University in United Kingdom
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
University profile
Edinburgh Napier University is a modern public university in Edinburgh, Scotland, named after John Napier, the 16th-century mathematician and inventor of logarithms, whose birthplace at Merchiston Tower stands at the heart of its oldest campus. It opened as Napier Technical College in 1964, became a university in 1992 and took its current name in 2009. It describes itself as retaining its heritage as an applied technical institution, with an emphasis on personalised, work-related learning; more than 90% of full-time undergraduates take part in work-related learning each year.
Teaching is organised in five schools: the Business School; the School of Arts & Creative Industries; the School of Applied Sciences; the School of Computing, Engineering & the Built Environment; and the School of Health & Social Care. It is the only university in Scotland offering all four fields of nursing and midwifery registration education and trains nearly 1,000 new NHS nurses and midwives each year. Its Business School gained AACSB accreditation in 2023, and Screen Academy Scotland, opened in 2005, is a collaboration with Edinburgh College of Art.
The University has three Edinburgh campuses: Merchiston in Bruntsfield (computing, engineering, built environment and creative industries), Craiglockhart in south-west Edinburgh (Business School) and Sighthill in the west of the city (applied sciences, health and social care). Each campus has its own library, and the [EN]GAGE sports centre is at Sighthill. Over 20,000 students from more than 145 countries study for its degrees: 73% on campus in Edinburgh, 14% online and 13% at partner universities. Staff number 1,816 across academic and professional services, and around 6,000 students graduate each year.
Beyond Edinburgh, transnational education is delivered with partners in China, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Switzerland and Vietnam, and the Global Online platform has delivered 16 programmes to over 7,900 students since 2012. More than 450 graduate apprentices study in computing, engineering and business. International applicants are supported by overseas offices, including a South Asia office in Hyderabad and a West Africa office, and the on-campus Edinburgh Napier University International College (ENUIC), run with Oxford International, offers pathway programmes at Merchiston.
Student accommodation is run by the University at Bainfield, Orwell Terrace and Slateford Road, with an offer of a room guaranteed to eligible first-year and direct-entrant undergraduates and a Residence Life events programme. The Edinburgh Napier Students' Association is based at Merchiston, and the Bright Red Triangle enterprise incubator has supported nearly 700 start-ups since 2014.
Students from England, Northern Ireland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Republic of Ireland starting in 2027 pay £10,050 per year, with fees charged for only three years of a four-year honours degree (four of five years for an integrated master's). Fee status (Scottish, rest of UK and Republic of Ireland, EU or international) is assessed from the application, and most Scottish students can access loans, grants and bursaries through SAAS. International undergraduate and taught postgraduate fees vary by course and are listed on each course page. Postgraduate research fees for 2026/27 are £5,075 (UK) and £20,380 (international) full-time, £3,040 and £12,230 part-time; the DBA is £9,800 per year for years 1-3. Fees can be paid in full or through payment plans.
Students from England, Northern Ireland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland can receive a University bursary package worth up to £3,000 a year: the Access Bursary of up to £2,000 a year for household incomes below approximately £42,600, and the Merit Bursary of up to £1,000 a year for students achieving BBB at A-level or equivalent who make Edinburgh Napier their firm UCAS choice. The two can be combined.
Partial scholarships for self-funding, full-time, on-campus international students are awarded automatically once the tuition deposit is paid, on a first-come, first-served basis, and appear on the CAS. Examples include the West Africa Scholarship (Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo: £1,000, £2,000 or £3,000 depending on course; for undergraduates renewable each year up to £8,000), the Sub-Saharan Africa Scholarship (£2,000 for one year) and the South Asia Scholarship (India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka: £3,000 for one-year postgraduate courses, £1,000 for two-year courses, £2,000 for undergraduates, up to £8,000 over an Indian student's degree). Similar regional awards cover the EU, North America, Latin America, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Norway, Türkiye, the Middle East and North Africa, Pakistan and South East Asia. Students already receiving discounted fees or another scholarship are not eligible, and MRes programmes are excluded.
The Baillie Gifford Access Scholarship gives £1,500 a year for the length of the course to undergraduates whose financial or personal circumstances might otherwise prevent progression. Other awards include the Robertson Trust Scholarship, Carnegie Masters Grant for Scottish widening-participation postgraduates, Data and AI Scholarships with The Data Lab, Albert Morris Journalism Scholarships, Ian Tomlin Music Scholarships, Harilela, Hong Kong Scholarship Trust, Lawrence Ho and Ian Kay scholarships, nursing scholarships and bursaries, and the Student Grant Initiative. Current students apply through the Find-a-Fund portal by completing a General Application, which matches them to eligible funds.
The Discretionary Fund helps students in financial difficulty with accommodation, living, essential course and travel costs, and the Childcare Fund helps with registered childcare costs. The full list of awards is on the Funding your studies page; contact [email protected] or [email protected].
