University of Strathclyde guide: Rankings, open days, fees and accommodation
Overview
Strathclyde, winner of our Scottish University of the Year award last year and runner-up to Imperial College London for the UK title, is an outstanding university with a stellar record for graduate employment, particularly in areas where there is a national shortage of able graduates. It is an engineering powerhouse and one of the UK's leading technological universities. It is also socially progressive, admitting by both headcount and proportion more students from the 20% of Scottish postcodes considered to be the most deprived than at any other highly selective university in Scotland. More than 225 years after its establishment, it remains the 'place of useful learning' envisaged by its posthumous founder, John Anderson. Across all four faculties - engineering, humanities and social sciences, science and the Strathclyde Business School - industry and business routinely have input on course structure and programme delivery, with many of those companies offering placements to students. The university's commitment to preparing students for the world of work extends to embracing apprenticeships. A total of 650 learners are engaged in six graduate apprenticeship programmes in Scotland, working with 200 employers, and a further 100 learners are enrolled on five degree apprenticeships, working with 46 employers based in England.
Paying the bills
More than 400 current students hold Strathclyde Talent Award Scheme (STAR) scholarships worth £1,250 per year, which are given to applicants from Scottish secondary schools with low rates of progression to higher education; those who reside in areas of high deprivation; carers; the care-experienced; or those estranged from their families. More than £1.1m was paid out in hardship support to students last year, and 65 student athletes currently hold Performance Sport scholarships worth up to £3,000 per year. A significant amount of support is directed at students recruited from England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Rest of UK, or RUK, students), who made up around 6% of the UK undergraduate intake last year and who pay full tuition fees of £9,250. There are two non-means-tested awards: RUK students who achieve AAB or better at A-level (or equivalent) are awarded £1,000 in each year of their studies through the Strathclyde Excellence scholarship. And the Strathclyde accommodation bursary gives £1,000 towards university or partner accommodation in the first year of study. The Strathclyde Access bursary, meanwhile, is worth £3,000 each year for RUK students from homes where annual income is up to £25,000, dropping at higher incomes to £2,000 (£25,001 to £35,000) and £1,000 (£35,001 to £42,641). Tuition fees for most courses for RUK students are capped at £27,750, the price of a three-year programme outside of Scotland. Accommodation starts at £4,559 per year for a 39-week contract and rises to £8,140 for an ensuite room in Kyle Park House for 44 weeks.
What's new?
The Heart of Campus programme of improvements, due to begin this term, will see a number of streets around the city centre campus pedestrianised in a drive to improve the visual appeal and biodiversity of Strathclyde's greenspace and streetscape. The physics and quantum labs in the John Anderson Building will also undergo refurbishment, and a new cafe and flexible study space will be created in the Curran Building, home to the main Andersonian Library. The university's district energy network will be extended into student residences as part of its commitment to achieving net zero, with the Birkbeck, Murray Hall, Lord Todd and James Goold accommodation blocks the first to benefit. The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland opened last year, allowing students to engage with manufacturing processes. The Strathclyde-operated 11,500m2 development brings academia, industry and the public sector together to turn innovations into reality, deliver ground-breaking research to transform productivity and help make Scotland a global leader in manufacturing. The carbon-neutral building features a manufacturing skills academy, collaboration hub and a digital factory. A new integrated masters degree in chemistry with data science takes its first students this month.
Admissions, teaching and student support
Strathclyde's record for opening up higher education to students from traditionally under-represented groups is second to none among the country's research-intensive universities. By both headcount and proportion of students drawn from the 20% of Scottish postcodes considered to be the most deprived, it is the leading university for widening access in this elite group. Social diversity extends in all directions. In 2023-24, Strathclyde had 136 students registered with care experience (up 74% compared to 2019-20), 1,687 students with unpaid caring responsibilities (up 67%), 555 students declaring themselves estranged from their families, and 2,700 with disabilities (up 34%). All of this is evidence of an admissions policy that considers academic achievement in the context in which it was gained. Offers are made across all subjects at the minimum entry requirements (at least one Higher grade below the standard offer) to students from the 40% of postcodes in Scotland considered to be the most deprived, the 20% in England from which the fewest progress to university, those from target schools, and carers or the care-experienced. Bespoke support is in place for students recruited under widening access policies to help them progress and succeed. Strathclyde offers weekday counselling appointments for all students with mental health and wellbeing issues, a daily Zoom drop-in and phone and digital support at all times. At registration, all students are asked to provide a named 'wellbeing contact' whom they consent to the university contacting if there are serious concerns about wellbeing. This is something too many universities still don't do, despite the present mental health crisis among young people.
