Is The University of Stirling good? Here’s the good, the bad and everything in between

When looking at Universities, students will always have a million different questions but really they all come back to the key question of is the place good enough to warrant paying years of tuition. While that question is a simple one, the answer is far more complicated and depends on different factors for each individual. I’ve been at the University of Stirling studying Journalism and Politics for three years now so I think I’m pretty qualified to give you the run-down of the university with its high highs and low lows.

We’ll start with some of the good and talk about the campus. 

The best campus in the country

One of Stirling’s biggest selling points is its campus and that is more than deserved. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous with a large loch defining the centre of campus and separating the accommodation village from the main teaching buildings. 

Beyond the loch, the campus sports a ton of beautiful nature walks, lots of biodiversity in both flora and fauna, a community garden and a full-on castle which is still used by the student body. It really is no surprise then that Stirling was voted the best campus in the UK and one of the top ten in the world in the 2024 International Student Barometer.

The campus has lots of space to just walk, unwind and de-stress which is so valuable during exam season and can really help to ground you and prevent that all too familiar self-destructive spiral or at least that’s what it did for me. 

The campus really reinforces Stirling’s focus on activity and health which really isn’t surprising given its biggest claim to fame. 

Sport is king

If you want to play sport at a university in Scotland then Stirling should be your pick no question. 

The University has pushed billions of pounds into a state of the art sport facility that is now the crown jewel of the campus. On top of this there are multiple fields across the campus as well of the Sport Scotland Institute of Sport. 

Together these facilities host over 50 sports clubs and earn Stirling the title of Scotland’s University for Sport.

However, all of this focus and investment into sport can often leave non-sporty students feeling like second class citizens, with the students union having a fraction of the budget of the sports union and sport seeming to get favoured in every way. While this is true it isn’t at all surprising as sport is what brings the university recognition and, more importantly, money as they push out olympic level athletes every year. 

This also has the unintentional effect of making sport at the university very intimidating for any novices or beginners that just want to play for fun or to improve their fitness. However, if you can get over that hurdle then making the most of the facilities and the campus grounds can do wonders for your health. It definitely did for me in my first year which then gave me the confidence I needed to have an amazing second year. 

Flexible degrees

When looking at the actual courses Stirling offers they’re a bit of a mixed bag, which is true of most universities. However, the thing that sets Stirling apart from the competition is how flexible their degree courses are especially in first and second year. 

In most degrees you will be given one compulsory module each semester and then you’ll be presented with two optional modules which you can pick from any subject within your degrees school ie. Arts & Humanities or Health Sciences and Sport.

For example, I started a Journalism degree and took optional modules in Politics and Sociology in first year then swapped Sociology for Communications in second year. Other people on my course took modules of English, Religious Studies and Criminology which only scratched the surface of the options. 

As part of this flexibility it is also very easy to switch degree programs entirely. For example, if you were doing a Criminology degree and realised you hated the subject but loved the Sociology modules you did in first year it’s as easy as sending an email to get moved over to a Sociology degree so long as you’ve done the modules up to that level. This also extends to joint degrees, allowing you to add, remove or swap half your degree at any time in your first two years which is exactly what I did. 

The importance of this flexibility really cannot be undersold as most people coming into university haven’t finished developing their brains and don’t necessarily know what they really want, I know I didn’t, so having that ability to switch around can really be a lifesaver. 

Do note however that certain degrees such as accountancy and Law are less flexible but that should be stated on the courses page. 

Student life

The idea of student life is often the real reason people come to university, not the studying and it’s an area in which Stirling is rather mixed. 

The big thing for student life on campus is always the Student’s Union and unfortunately for Stirling, the union bar has been closed since September 2023 due to RAC concrete and while a second bar is open in the downstairs event space, its quality and atmosphere leave a lot to be desired. It is actually inaccurate to call the bar ‘the union’ anymore as last year the student’s union failed to renew the contract for the premises due to a massive deficit and the premises failing to make a profit since the pandemic meaning the bar is now operated directly by the university. 

As such, anyone looking for a decent night of drinking or just a quick pint after a society meeting will have to make the trek into Stirling as the University doesn’t seem to be in any rush to fix up the union. 

As far as clubs and societies go however, it’s fantastic and I would say the best thing about coming here, besides the campus. I’ve already talked about the massive variety of sports clubs which cater to all kinds of sporty interests but there are also over 100 societies run through the student union. 