Sub-Saharan Africa Scholarship →
European Union Postgraduate Scholarship →
Browse the scholarships listed for Edinburgh Napier University and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for Edinburgh Napier University →Full-time undergraduate applications are made through UCAS using institution code E59, from 1 September for entry the following September; part-time courses are applied for directly through the University's online form. The UCAS equal consideration deadline for September 2027 entry is 13 January 2027, and the deadline for international applicants is 30 June. Late applications are considered where places remain, UCAS Extra runs from 25 February to 1 July 2027, and Clearing is open from 2 July to 31 August 2027. The UCAS application fee is £28.95 for up to five choices, waived for 2027 applicants who received free school meals.
Entry requirements, including UCAS tariff points, are set course by course on each course page. Depending on the course, applicants may be asked to attend an interview, submit a portfolio or perform an audition; nursing may involve interviews or further assessment. Deferred entry is at the admissions team's discretion. College applicants may gain advanced entry: HNC holders are normally accepted into year two and HND holders may enter year three, and an Associate Student scheme with partner colleges in Scotland guarantees an offer for selected courses.
International applicants may need to supply transcripts, evidence of English proficiency and passport details. Country-specific equivalences are set out per country; for example, Ghanaian applicants need a pass in the West African Senior School Certificate in seven subjects, with four at B3 or above and the remaining three at C6 or above (B2 or above in required subjects), and WASSCE English at C6 or above within the last two years. Edinburgh Napier University International College (ENUIC), operated with Oxford International at Merchiston, offers International Foundation (including Nursing), International Stage One and Stage Two, and an International Incorporated Master's as pathway routes; applications go to Oxford International.
Minimum requirements for undergraduate and postgraduate taught degrees (some courses require more): IELTS Academic 6.0 overall with no component below 5.5; TOEFL iBT 80 with at least 17 listening, 18 reading, 20 speaking and 17 writing (tests before January 2026) or 4 overall with 4 in each skill (tests from January 2026); Pearson PTE Academic 59 with 59 in each component; Cambridge B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency 169 overall with 162 in each component; Trinity ISE II 90 with 80 in each skill; LanguageCert Academic 65 with no component below 60; Oxford Test of English 126 with 111 in each component. Tests must be taken less than two years before the course starts. Where a UKVI Secure English Language Test is required, IELTS for UKVI 6.0 (no component below 5.5) and equivalent SELTs apply.
For research degrees the minimum is IELTS Academic 6.5 with no component below 6.0, TOEFL iBT 88 (19 listening, 20 reading, 22 speaking, 19 writing) or PTE Academic 68 with 63 in each component. Pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes courses are offered for applicants below the required level, and in-sessional English support is free to international students.
Taught postgraduate courses start in September and January, with some part-time options from May. Applicants apply online through the Apply option on each course page, which usually opens around 10 months before the start date, and may name second and third choices. Applications can be made before final results with the most recent transcript, and decisions usually follow within two weeks. Lesser qualifications may be considered with sufficient professional experience. Ghanaian applicants, for example, need a bachelor's degree at lower second class (2:2) or GPA 2.5/4.0. Edinburgh Napier graduates receive a 20% discount on master's tuition fees. The Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) is applied for through UCAS and includes an interview.
Research applicants typically need a relevant undergraduate degree and, depending on the programme, a master's degree; the DBA also requires significant senior management experience and an MBA or relevant master's. Applicants submit a research proposal and two references (two academic for PhD/MRes, one academic and one professional for the DBA or professional doctorates) through the online system, and for self-proposed projects must secure a supervisor first. An initial response is given within seven weeks, or nine if more information is needed.
Students from outside the UK and Republic of Ireland usually need a Student Route visa. International offer holders pay a non-refundable tuition fee deposit, starting at £6,000 for September 2026, before a CAS is issued; refunds apply only within 14 days of payment or after a visa refusal. The living cost requirement for study in Scotland is £1,203 per month for up to nine months (£10,827).
Libraries: three libraries (Craiglockhart, Merchiston and the Sighthill Learning Resource Centre) with study spaces, computers, loanable laptops and 24/7 access, plus Heritage Collections including the War Poets Collection.
Residences: University accommodation at Bainfield (a 15-minute walk from the city centre, aimed at first-year undergraduates under 20), Orwell Terrace (near Haymarket station, for postgraduates, undergraduates over 20 and one-trimester students) and Slateford Road (mainly nursing students and postgraduates). The accommodation office also helps students find private housing.
Sport: [EN]GAGE sports facilities with a gym, sports hall and fitness classes across the campuses.
Study programmes offered at Edinburgh Napier University.
Experiences shared by students of Edinburgh Napier University.
Studied here? Share your experience to help other applicants.
Book a free consultation with our expert counsellors and take the first step towards your dream university.
Copyrights © 2026 StudyMapped. All rights reserved.
Enter your credentials to continue.
Join us and start your study abroad journey.
