University of Dundee guide: Rankings, open days, fees and accommodation
Overview
No university has come closer to going bust than Dundee during the ongoing financial crisis in higher education. A cash injection of £22m from the Scottish Funding Council in March 2025 kept the lights on after administrators warned that Dundee could run out of money by the end of June. The source of the problem is a £35m hole in the university's finances. Within weeks of its disclosure in late 2024, Dundee's then principal, Professor Iain Gillespie, resigned. The university is now looking at plans to shed around one in ten jobs, while 'reconfiguring academic units' and scaling back research. So how did this come to pass? An independent inquiry recently deemed it to be the result of failings in financial monitoring, management and governance. Should students still apply? Yes, but with the awareness that the coming months are going to be difficult. Dundee, which we named our Scottish University of the Year only 12 months ago, has forged an outstanding reputation - notably in the likes of medicine, life sciences and art and design - since gaining independence from the University of St Andrews in 1967. For that reputation to survive, the cuts will need to be both judicious and primarily in non-student-facing areas.
Paying the bills
Dundee spent more than £1m supporting students recruited from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the 2024-25 academic year. More than 200 of these students earned the Rest of UK (RUK) Bursary, which is worth £2,000 per year and is paid to students from homes with an annual income of less than £25,000. RUK students who achieve at least AAB at A-level - bar those studying medicine, dentistry and education and social work - qualify for a £3,000 annual Academic Excellence bursary, which was earned by 118 students. The Discover Dundee bursary hoovers up those RUK students who don't get top grades, rewarding them with a £2,000 bursary paid in the first year only. Those studying in the schools of medicine, dentistry and education and social work are again excluded. A small number of RUK students qualify each year for a Discover Nursing at Dundee bursary worth £2,250 annually. All the multi-year bursaries are subject to satisfactory progression. As there are no tuition fees for students resident in Scotland - who account for more than 90% of Dundee's UK-based intake - there is a very limited amount of scholarship support. A good supply of ensuite accommodation is competitively priced, ranging from £5,999 for 39 weeks in West Park Villas to £8,999 for a premier room in Belmont Flats. At the time of writing, the principal's former residence and gatehouse was also available via Savills for £825,000 - part of the fire sale of university assets needed to help balance the books.
What's new?
What's new? An existential cash crisis. While Dundee was hit harder than most by the exodus of Nigerian students from British universities following a collapse in the country's currency, that does not fully explain the university's financial problems. 'Mistakes were made and there were poor investment decisions [and] a lack of discipline, and there was not the appropriate oversight. There were gaps in competence.' That was the candid view of the interim university principal, Prof Shane O'Neill, when he appeared before Members of the Scottish Parliament earlier this year. He has since resigned himself following the publication of the independent report which called out the management failings of senior leadership, of which he was part prior to being appointed interim principal. The university is still working its way through the fallout and will likely have to borrow money commercially to give it the breathing space it needs to get back on an even keel. Only then will it be able to consider where future investments can be made to improve the student experience - an area in which the university has traditionally excelled. The most recent upgrade to facilities saw the top floor of the library completely refurbished, and enhanced workstations, standing desks, semi-enclosed study booths with acoustic panels, and silent study spaces were introduced. There are also kitchen facilities and a calming space to help students study longer and better. When the university will be able to afford the next upgrades is anyone's guess.
Admissions, teaching and student support
Dundee offers several routes into the university for applicants from non-traditional backgrounds. A contextual admissions scheme lies at the heart of its efforts, which cuts the typical standard entry offer of AABB by two Higher grades to BBBB. The exact widening-access grades demanded vary from course to course and some programmes, notably Gateway to Medicine, are excluded. The university's extensive outreach scheme works with schools and colleges from S1 onwards. Its efforts are focused on Dundee, Perth, Fife and Angus, and it regularly lets children visit campus from S3 onwards. It is also a partner institution in the Access to High Demand Professions project, a national schools' outreach programme run by the Scottish Funding Council. This offers subject-specific support to pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds with an interest in degree areas where demand for places is high. Once at university, students in need of same-day mental health and wellbeing support can get it from Dundee's Enquiry Centre, which can refer them on to counselling, the university health service or mental health nurses and advisers. Further assistance is available via the student-led listening service which runs throughout the night, while the Peer Connections buddying and mentoring scheme is designed to help students settle into university life. The ResLife team, meanwhile, supports students in university accommodation with welfare issues and encourages social opportunities. A compulsory online induction module for all students moving into university accommodation covers health and safety, respect, consent and where to find welfare support.