Higher education in Scotland for international studens. List of 16 top institutions, 2023 fees, rankings
- Education information
- Universities of Scotland for international students
- Features of studying in Scotland: higher education for foreign students
- Admission to high school in Scotland - stages and requiremets for foreign students
- Professional courses in Scotland for foreign students
- Learning programs-summary information
- Top 15 best universities in Switzerland 2022
- Top 10 best universities in Netherlands 2022
- Top 35 best universities and colleges in Canada 2022
- Times Higher Education’s top 50 best universities in USA 2022
- Top 50 best universities in the UK 2022
- Cost of living in Scotland
- Accommodation in Scotland per month












Alternative destinations
Education information
Today, Scotland is the leading country among best destinations for educational tourism according to foreign students. Italy attracts international students with high-quality educational services, a wide range of schools and colleges, exciting cultural programs. SMAPSE offers TOP-10 prestigious universities in Scotland where international students can get high-quality and balanced higher education that will open wide career opportunitites.
Please, don't hesitate to contact SMAPSE experts as they are always ready to answer all your questions.
Universities of Scotland for international students
University |
Location |
University of St. Andrews |
St Andrews, Fife |
University of Glasgow |
Glasgow |
University of Aberdeen |
Aberdeen |
University of Edinburgh |
Edinburgh |
University of Strathclyde |
Glasgow |
Heriot Watt University |
Edinburgh |
Dundee University |
Dundee |
Stirling University |
Stirling |
University of Edinburgh Napier |
Edinburgh |
Robert Gordon University |
Aberdeen |
University of Glasgow Caledonia |
Glasgow |
Dundee University Aberdeen |
Dundee |
Queen Margaret University |
Masselburg, East Lothian |
University of Western Scotland |
Paisley, Hamilton, Dumfries and Ayr |
University of the Highlands and Islands |
Highlands |
Features of studying in Scotland: higher education for foreign students
Although the local education system is based on classic British traditions, Scottish educational institutions have their own characteristics:
- At universities in Scotland, students study for 4 years, and not 3, as in England. And the structure itself is more flexible: students can choose to study disciplines from different faculties. Double-qualified programs are very popular - economics and finance, law and management, and other interesting options
- Universities in Scotland almost every year fall into the TOP-20 best universities in the UK. Many higher schools also occupy leading positions in preparing specialists in a particular specialization.
- For the most part, studying at universities in Scotland will cost less than at English universities. The only exception is the Scottish capital: Edinburgh has high living standards, which is why the city ranks second after London among the list of the most expensive.
In general, the cost of studying at universities in Scotland for foreign students will vary from 7.000-25.000 pounds. Getting an education here is a rather profitable investment, because the amount of financial costs will be lower than in the case of England, the USA or other European countries. An opportunity to save applies not only to educational programs, but also to renting a house or paying for residence, off-campus meals and other expenses that tourists usually have.
In Scotland, as in many other European countries, university students can combine studying with work. One of the available options is to work on the campus of the university, but the places here are quickly taken apart, so we recommend you to be puzzled with the search for a job in advance. An opportunity to combine some kind of activity with studies largely depends on the student himself, because there will be a lot of academic workload at a Scottish university.
Admission to high school in Scotland - stages and requiremets for foreign students
Admission requirements to universities in Scotland are not much different from British ones. As in England, an application for undergraduate studies is submitted through the UCAS service, for Master's programs - directly through the selected faculty.
Before entering, all international students are advised to complete Foundation program or to complete the Scottish SIFP course. The process of going through preparation programs may take 1-2 years. Also, to study in Scotland, students need have excellent command of English. If there are gaps, you need to study at a language school, where at the same time you can prepare for IELTS test (it is also required when entering the university).
All applicants will also need a Bachelor’s diploma to enter a Master's program at Scottish universities. Master's programs take 1-2 years. An applicant will also need to draw up documents (confirmation of the first higher education, a letter of motivation and recommendations from the previous place of study) and send it in time.
Professional courses in Scotland for foreign students
HNC - Higher National Certificate
In the British educational system, HNC / HND degrees are the first stages of higher education (even before the Bachelor's degree): HNC (Higher National Certificate, 1 year) and HND (Higher National Diploma, 2 years). Most of the working specialties are available to students already after completing the HNC / HND courses - they can start working. Also, these programs are valuable in that they involve a huge number of internships: students test all acquired knowledge in practice, graduating as qualified and already quite experienced specialists.
