Studying in North East Scotland

Scotland has an excellent education system both in city and rural locations. With over 500 schools and four universities, North East Scotland is a great place to learn and develop.

Schools

There are over 400 primary and secondary education establishments across the five councils that cover North East Scotland area

  • 400 Primary schools (ages 5-12)
  • 74 Secondary schools (ages 12-18)
  • 30 Special schools (for children with additional support needs)

There are also several renowned independent schools in the area, some offering the International Baccalaureate.

Search for schools in the region  

Visit the Learning and Teaching Scotland website for more on Scotland's education system

Universities and colleges

There are four major universities in North East Scotland.

University of Aberdeen

The University of Aberdeen has been a centre of teaching, learning and discovery for 500 years. There are three main colleges

  • College of Arts and Social Sciences
  • College of Life Sciences and Medicine
  • College of Physical Sciences

There are also various multidisciplinary research centres and institutes, bringing together experts from across the UK and beyond. These include

  • Aberdeen Centre for Environmental Sustainability
  • Centre for Sustainable International Development
  • RCUK Rural Digital Economy Hub

The University of Aberdeen

Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen

Robert Gordon University, one of the UK's best rated universities with a wide range of courses in architecture and construction, and art and design.

It's consistently ranked among the UK's top universities for graduate employment, and in 2010 was voted 'Best Modern University in the UK' by The Times Good University Guide.

The three main faculties are

  • Faculty of Health and Social Care
  • Aberdeen Business School
  • Faculty of Design and Technology

Robert Gordon University

University of Dundee

Dundee University became an independent institution in 1967, following a 70 year relationship with the University of St Andrews. 

It attracts an average of £50 million of research funding each year. 

It's ranked first in the UK, by the Guardian and Thomson Scientific Index, for the impact of their scientific research with groundbreaking medical research into diabetes, cancer and neuroscience.

The main colleges at Dundee University are

  • College of Art, Science and Engineering
  • College of Arts and Social Sciences
  • College of Life Sciences
  • College of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing

Dundee University

Abertay University, Dundee

Abertay University is a modern, new university that has quickly become one of Scotland's leading education institutions, highly ranked for its academic performance with specialism's in games and digital media. 

Over 17 percent of students are from countries outside of Europe, including India, China, Malaysia, Thailand and Pakistan.

There are five main schools at Abertay University

  • Institute of Arts, Media and Computer Games
  • School of Computing and Engineering Systems
  • School of Contemporary Sciences
  • Dundee Business School
  • School of Social and Health Sciences

Abertay University

Colleges

There are several colleges in North East Scotland offering a range of courses