University in United Kingdom
Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom
University profile
Abertay University is a modern public university in the centre of Dundee, on Scotland's east coast, with roots reaching back to the Dundee Technical Institute of 1888. It has approximately 4,000 students and a strong focus on teaching and preparing graduates for work, combined with research and knowledge exchange. Many degrees include work placements and industry experience, and the University is a National Centre for Excellence for both video games and cybersecurity education. It is a charity registered in Scotland.
Teaching is organised in two academic faculties and a pan-University Graduate School. The Faculty of Design, Informatics and Business contains the Department of Games Technology and Mathematics, the Department of Games and Arts, the Department of Cybersecurity and Computing and Dundee Business School (accounting, business, marketing, management and law). The Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences contains the Department of Built Environment and Life Sciences (engineering, food, forensics and biomedical sciences), the Department of Health, Sport and Wellbeing, and the Department of Sociological and Psychological Sciences. The Graduate School gives every postgraduate student membership, dedicated study and social space and a researcher development programme.
Abertay is best known for games education: it launched the world's first computer games degree in 1997 and the world's first Ethical Hacking degree in 2006, and its games and computing degrees are offered through the National Centre of Excellence for Computer Games Education. It is a founding partner of Sony's PlayStation First education programme. Other specialist facilities include the Emergent Technology Centre, Scotland's only industry-standard food science consumer research lab, the £18m cyberQuarter cybersecurity research and development centre, and the CoSTAR Realtime Lab virtual production studios.
The compact city-centre campus on Bell Street is less than ten minutes' walk from Dundee's train and bus stations. Student support is run through the Support Enquiry Zone in the Bernard King Library alongside counselling, disability, careers and international student advice. The Abertay Students' Association represents students, and there are over 20 sports clubs and an on-campus gym. Most student housing in Dundee is run by private providers within walking distance of campus, and Abertay students can obtain preferential rent rates at Parker House.
Over 60 nationalities are represented on campus and nearly 20% of students come from outside the UK. Widening access for students from disadvantaged backgrounds is a key priority. International applicants may apply through UCAS directly or with the help of accredited agents, and country-specific entry requirements are set out for each course.
Undergraduate: Scottish students £1,820 per year (set by the Scottish Government; eligible students apply to SAAS for tuition fee funding). Fees for students from England, Northern Ireland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland for 2027 entry are still to be confirmed; eligible students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales can take a tuition fee loan from the Student Loans Company. International students pay £17,950 per year for Computer Arts, Computer Game Applications Development, Computer Games Technology, Computing, Computer Science, Computer Science with Cybersecurity, Ethical Hacking, Game Design and Production, and Visual Effects for Games and Real-Time Media, and £16,950 per year for all other undergraduate degrees.
Postgraduate taught: most MSc programmes cost £8,300 for Scottish students and £10,400 for students from the rest of the UK and the Republic of Ireland (MSc Sports Therapy £8,600 for Scottish students). International fees are £18,950 for most programmes and £19,950 for MSc Applied Artificial Intelligence and User Experience, MSc Computer Games Technology, MSc Ethical Hacking and Cybersecurity, MProf Games Development, the Global MBA and MSc Technical Art and Visual Effects.
Postgraduate research: the UK fee is £5,238 per year full-time and £2,619 part-time (2026 figure, following UKRI minimum levels). International fees are £22,000 for a Masters by Research, and per year for PhD/MPhil £15,750 (food, environment, engineering, science, sport), £14,750 (computing, computer games, computer arts, ethical hacking) and £13,750 (counselling, psychology, sociology, management, marketing, business, accountancy, economics, mental health nursing).
International payment terms: a deposit of 50% of the net tuition fee (after scholarships) is required before a CAS can be issued, with the balance in three instalments (1 November, 1 January and 1 March for September starters). Applicants legally resident in Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Telangana pay 100% before CAS; applicants resident in Nigeria pay a flat £4,500 deposit. Early Bird discounts for September 2027 entry are £300 for paying the deposit by 1 June 2027 and £500 (the maximum in any year) for paying the full fee by 17 August 2027. All new international students receive a fee guarantee: the first-year net fee stays the same for every year of the course.
Scottish students can receive a SAAS bursary or loan of up to £7,625 per year for living costs; students from England can apply for Postgraduate Loans; mental health nursing students have separate funding arrangements. Funded PhD studentships, including Abertay Futures priority projects, are advertised for research students. All awards and deadlines are on the scholarships page and tuition fees page.
