Aberdeen, University of

Overall ranking: Came 40th out of 126 in the Complete University Guide for 2016.

History: Founded in 1495, by 1497 it boasted the first chair of medicine in the English-speaking world. Four Nobel Prizes have been awarded for work carried out at the university. Picturesque and historic Old Aberdeen is now the main University site.

Address: Two sites in north-east Scotland's Aberdeen. Hills, countryside and miles of golden sandy beaches surround it. The medical school is based a mile and a half from the main campus.

Ambience: A 15th-century campus in a historic part of Scotland's bustling third largest city. Aberdeen is known in tourist circles as The Granite City, The Flower of Scotland, and The Silver City by the Golden Sands. Crammed with sparkling granite buildings, cosmopolitan Aberdeen has a thriving economy and buzzing town centre, as well as a beach ruled by stiff North Sea breezes and gutsy seagulls.

Who's the boss? Professor Sir Ian Diamond is principal and vice-chancellor, a former deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Southampton and PhD student at the University of St Andrews.

Prospectus: 01224 272 090 or view it online here.

UCAS code: A20

What you need to know

Easy to get into? The university does not use the UCAS points system, but entry requirements range from AABB at Scottish Highers (three Bs at A-level) for most courses to the minimum of five Highers at AAAAB (three As at A-level) for medicine.

Vital statistics: Currently holds 14,500 students from over 120 different countries, International students make up 33% of the student body. One of the top Scottish universities and the fifth oldest in the UK.

Added value: Planned investment of £270m over the next ten years. A £28m sports facility called Aberdeen Sports Village opened in 2009 and a £57m new library followed in the summer of 2011. A £22m Aquatics Centre opened in early 2014 and includes a 10-lane 50-metre pool and another 25-metre pool complete with full international standard diving facilities. Great course flexibility for those wishing to tailor their degree programmes.

Teaching: Ranked 107th out of 126 for student satisfaction with teaching.

Graduate prospects: Came 34th out of 126 with 74.2 per cent entering graduate level employment.

Any accommodation? Yes. Catered halls cost between £144 and £169 per week, while self-catering flats start at £109and reach £142 per week for an en-suite.

Cheap to live there? Not bad- private flats start at about £80 per week. Aberdeen has an online database of all private accommodation on their books, you can access it here

Transport links: Great road and bus links throughout the UK. Under three hours drive from Edinburgh and Glasgow, or take one of the hourly trains. Seven hours by train from London's King's Cross. There are cheap flights that touch down in London in just over an hour.

Fees: Scottish and EU students pay an annual tuition fee of £1,820 a year. Those from the rest of the UK pay £9,000, although the total cost of fees for most programmes is capped at £27K. Overseas students pay between £12,600 and £15,700 per year depending on the programme of study.

Bursaries: The University has an extensive provision of bursaries available for students, including a range of awards which pay the full fee rate of £9,000 (covering access and merit), and also around 40-50 Entrance scholarships for new UG students, most of which are £1000-£2000 per year, for more information click here.

The fun stuff

Nightlife: Aberdeen boasts a huge variety of venues, with student-friendly bars and clubs galore in the city. On campus, there’s 'the Hub' student centre, with café bar and food court.

Price of a pint: £3 on average.

Sporting reputation: Fairly sporty-currently 35th place in the BUCS league tables 2014/15.

Glittering alumni: James Naughtie, of Radio 4's Today; Alistair Darling, former Chancellor of the Exchequer; Game of Thrones star Iain Glenn; Nicky Campbell, radio and television presenter; Tessa Jowell, former Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office.

Alternative prospectus: Visit the University of Aberdeen's forum on The Student Room to ask questions of current students and gain an insight into what life's really like.