At Edinburgh College, HNC programs are available in a wide range of specialties and areas:
- Art and design
- Automotive and Engineering
- Media, photography and visual communications
- Building
- Finance and business
- Decoration and interior design
- Work with children
- Computer Science, Informatics and Programming
- Pharmacology, medicine and dentistry
- Engineering science
- Electrical engineering
- Hairdressing and beauty industry
- Health and social services
- Retail
- Hospitality and Tourism
- Event Management
- Modern foreign languages
- Music producing
- Performing Arts and Theater
- Cookery
- Science and research
- Social and Human Sciences
- Sports, physical education and fitness
- Travel and tourism.
The cost of studying at Edinburgh College is (price is for 1 person):
1) Preparatory courses (Introductory & Access courses (SCQF Level 6)):
- 18 weeks = £ 3300
- Academic year = 6600 £
2) HNC - Higher National Certificate (SCQF Level 7):
- 18 weeks = 4800 £
- Academic year = £ 7000.
Learning programs-summary information
Name | Meaning | Equivalent | Min. age | Duration, years |
Next stage | Cost |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GCSE | General certificate of secondary education | secondary education (non-accomplished) | 14 | 1–2 | A-Levels | 15,000 USD+ |
A-Levels | Advanced level | secondary education (accomplished) | 16 | 2 | University | 15,000 USD+ |
BTEC | Business and Technology Education Board | secondary special education | 14 | 2–3 | University/ work | 15,000 USD+ |
Oxbridge Preparation | Preparing for Oxford and Cambridge | secondary education (accomplished) | 17 | 1 | University | 15,000 USD+ |
International Baccalaureate | International baccalaureate | secondary education (accomplished) | 16 | 2 | University | 18,000 USD+ |
Foundation/ Pathway Year | Preparatory year | admission to the 1st year of university | 17 | 1 | University | 14,000 USD+ |
NCUK | The Northern consortium | 2 year university | 17,5 | 1 | 2 year University of NCUK | 13,000 USD+ |
Special Preparation (Medics/Math/Business) | Specialized training | - | 14 | optional | optional | 4,000 USD+ |
Academic English | Academic English | Language school | 8 + | 6–12 months | School or University | 8,000 USD+ |
Top 15 best universities in Switzerland 2022
1 | Glion Institute of Higher Education Switzerland |
2 | Les Roches International School Montana |
3 | César Ritz Colleges Switzerland |
4 | IHTTI School of Hotel Management |
5 | Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne |
6 | Geneva Business School |
7 | EU Business School Montreux |
8 | HIM Hotel Institute Montreux |
9 | Swiss Hotel Management School |
10 | Webster University Geneva |
11 | Business and Hotel Management School |
12 | Luzern IMI |
13 | Swiss Hotel Management School (SHMS) Caux |
14 | International University in Geneva |
15 | Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland |
Top 10 best universities in Netherlands 2022
Top 35 best universities and colleges in Canada 2022
1 | University of Toronto |
2 | McGill University |
3 | University of British Columbia |
4 | University of Alberta |
5 | Simon Fraser University |
6 | Montreal University |
7 | University of Windsor |
8 | York University |
9 | University of Guelph |
10 | McMaster University |
11 | University of Manitoba |
12 | University of Waterloo |
13 | Royal Roads University |
14 | Vancouver Film School |
15 | Kwantlen Polytechnic University |
16 | University of Calgary |
17 | Dalhousie University |
18 | Fanshawe College |
19 | University of Ottawa |
20 | Laval University |
21 | Sheridan College |
22 | University of Regina |
23 | Brock University |
24 | Thompson Rivers University |
25 | Humber College |
26 | Vancouver Island University |
27 | Mohawk College |
28 | Centennial College Toronto |
29 | Niagara College |
30 | Capilano University |
31 | Seneca College |
32 | Algoma University |
33 | Saint Clair College |
34 | Douglas College |
35 | LaSalle College |
Times Higher Education’s top 50 best universities in USA 2022
World University Rank | US Rank | University | City | State |
2 | 1 | Stanford University | Stanford | California |
3 | 2 | Harvard University | Cambridge | Massachusetts |
4 | 3 | California Institute of Technology | Pasadena | California |
5 | 4 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge | Massachusetts |
7 | 5 | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley | California |
8 | 6 | Yale University | New Haven | Connecticut |
