, the variety of life offered both on campus and off, and even the weather as being factors which make Dundee a great place to study. 

Student representation in University matters is very strong here, through a partnership agreement renewed every year by the University and DUSA. This ensures students are represented at every level of the University’s decision-making structure and are full members of panels for all senior management appointments. 

There has been good news for recent graduates as well, as the Graduate Outcomes Survey published by the Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA) in June 2020 placed Dundee 4th in the UK for graduates entering professional occupations (this excludes specialist higher education providers).

Professor Blair Grubb, Vice-Principal (Education), said, “These rankings and awards have shown that Dundee is one of the best places in the UK to be a student. This is something our students have consistently said in the major surveys of universities, where we are ranked highly in comparison to others in the UK and internationally.

“Our priority is to offer our students the best experience we can, to make them feel welcome, safe and enabled to realise their potential. We do that by working very closely with the Students’ Association and with the support of great staff across the University.”

Alastair McCall, editor of The Sunday Times Good University Guide, said, “The annual National Student Survey is proving to be something of a triumph for the University of Dundee, whose students consistently tell the world how great their university experience is. A highly successful partnership agreement with the students’ association commits the university to enhancing student engagement, employability and representation. Dundee delivers and its students revel in that fact. 

“There must be something in the water on the east coast of Scotland as Dundee's success as the University of the Year for Student Experience is complemented by St Andrews, just down the road, which has won the overall UK University of the Year title this year.” 

Our research also continues to be highly rated for the impact it makes around the world. We placed in the top 50 in the world in the 2020 edition of the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings. 

The rankings include more than 800 universities worldwide. Dundee is ranked 44th overall and 9th in the world against the Sustainable Development Goal of Good Health & Wellbeing. We also ranked inside the top 50 against the SDGs of Climate Action, Responsible Consumption and Production, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and Partnership for the Goals.