Abertay is an old hand at early adoption. The university launched its computer games degree in 1997 and, from 2006, was the first to offer degrees in ethical hacking. David Jones, the creator of the hit Grand Theft Auto, studied at Abertay and Sony chose the School of Design and Informatics to host one of the largest teaching laboratories in Europe for its PlayStation consoles. Abertay is now behind the growing virtual production industry as a lead partner in the CoSTAR “movie magic” visual effects studio in Dundee, which will be valuable for students on the VFX programme. 

What is Abertay University’s reputation? 

Already at the heart of the Dundee video games cluster and the host of the national Centre for Excellence in Computer Games Education, Abertay has added a competitive games lab and Cintiq (digital arts) lab to reinforce its position at the forefront of video games education. All games students become members of UKIE (UK Interactive Entertainment) and gain access to a bespoke programme of industry mentorship and support. 

Abertay makes an asset of its small size – about 4,000 students – and following a superb pre-pandemic record in the National Student Survey, it now sits in 10th place in the wider student satisfaction measure. For teaching quality, it has had a six-place improvement to 11th in the rankings.

Abertay made a relatively small submission across eight subject areas to the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021). The strongest performances were in art and design — covering digital games; engineering including cybersecurity, computing and environmental engineering; food science and psychology.

Teaching is both in-person and online, and the university allows the ethical use of AI. A broader international focus has led to an expansion into transnational education: students in Denmark, Malaysia, Singapore, Egypt and Romania can now gain an Abertay degree. 

What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available?

Eight new degrees will add breadth to the curriculum from 2024 entry including computer science and cybersecurity, and psychology with health sciences. Four are sports-based, including sport development and coaching, and strength and conditioning.

Eight online master’s programmes in business and computing subjects have been introduced, offering flexible start dates and a pay-per-module finance structure.

What are Abertay University’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in? 

Depending on the course, applicants can expect offers ranging from ABB to CDD at A-level and and in Scottish Highers it is BBC up to ABBB. Applications increased by 11 per cent in 2024 while about 6-8 per cent of first-years gained their places through clearing. Contextual offers were held by 27 per cent of entrants who met the criteria for widening participation in 2023. 

What are the graduate prospects? 

Most courses have a work placement built in and there are mandatory interdisciplinary courses for all undergraduates. Abertay also introduced Scotland’s first accelerated degrees — which take three years, rather than the usual four. The Dare Academy runs a video games design competition which features industry mentors and the chance for students to exhibit at the national trade expo, EGX – and regularly leads to the formation of start-ups. Abertay is a founding partner of V&A Dundee and there is an annual student internship with the museum. A scheme backed by Santander provides 15 work placements for students over the summer. But in our analysis of the Graduate Outcomes survey, which tracks the number of students in highly skilled jobs or further study within 15 months of graduation, Abertay has fallen 29 places to rank 98th.

What is Abertay University’s campus like? 

At the city centre campus, the Annie Lamont Building, opened in 2022, provides a base for the cyberQuarter research and development centre, where a national malware analysis centre is planned. There is also extra social space and a café. One addition to the enlarged School of Applied Sciences is a liquid chromatography mass spectrometer, used to analyse molecules in the fields of food, health, sport and forensic sciences.

Everything you need to know about student life and wellbeing support 

Jute, jam and journalism were the industries that brought Dundee to life. In the past decade this heritage has been celebrated in regeneration projects which have created a vibrant and affordable environment in Scotland’s fourth-largest city — the UK’s only Unesco City of Design. On campus there is an exercise studio and gym and students can join a range of societies and try all sorts of activities. The School of Design and Informatics hosts a gallery space open for student projects and a monthly speaker series called Abstract 45 covers all things creative and cultural. 

The counselling and mental health service is free and confidential for all students, offering self-help resources, one-to-one therapy and seminars. 

What do the students say?

“Dundee is big enough to have loads to do and see, and small enough to feel like a proper community, a city full of acceptance and opportunity. We work really closely with the university on joint campaigns and digital content and have a major focus on sustainability, tackling poverty and creating an environment on campus where people are both physically safe and feel free to express themselves.”
Livi Robertson, student president

What about student accommodation at Abertay University?

About 600 study rooms are available from £129 per week. Priority goes to new entrants from outside the Dundee area postcode, students with disabilities and to those who have left care. 

How diverse and inclusive is Abertay University? 

Abertay has a proud record for social inclusion and comes second in Scotland overall. It was the first university in Scotland to bring in access thresholds — using a contextual admissions policy that allows applicants from disadvantaged educational backgrounds to be offered places at a lower grade requirement. The university also offers varied routes to joining a degree programme via qualifications from a further education college. Abertay’s part-time access programme runs evening classes for those without formal qualifications who have been away from study for at least three years. 

Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at Abertay University

About half of Abertay’s students qualify for a scholarship or bursary. Support includes a bursary of £1,750 per year for students from England, Northern Ireland or Wales, and an award of up to £12,000 for international undergraduates. Subject-specific scholarships encompass games/computing/cyber, mental health nursing and Stem subjects — science, technology, engineering and maths — for women. There is a foundation bursary of £2,500 per year available to those from low-income households. The leading mobile games company Ninja Kiwi Europe provides a £1,500 scholarship and four-week work placement.