TEACHING
QUALITY
University of Stirling
53
rd
NATIONAL
RANK
RANK
62.8%
FIRSTS
2:1s
2:1s
83.3%
COMPLETION
RATE
RATE
Key Stats
n/a
86th
STUDENT
EXPERIENCE
EXPERIENCE
49th
RESEARCH
QUALITY
QUALITY
46th
GRADUATE
PROSPECTS
PROSPECTS
Contact details
ADDRESS
Stirling, FK9 4LA View on map >
Telephone
Email
Website
Open days
November 1 (Stirling); October 18, November 13, January 10, 2015 (Highland); November 5 (Western Isles)
University Profile
Stirling has almost doubled its intake in two years and received an award for the most improved student experience from Times Higher Education magazine last year.
Stirling’s strengths lie in high entry standards and good graduate prospects – seven in 10 graduates gain professional jobs or go on to postgraduate study on leaving. The university ranks in the middle reaches of our institutional league table overall, although the university’s scores under our analysis of this year’s National Student Survey curiously rank the university in the bottom 40 in the UK this year, and a little at odds with the THE award.
This, despite arguably the most spectacular setting of any British university and the community feel of an institution that still has only about 12,000 students. The main campus nestles at the foot of the Ochil hills on the shores of a loch in a 330-acre estate, although still within easy reach of Edinburgh and Glasgow.
It is particularly well provided with sports facilities, having been designated Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence in 2008. The campus is home to national swimming and tennis centres, as
A new High Performance Sports Science and Sports Medicine Facility opened in 2012. The university runs an international sports scholarship programme and manages Winning Students, the national sport scholarship programme for students in colleges and universities across Scotland.
Academic facilities include a modernised library, a dedicated study zone and more than 700 computers for student use, many available 24 hours a day.
There are two other campuses: one for nurses and midwives in the modern Centre for Health Science, in Inverness, and a Western Isles campus, located in Stornoway, where the teaching accommodation is an integral part of the Western Isles Hospital.
Stirling was the British pioneer of the semester system, which has now become so popular throughout higher education. The academic year is divided into two blocks of 15 weeks with short mid-semester breaks.
Students have the option of starting courses in February, rather than September, and can choose subjects from across all seven Schools. Degrees are built up of credits accumulated through modules taken and awarded each semester, rather than at the end of the academic year.
Undergraduates can switch the whole direction of their studies, in consultation with their academic adviser, as their interests develop. They can also speed up their progress on a Summer Academic Programme, which squeezes a full semester’s teaching into July and August. Full-time students are not allowed to use the programme to reduce the length of their course, but part-timers can use it to make rapid progress.
The intake is surprisingly diverse, with nearly 95% of undergraduates state-educated and more than a quarter coming from working-class homes. Two-thirds are from Scotland, but the remainder come from more than 100 different countries.
International exchanges are common, with many of Stirling’s students going to American, Asian and European universities each year, while 175 Study Abroad or exchange students come in the opposite direction.
The university has nominated five “core areas” for teaching and research: health and wellbeing, culture and society, environment, enterprise and economy, and sport. In the last Research Assessment Exercise, Stirling produced the best results in Scotland in film and media, nursing and midwifery, education and sport.
The first phase of a £38m expansion of student accommodation was completed in 2013, with the second and third phases due be ready in 2014 and 2015.
Students appreciate the individual attention that a small campus university can offer, although some find the atmosphere claustrophobic. Stirling is not the top choice of night-clubbers, but the students’ union won “Best Bar None” status for three years in a row and there is a lively social scene.
The MacRobert Arts Centre offers a full programme of cultural activities, while the surrounding countryside offers its own attractions for walkers and climbers.
The campus has been described by police as one of the safest in Britain and last year launched the Safe Taxi Scheme. A Counselling and Wellbeing service offers support for mental and emotional health, while the Disability Service supports a full range of student needs.
Stirling’s strengths lie in high entry standards and good graduate prospects – seven in 10 graduates gain professional jobs or go on to postgraduate study on leaving. The university ranks in the middle reaches of our institutional league table overall, although the university’s scores under our analysis of this year’s National Student Survey curiously rank the university in the bottom 40 in the UK this year, and a little at odds with the THE award.
This, despite arguably the most spectacular setting of any British university and the community feel of an institution that still has only about 12,000 students. The main campus nestles at the foot of the Ochil hills on the shores of a loch in a 330-acre estate, although still within easy reach of Edinburgh and Glasgow.