These societies cater to almost any interest including true crime, gaming, baking, re-enactment, student radio, wine or even Doctor Who. Societies are where you will meet your people and forge the best friendships so I would highly encourage you to join a few as they are free to try and memberships are only five pounds for students although sport societies do cost more. 

Personally I’ve tried almost a dozen societies and they have defined my time at university in the best way. Between Brig Newspaper expanding my skills, Nat 20 introducing me to some of my greatest friends, Mountaineering helping me to see more of this beautiful country and Baking Society giving me a wonderful wind down at the end of the week, I really cannot say enough good things about societies and the people in them. 

The campus facilities I’ve already mentioned as well as an extensive student support and employability hub means that students do have access to everything they need to live a great student life, just be aware that many support services including mental health support have massive wait lists so help may take a while.

Accommodation

Stirling’s student accommodation is a real mixed bag, a lot of it isn’t great and all of it is massively overpriced, though it would be a challenge to find student accom that isn’t.

The high end accommodation is lovely and modern. The rooms are all nice and equipped with en-suites, the kitchens are fantastic, all the flats lock with keycards and there are lifts to every level. However you will be paying a premium to stay in any of the three new buildings or the two newly renovated buildings and that’s not an expense many can handle.

The cheaper options on-campus are rough, there really isn’t another way to put it. From the 60 year old buildings that look like they’ve never received a day of tlc since they were built to the accommodation designed by a Norwegian prison architect, the older buildings leave a lot to be desired. I stayed in Andrew Stewart Hall in first year and have been around the rest so believe me when I say it was a rough time, so please take my advice and at least avoid Andrew Stewart Hall, Fraser of Allander and Polworth unless you really like damp walls and spiders. 

Lastly, the off-campus accommodation isn’t bad, it resembles the older buildings aesthetically and facility wise but just better overall and around the same price point. On top of that you’ll be staying either in Stirling itself or somewhere between the city and the campus which can be nice but may be best saved for your second year. 

Overall the accommodation offerings are not great but in the grand scheme of UK universities they are not the worst I’ve seen (but still avoid ASH if at all possible I’m begging you).

Stirling is a city that feels like a town

A lot of students pick their university based more on the city it’s in rather than the quality of the uni itself so let’s look at Stirling a little. While classified as a city, Stirling sort of feels halfway between a town and a city for better or worse. 

First and foremost, if your main reason for going to uni is to party as much as you can then Stirling is not for you. While there is quite a good selection of pubs there is only one nightclub in the city and it’s awful, the best Stirling night out is a trip to Glasgow or Edinburgh so if partying is what you’re looking for then go to a bigger city.

There is definitely less going on in Stirling compared to the likes of Glasgow, things are a lot less hectic on the day-to-day which can make it a good choice for anyone that’s lived in a small town all of their life. Additionally there is a lot more nature than in big cities and it is much easier to get out into the country which is a massive plus for many, myself included. 

On the downside it can feel like there is a lot less to do if you have a niche interest or don’t really care for the outdoors. On top of that there are a lot less food options than in big cities which is not to say the city has bad food, in fact there are many restaurants and cafes that are absolutely phenomenal, but just that variety is a bit lacking especially in international cuisine. 

However Stirling’s single biggest draw is its location as the city is close enough to everywhere. You are forty minutes to both Glasgow and Edinburgh by train, have easy access to the south and are in The Gateway To The Highlands so if you want to explore absolutely everything Scotland has to offer then Stirling is a great choice for a home base.

Lastly, the cost of living is also reflective of this pseudo-city status, being a lot cheaper than the likes of Glasgow but more expensive than the average Scottish town which can make your student loan go that little bit further which we could all do with. 

Stirling is not for everyone but it does have a lot to offer people and a great location to get to anything else, just don’t expect to be at the heart of the action every weekend. 

To wrap up, the University of Stirling has a lot to love about it but it also has a lot of flaws. The campus really is second to none and the sport facilities can’t be beat but that comes at the cost of investment elsewhere. While student culture is strong within societies, the party scene only exists in spite of Stirling’s options, not because of them.

Still, I’m glad I came to Stirling, I’ve grown so much as a person here and it has been the perfect fit for me at this stage in my life. Of course I have a lot of complaints, mostly about top level management and their refusal to invest in anything besides sports and their own pensions, but the bad doesn’t outweigh the good.

Stirling isn’t for everyone but if you like the sound of what you’ve read and none of the issues are total dealbreakers then the University of Stirling might just be the perfect for you.