9 | 7 | Princeton University | Princeton | New Jersey |
10 | 8 | University of Chicago | Chicago | Illinois |
12 | 9 | Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore | Maryland |
13 | 10 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania |
15 | 11 | University of California, Los Angeles | Los Angeles | California |
17 | 12 | Columbia University | New York City | New York |
19 | 13 | Cornell University | Ithaca | New York |
=20 | 14 | Duke University | Durham | North Carolina |
22 | 15 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor | Michigan |
24 | 16 | Northwestern University | Evanston | Illinois |
26 | 17 | New York University | New York City | New York |
28 | 18 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania |
29 | 19 | University of Washington | Seattle | Washington |
33 | 20 | University of California, San Diego | San Diego | California |
38 | 21 | Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta | Georgia |
44 | 22 | University of Texas at Austin | Austin | Texas |
48 | 23 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign | Illinois |
49 | 24 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | Madison | Wisconsin |
50 | 25 | Washington University in St Louis | St. Louis | Missouri |
53 | 26 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles | California |
=54 | 27 | Boston University | Boston | Massachusetts |
=56 | 28 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | North Carolina |
61 | 29 | Brown University | Providence | Rhode Island |
=64 | 30 | University of California, Davis | Davis | California |
68 | 31 | University of California, Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | California |
=80 | 32 | Ohio State University (Main campus) | Columbus | Ohio |
=85 | =33 | Emory University | Atlanta | Georgia |
=85 | =33 | University of Minnesota | Minneapolis | Minnesota |
90 | 35 | University of Maryland, College Park | College Park | Maryland |
=94 | 36 | Purdue University West Lafayette | West Lafayette | Indiana |
=98 | 37 | University of California, Irvine | Irvine | California |
=101 | 38 | Dartmouth College | Hanover | New Hampshire |
105 | 39 | Michigan State University | East Lansing | Michigan |
=111 | 40 | Vanderbilt University | Nashville | Tennessee |
=114 | 41 | Penn State (Main campus) | State College | Pennsylvania |
117 | 42 | University of Virginia (Main campus) | Charlottesville | Virginia |
120 | 43 | Georgetown University | Washington D.C | |
=121 | 44 | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland | Ohio |
=124 | 45 | University of Arizona | Tucson | Arizona |
=124 | =45 | Rice University | Houston | Texas |
=131 | 47 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder | Colorado |
=133 | 48 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campus | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania |
=140 | 49 | Indiana University | Bloomington | Indiana |
=147 | 50 | University of Rochester | Rochester (NY) | New York |
Top 50 best universities in the UK 2022
1 | Cambridge |
2 | Oxford |
3 | St Andrews |
4 | London School of Economics |
5 | Imperial College London |
6 | Loughborough |
7 | Durham |
8 | Lancaster |
9 | University of Bath |
10 | East Anglia (UEA) |
11 | University College London |
12 | Warwick |
13 | Exeter |
14 | Birmingham |
15 | Bristol |
16 | Edinburgh |
17 | Leeds |
18 | Manchester |
19 | Southampton |
20 | Glasgow |
21 | King's College London |
22 | Nottingham |
23 | York |
24 | Newcastle |
25 | Royal Holloway, University of London |
26 | East Anglia (UEA) |
27 | Aberdeen |
28 | Queen's University Belfast |
29 | Sheffield |
30 | Heriot-Watt |
31 | Cardiff |
32 | Dundee |
33 | Swansea |
34 | Liverpool |
35 | Surrey |
36 | Queen Mary, University of London |
37 | SOAS University of London |
38 | Leicester |
39 | Reading |
40 | Sussex |
41 | Essex |
42 | Harper Adams University |
43 | Aston |
44 | University for the Creative Arts |
45 | University of Stirling |
46 | Nottingham Trent |
47 | Kent |
48 | Arts University Bournemouth |
49 | Oxford Brookes |
50 | Lincoln |
Cost of living in Scotland
Expenses - USD/Month. | Min. |
---|---|
Accommodation | 598 |
Food | 413 |
Transportation | 61 |
Communications and utilities | 96 |
Clothing | 36 |
Sports and leisure | 52 |
Total | 1,256 |
Accommodation in Scotland per month
Shared room outside of centre | 604$ |
---|---|
Shared room in city centre | 795$ |
1 bedroom apartment outside of centre | 914$ |
1 bedroom apartment in city centre | 1242$ |