It is particularly well provided with sports facilities, having been designated Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence in 2008. The campus is home to national swimming and tennis centres, as
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well as a golf course and a football academy. The sports centre was recently refurbished and now comprises of a central gym, two strength and conditioning areas with weightlifting platforms and a cycle studio.A new High Performance Sports Science and Sports Medicine Facility opened in 2012. The university runs an international sports scholarship programme and manages Winning Students, the national sport scholarship programme for students in colleges and universities across Scotland.
Academic facilities include a modernised library, a dedicated study zone and more than 700 computers for student use, many available 24 hours a day.
Stirling was the British pioneer of the semester system, which has now become so popular throughout higher education. The academic year is divided into two blocks of 15 weeks with short mid-semester breaks.
Students have the option of starting courses in February, rather than September, and can choose subjects from across all seven Schools. Degrees are built up of credits accumulated through modules taken and awarded each semester, rather than at the end of the academic year.
Undergraduates can switch the whole direction of their studies, in consultation with their academic adviser, as their interests develop. They can also speed up their progress on a Summer Academic Programme, which squeezes a full semester’s teaching into July and August. Full-time students are not allowed to use the programme to reduce the length of their course, but part-timers can use it to make rapid progress.
The intake is surprisingly diverse, with nearly 95% of undergraduates state-educated and more than a quarter coming from working-class homes. Two-thirds are from Scotland, but the remainder come from more than 100 different countries.
International exchanges are common, with many of Stirling’s students going to American, Asian and European universities each year, while 175 Study Abroad or exchange students come in the opposite direction.
The university has nominated five “core areas” for teaching and research: health and wellbeing, culture and society, environment, enterprise and economy, and sport. In the last Research Assessment Exercise, Stirling produced the best results in Scotland in film and media, nursing and midwifery, education and sport.
The first phase of a £38m expansion of student accommodation was completed in 2013, with the second and third phases due be ready in 2014 and 2015.
Students appreciate the individual attention that a small campus university can offer, although some find the atmosphere claustrophobic. Stirling is not the top choice of night-clubbers, but the students’ union won “Best Bar None” status for three years in a row and there is a lively social scene.
The MacRobert Arts Centre offers a full programme of cultural activities, while the surrounding countryside offers its own attractions for walkers and climbers.
The campus has been described by police as one of the safest in Britain and last year launched the Safe Taxi Scheme. A Counselling and Wellbeing service offers support for mental and emotional health, while the Disability Service supports a full range of student needs.
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Detailed Statistics
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
CATEGORY
SCORE
RANK
Ranking
-
53 (51)
Student experience
80.3
86th
Research quality
13.7
49th
Ucas entry points
380
43rd
Graduate prospects
70.5
46th
Firsts and 2:1s
62.8
85th
Completion rate
83.3
79th=
Student-staff ratio
15.7:1
43rd
Services/facilities spend (£)
1,517
62nd
World ranking
-
501= (501=)
VITAL STATISTICS
Undergraduates
(Full-time)
6,355
Undergraduates
(Part-time)
930
Postgraduates
(Full-time)
2,400
Postgraduates
(Part-time)
1,045
Applications/places
16,205/2,415
Applications/places ratio
6.7:1
STUDENT CITIES
Amy Mcdermott, students’ union president
An amazing campus with a close atmosphere and so many things on offer that you can develop your individuality.
We did have a particularly long winter break so our holidays didn’t correlate with other universities but now that’s been changed.
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Cost of living
Nightlife
Transport
Culture
ACCOMMODATION
FEES
Scots/EU fees
£0-£1,820
RUK fees
£6,750 (£(27,000 max))
Fees (international)
£11,000-£13,100
Finance website
Graduate salaries
£20,009
BURSARIES/SCHOLARSHIPS
>
For RUK students with at least ABB in one sitting at A Level or equivalent, ‘Merit' bursary of £1,000–£2,000 a year.
>
A range of sports scholarships for all students.
SPORT
Sports points/rank
1304, 23rd
Sport website
Student satisfaction
88.6%
86.6%
86.4%
84.5%
84.2%
84.0%
82.6%
81.7%
81.2%
81.0%
80.9%
80.3%
79.6%
79.0%
79.0%
78.0%
72.1%
69.8%