Abertay International Scholarship →
Abertay Principal's Excellence Scholarship - Global →
Browse the scholarships listed for Abertay University and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for Abertay University →Undergraduate applications are made through UCAS, whether applicants come from school, college or return to study after time out. Applications open in September; the main UCAS deadline is in mid January (14 January 2026 for 2026 entry), 18:00 UK time. All offers or rejections are made by the end of March, offer holders accept in early May, and late applications can be made until 30 June. Results arrive automatically in August, when Clearing operates. Term 1 usually begins in September.
Entry requirements are set per course and expressed in Scottish Highers, A levels, T Levels, Irish Highers and other qualifications. For example, BSc (Hons) Ethical Hacking asks for BBBB at Higher (standard entry), ABB at Higher (minimum entry) or CCC at A level, each including a relevant science, maths or computing subject, plus Maths at National 5 grade C or GCSE grade C/4. Minimum-entry offers are considered for applicants who have been in care or are young carers, attended a school or lived in an area with low progression to university, are eligible for free school meals, are estranged from family, are refugees or asylum seekers, or have taken part in aspiration-raising programmes such as LIFT OFF, LEAPS, FOCUS West or Aspire North.
From college: over a third of Abertay students come from college; applicants with an approved HNC, HND, Access or SWAP programme may enter directly into second or third year.
International applicants apply through UCAS or with the help of an accredited agent; applications after the January deadline may be accepted, but early application is advised to allow time for visa and accommodation arrangements. Offers are made via UCAS. Each course page sets out entry requirements by country (for example, specific grade averages for national school-leaving certificates, with some qualifications giving entry to Year 2), and preparation courses help applicants gain access to Abertay degrees.
Most undergraduate and taught postgraduate courses require IELTS 6.0 with no component below 5.5, or an accepted equivalent. Exceptions include BSc (Hons) Food, Nutrition and Health and BSc (Hons) Fitness, Nutrition and Health (IELTS 6.5, no component below 6.0), BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing (IELTS 7.0), MSc Counselling (IELTS 7.0), MSc Cyber Law and Ethics and MSc Sports Therapy (IELTS 7.0, no component below 6.5) and the Global MBA (IELTS 6.5, no component below 6.0). Accepted equivalents at the standard level include PTE Academic 59 in all components (online version not accepted), TOEFL iBT 78 for tests taken before January 2026 (Listening 17, Reading 18, Speaking 20, Writing 17) or 4 with no component below 4 from January 2026, Duolingo 105 overall with 95 in each element, Cambridge English 169 with no band below 162, LanguageCert Academic 65 with no component below 60, and WASSCE or NECO English at C6 or above with a results scratchcard. Test results are generally valid for two years. Holders of a UK bachelor's, master's or PhD, and applicants with qualifying UK school English qualifications or a degree from a majority English-speaking country, are exempt.
Most taught master's degrees require a 2:2 Honours degree or equivalent; a few ask for a 2:1, and relevant professional experience can sometimes count in place of the academic requirement. Applications are made through the University's online form, with a degree transcript and certificate, a personal statement of around 500 words, one or two references, an English test certificate where applicable and a passport copy for non-UK nationals. Most courses start in September, with a small number also offering January entry. UK applicants should apply at least four weeks before the start date; international applicants needing a Student visa should apply by early August for September entry. A CAS is issued once an international applicant has accepted the offer, paid the deposit and met any conditions.
PhD, MPhil and MSc by Research applicants need at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree (or equivalent) in an appropriate discipline and/or a master's degree, including an independent research component. Applicants either apply to an advertised funded project or propose their own research with a 6 to 8 page proposal, together with transcripts and references. Research degrees start in February, June or October, with deadlines of 15 December, 30 April and 31 August respectively (30 November, 31 March and 31 July for applicants needing a Student visa). Research degrees require IELTS Academic 7.0 with no component below 6.5, TOEFL iBT 95 with at least 21 in each component, or PTE Academic 67 with at least 61 in each component. International applications to Masters by Research and MPhil are not currently accepted because of the number of CAS available.
Bell Street campus, Dundee city centre (Abertay University, Bell Street, Dundee DD1 1HG). All teaching takes place on a single compact campus, with the main academic area spread over five levels in four buildings:
Accommodation: most student accommodation in Dundee is run by private providers within walking distance of campus. Abertay holds a limited allocation of rooms at Parker House at preferential rates on 43-week leases with all bills included (2026 rates from £159.47 per week for a Bronze En Suite to £323.95 per week for a Premium 1 Bed Apartment).
Sport and wellbeing: over 20 sports clubs, most competing in Scottish universities leagues, plus counselling and mental health, disability and international student support services.
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