Where it ranks in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, what it’s really like to study there, and what halls and living costs look like.
Aberdeen is one of the UK's oldest universities, founded in 1495, with its main campus in Old Aberdeen: cobbled streets, King's College Chapel and the glass Sir Duncan Rice Library, about two miles from the city centre. Medicine and life sciences are based at Foresterhill. Most first years live in Hillhead Student Village, a 20-minute walk or short bus ride from campus.
Aberdeen is a granite city by the sea, far north and with long, dark winters. Halls are good value for 2026/27, from £111 to £191 a week, and new students who apply by the deadline are guaranteed an offer of a room.
Known for
The University of Aberdeen is 46th out of 124 UK universities in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, with an overall score of 51.3, above the UK median of 48.5. Our rankings are built around the student experience, combining employability, freshers experience, happiness, nightlife, sustainability, inclusion, innovation and societies. That means big research names don’t automatically top the table. See how we score universities.
Marker shows the UK median across all ranked universities.
| Rank | University | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | University of Winchester | 51.5 |
| 45 | Bournemouth University | 51.4 |
| 46 | University of Aberdeen | 51.3 |
| 47 | London School of Economics and Political Science | 51.1 |
| 48 | Royal Agricultural University | 51.1 |
Each award ranks all 124 universities on one part of student life. Click through for the full table.
17th of 124 · Employability Score 41.5
17th of 122 · Careers Score 41.5
21st of 124 · Value Score 60.4
23rd of 124 · Freshers Score 64.1
33rd of 124 · Wellbeing Score 57.2
41st of 124 · Safety Score 49.2
42nd of 124 · Balance Score 47
43rd of 124 · Innovation Score 60.2
52nd of 123 · Happiness Score 48.8
60th of 124 · Inclusion Score 60.4
64th of 124 · Societies Score 49.3
77th of 124 · Sustainability Score 46.4
78th of 124 · Affordability Score 52.2
83rd of 124 · Social Score 45
86th of 124 · Nightlife Score 41.6
Aberdeen as a student city
Ranked 53rd of 72 UK university cities in our Best University Cities 2027 ranking, with a score of 47.
The University of Aberdeen appears in 27 of our subject league tables. Here’s where it places in each, best first.
| Subject | Rank | Table size | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology | 2nd | of 37 | 95 |
| Civil Engineering | 11th | of 58 | 124 |
| Neuroscience | 5th | of 26 | 79 |
| Music | 18th | of 56 | 113 |
| Biomedical Science | 30th | of 93 | 145 |
| Psychology | 36th | of 108 | 159 |
| Data Science | 17th | of 50 | 105 |
| Zoology | 14th | of 37 | 92 |
| Geology | 8th | of 21 | 59 |
| Law | 37th | of 97 | 140 |
| Subject | Rank | Table size | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Science | 31st | of 78 | 131 |
| Engineering (General) | 12th | of 30 | 72 |
| Medicine | 12th | of 30 | 69 |
| Biology | 21st | of 51 | 97 |
| Software Engineering | 24th | of 58 | 116 |
| Environmental Science | 20th | of 47 | 97 |
| Archaeology | 12th | of 28 | 79 |
| Chemical Engineering | 13th | of 30 | 74 |
| Mathematics | 27th | of 61 | 109 |
| Biochemistry | 27th | of 60 | 106 |
| Chemistry | 20th | of 44 | 91 |
| Business and Management | 54th | of 114 | 145 |
| Geography | 32nd | of 63 | 112 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 41st | of 77 | 119 |
| Electrical Engineering | 36th | of 67 | 101 |
| Physics | 28th | of 45 | 85 |
| Marine Biology | 13th | of 17 | 41 |
Subject tables compare universities on graduate earnings, student satisfaction, teaching quality and academic support. Scores aren’t comparable between subjects.
AUSA (Aberdeen University Students' Association) runs sports clubs, societies and student groups, with its students' union on Elphinstone Road on the King's campus. Hillhead Student Village is the social hub for first years. Students get access to Aberdeen Sports Village, with a discount if you sign up by the deadline. For nights out, Union Street and Belmont Street in the city centre are a bus ride away. The beach is about a mile from campus.
University halls cost £111–£191 per week (2026/27, 40–50-week leases) (2026/27 prices).
