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Life in Dundee
Affordable, walkable and full of culture. Find out why Dundee is one of Scotland's best cities for students.
Affordable, walkable and full of culture. Find out why Dundee is one of Scotland's best cities for students.
Aside from being Scotland's sunniest city, Dundee punches well above its weight for culture, affordability and quality of life. If you're comparing cities as part of your university decision, here's what you need to know.
Dundee is consistently ranked as one of the most affordable student cities in the UK. Rent is lower than Edinburgh and Glasgow. A night out costs less. That means your bursary or loan goes further here than it would in many other Scottish cities.
Dundee is one of the most compact cities in Scotland. The Abertay campus is right in the city centre. Your halls, the train station, the waterfront, shops, cafes and pubs are all within a 10-15 minute walk. Most students don't need a car or even a bus pass.
That saves you money and time. No hour-long commutes across town to get to a lecture.
Dundee is a UNESCO City of Design and home to V&A Dundee, the only V&A museum outside London. The city has a thriving arts and culture scene that includes:
V&A Dundee, with free entry to the permanent galleries
Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA), with cinema, exhibitions and a brilliant cafe bar
Dundee Rep Theatre, Scotland's only full-time repertory theatre
A growing independent food and drink scene, from brunch spots to craft beer
A heritage in games and comics, including the city's connection to DC Thomson (The Beano, The Dandy) and a thriving games development industry
Abertay has a global reputation in game design and development and Dundee is one of the UK's leading centres for the games industry. If that's your field, there's no better place to study it.
Dundee sits on the banks of the River Tay, with views across to Fife. Within 30 minutes you can be on the Angus coast, in the foothills of the highlands or walking in the forests of Perthshire. The city itself has Balgay Park, Baxter Park, Magdalen Green, The Law and the waterfront all within walking distance of campus.
If you're into running, cycling, hillwalking, surfing or just getting outside at weekends, Dundee's location is hard to beat.
Dundee is well connected by rail and road:
From Edinburgh: 1 hour 20 minutes by train
From Glasgow: 1 hour 30 minutes by train
From Aberdeen: 1 hour 20 minutes by train
From Perth: 25 minutes by train
From Inverness: Around 2 hours by train
Dundee railway station is a 10-minute walk from campus. There are regular direct services to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and beyond. Megabus, Ember and Citylink coaches also run frequent services to major towns and cities.
Dundee is a friendly, close-knit city. Students make up a significant proportion of the population and the city centre feels safe and welcoming. As a smaller city, you'll quickly get to know your local area and feel at home.
Dundee has an excellent range of pubs, bars and clubs, many within walking distance of campus and student halls. The city centre and Perth Road area are the main social hubs. There are regular student nights, live music, comedy and a cinema at DCA.
It's not Glasgow or Edinburgh in terms of sheer volume, but most students find that's part of the appeal. It's big enough to have plenty going on, but small enough that you bump into people you know.
Dundee as a city welcomed me in, and I'm now happy to be a proper Dundonian with no plans to leave any time soon!Harry Petch | Abertay University | BA (Hons) Game Design and Production graduate
