RGU was also the first university in the UK to provide Schwartz Rounds for all students, creating a structured forum to discuss the emotional and social aspects of work and study. They are licensed by the Point of Care Foundation and run in more than 130 healthcare organisations.

Despite its excellent satisfaction scores (the best at any of Scotland’s modern universities), RGU has slipped three places in our overall league table. It remains close to the top 20 for entry standards and graduate prospects have improved, but staffing levels have declined and the university has dropped further down our research ranking. The best results in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework came in the Allied Health Professionals category. 

The university has a gold award in the Teaching Excellence Framework, with the panel commenting favourably on the range of opportunities for students to develop knowledge, understanding and skills that are most highly valued by employers. Students were said to engage “consistently and frequently” with developments at the forefront of professional practice. Undergraduates interact with employer partners from early in their studies and, depending upon their degree, will have access to industry projects, placements and insight days.

Six degrees were launched this year, in subjects ranging from digital marketing and business analytics to applied sociology and psychology. There are also seven graduate apprenticeship programmes, mainly in business and engineering. More than 250 businesses and public sector organisations are involved, and the university expects to have more than 700 active students by September 2023.

Entrepreneurial students on all types of course have the opportunity to solve global challenges on a five-month Innovation Accelerator programme. Teams working on innovative projects receive mentoring, city centre office space and access to £2,000 seed funding as part of the programme, which is run in partnership with North East Scotland College and open to staff and alumni. There is an eHub jobs board and a creative entrepreneurship short course for graduates to turn their ideas into a business.  

Although there is a small research presence on Orkney, the Garthdee campus, overlooking the River Dee on the south side of Aberdeen, is the hub of all teaching. A Vibrant Campus Group has been formed to encourage and support activities that inspire people to explore the picturesque riverside location more often. Named after an 18th-century philanthropist, RGU has more than 250 years’ history in education. Its landmark green glass library tower symbolises its future ambitions after a £120 million capital programme. 

On-campus activity has returned fully since the lifting of Covid restrictions, but RGU promises a blend of online and in-person learning that advances education beyond the traditional delivery of content. It intends to move towards “increasingly creative and impactful” use of in-person contact time, carefully balanced with online learning, allowing students to play an active role in their learning and enhancing their capabilities as independent and lifelong learners. 

Full-time undergraduates who come from Scotland’s most deprived postcodes can apply for free accommodation in standard single rooms at RGU’s Woolmanhill flats. There are discounted options elsewhere. Students who have been in care qualify for a 20 per cent accommodation discount in their first year. For everyone else, nearly half of the 912 residential places cost less than £100 a week to rent and there is usually space for all who want a room, although there is no formal guarantee. Another 20 rent-free rooms for students from disadvantaged backgrounds have been added for the new academic year after a donation by Ardmuir, an Aberdeen-based provider of student accommodation. 

Scotland’s third largest city offers a student-friendly atmosphere with excellent transport links. Three gyms, a swimming pool, badminton courts, bouldering and climbing facilities and a sports hall are available on RGU’s campus. All students are entitled to free RGU Sport membership throughout their time at the university.