First-year accommodation guarantee
The university says: "We guarantee to offer you a place in our portfolio of accommodation" (university-owned or with a preferred partner) "providing you are a single, new full-time, full academic year student", and "provided your application reaches us by the deadline which is 28th August 2026" for 2026/27. You can apply once you've firmly accepted an unconditional offer; undergraduates with a conditional offer can register interest. Insurance-choice applicants can't apply yet. Postgraduates aren't guaranteed a room.
| Hall | Area | Rooms | From | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Smith House | Hillhead Student Village | single room | £111/wk | Among the cheapest rooms, on a 40–50-week lease. Wheelchair accessible. Bills and contents insurance included. |
| Fyfe House | Hillhead Student Village | single room | £111/wk | Single rooms on a 40-week lease. |
| Wavell House | Hillhead Student Village | single room | £111/wk | Single rooms on a 40-week lease. |
| Elphinstone Road Flats | Old Aberdeen campus | single with washbasin or en-suite | £133/wk | On campus. Shared-bathroom rooms £133 a week, en-suites £191, 40–50-week lease. Wheelchair accessible. |
| Grant Court | Hillhead Student Village | single room, shared toilet and shower | £145/wk | £145–£151 a week on a 40-week lease. |
| Keith House | Hillhead Student Village | single room | £151/wk | An alcohol-free, quiet block. 40-week lease. |
| New Carnegie Court | Hillhead Student Village | en-suite (small double bed) | £191/wk | En-suite rooms in five-bedroom flats on a 40-week lease. About a 20-minute walk or 15 minutes by bus to Old Aberdeen campus. |
| King's Hall | Old Aberdeen campus | single room | £191/wk | In the heart of campus, on a 40–50-week lease. |
Prices are the university’s published weekly starting prices and can change. Always check the official accommodation site before applying.
Right by campus, with granite flats and a quieter feel.
Lively, with shops, bars and the station on your doorstep, but a bus ride to campus.
A popular residential area of tenement flats just north-west of the centre.
Top tip
Apply as soon as you've firmly accepted an unconditional offer: you'll get instructions with your admissions information. For 2026/27 the guarantee deadline was 28 August 2026. Once you're allocated a room and accept the contract online, there's a £100 prepayment. Sign up for Aberdeen Sports Village before its deadline to get the student discount.
Aberdeen halls are good value. For 2026/27, rooms start at £111 a week at Hillhead and go up to £191 for en-suites, with bills and contents insurance included. Most leases are 40 weeks. You'll pay a £100 prepayment when you accept your room. Scottish students' tuition is paid by SAAS, which makes Aberdeen especially affordable if you live in Scotland.
Getting around
The King's campus in Old Aberdeen is about two miles north of the city centre. Hillhead Student Village is a 20-minute walk, 10-minute cycle or 15-minute bus ride from campus, according to the university. Buses run from Old Aberdeen to Union Street and the city centre. Aberdeen station has trains to Edinburgh, Glasgow and beyond, and the airport is nearby.
Weighing up your options? Here’s how nearby universities compare in the Unifresher Rankings 2027.
The University of Aberdeen is 46th out of 124 UK universities in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, with an overall score of 51.3. Its strongest results are for employability (17th), career prospects (17th), value for money (21st).
In our 2027 subject rankings, the University of Aberdeen places highest for Pharmacology (2nd of 37). Across our awards, it also stands out for employability.
Yes, for single, new, full-time, full-year students whose application arrives by the deadline. For 2026/27 that was 28 August 2026. You apply once you've firmly accepted an unconditional offer. Postgraduates aren't guaranteed a room.
Most live in Hillhead Student Village, in the north of the city. It's about a 20-minute walk, 10-minute cycle or 15-minute bus ride from the King's campus in Old Aberdeen. A smaller number live on campus at Elphinstone Road Flats or King's Hall.
For 2026/27, rooms cost £111 to £191 a week, mostly on 40-week leases, with bills included. The cheapest are single rooms at Adam Smith, Fyfe and Wavell Houses.
No catered halls are listed for 2026/27: all the university's residences are self-catered, with shared kitchens.
Medicine and many life sciences are at the Foresterhill campus, next to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, west of the city centre. Most other subjects are taught at the King's campus in Old Aberdeen.
It suits people who like a historic campus, a close-knit feel, the sea and the outdoors. It's a long way north, so winters are dark and cold, and nightlife is smaller than in Glasgow or Edinburgh.
About this guide. Rankings data comes from the Unifresher Rankings 2027 (methodology). Facts, hall prices and costs come from the university and official sources listed below. Last updated 23 October 2026.
