Student guide to Aberdeen

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Students love Aberdeen, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a vibrant coastal location with a low cost of living and is considered to be one of the safest places to live in the whole of the UK. There’s history around every corner, plenty of modern attractions and amenities, and two world-class universities which date back over 500 years. This architecturally distinctive city is a rock-solid choice for anyone who’s looking for a first-rate education at student-friendly prices. Studying by the beach doesn’t hurt either! Read on to find out more.

Student activities in Aberdeen
Nightlife in Aberdeen
Student accommodation in Aberdeen
Transport in Aberdeen
Student costs in Aberdeen
What Aberdeen is famous for
Universities in Aberdeen

Student activities in Aberdeen

You’ll be spoilt for choice here. Aberdeen is packed with beaches and bars – whisky and music being specialties of the bars – but one of the city’s top attractions is actually golf. Aberdeen is a haven for golfers, and is home to four 18-hole courses and a smaller nine-hole course. Golf was invented in Scotland and is now one of the most widespread sports in the world, so if you fancy a change from student bars and clubs, then why not grab your golf balls and clubs and head down to your local course?

Read our list of the top 10 student things to do in Aberdeen.

Nightlife in Aberdeen

Aberdeen hosts a great night out. You’ll have plenty of options for food, drink, and entertainment at prices which easily fit within a weekly student budget. There’s a landscape of traditional pubs serving beer and local ales at an average price of £3.70 per pint. Aberdeen’s oldest pub, Ma Cameron’s, is definitely worth a visit. It’s over 300 years old, and still going strong.

Jazz connoisseurs will love The Blue Lamp, one of Aberdeen’s top music venues which lays down an exciting programme of artists and boasts a premium sound system. A welcoming ambiance is also provided, and the venue also hosts live stand-up comedy shows.

But what about a place to dance? Well then, you’ll definitely want to check out Krakatoa. Established in 1965, Krakatoa is Aberdeen's original live music bar. Located by the harbour and city centre, the bar is a student favourite with live music and late-night DJs on Friday and Saturday until 3am. The music tends to be a mix of rock, punk, disco, funk, soul, and electronica, with an equally impressive mix of specialty drinks.

Student accommodation in Aberdeen

Once you’ve sorted out tuition fees, you’ll need to start making a budget for your remaining costs.

Accommodation is the big one, although it might not set you back as much as you think. Aberdeen is known for its attractive cost of living, and accommodation rates are generally much lower than in the rest of Scotland and the UK.

Aberdeen has two universities: the University of Aberdeen, and Robert Gordon University. Each offers a variety of housing options in halls of residence accommodation, which is a convenient and cost-effective way to start your student life. Rooms are organised in self-catered apartments with shared kitchen and living spaces. Prices at Robert Gordon University start around £100 per week for a single room with a shared bathroom and increase to £175 per week for the largest rooms with ensuite facilities. At the University of Aberdeen, prices range similarly between £99 - £170. One cost-saving advantage of living in halls of residence is that your rent fee will cover all utilities bills and internet.

At some point, you’ll need to rent a house or apartment locally. This is where Aberdeen’s housing market really starts to work in your favour. If you choose to live alone, you can find a one-bedroom apartment in the city centre for around £550 per month. This is extremely good value, at around half the cost of a similar apartment in Edinburgh. If you’d prefer to live with friends, then you’ll find the average price of a three-bedroom apartment at just £1,020 per month which works out at less than £350 per person.

Transport in Aberdeen

Aberdeen is a fairly walkable city, and is easy to navigate either by foot or by bike. If you’d prefer to take public transport, then you can expect to pay £3 for a one-way train or bus ticket, which is little more expensive than most places in Scotland. If you’re going to be using public transport daily, then we recommend looking for a monthly student pass, which will give you unlimited travel for a much lower daily rate.

Train tickets from Aberdeen to other Scottish cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh are surprisingly affordable and can cost less than £15 if you buy the ticket a few weeks in advance. Perfect for a day trip or weekend getaway!

Student costs in Aberdeen

We’ve already covered the big one – accommodation, but that’s not all you’ll need to budget for. Another regular expense is groceries and, with 200,000 residents, Aberdeen has a wide variety of supermarkets and independent stores to choose from. Students typically spend around £30 per week on food and drink items, and there are many ways to make this budget go a little further. We recommend shopping around for low-cost outlets such as Aldi and Lidl and using a loyalty card to acquire points and get access to the best deals.

Learn more about the cost of living in Aberdeen.

What Aberdeen is famous for

Aberdeen was once the granite mining capital of the world, and large parts of the city are built with this impressive and enduring stone. Sometimes known as ‘The Granite City’, shipments of stone would travel from Aberdeen to many places in the UK and Europe throughout much of the 19th and 20th centuries.

A particularly hard and durable grey rock, granite is embedded with shining silver particles which reflect rays of light and cause the stone to shimmer and glitter on sunny days. There are granite buildings all over Aberdeen, and Slains Castle is one of them. It’s an imposing structure and was famously the inspiration for the castle of Count Dracula in Bram Stoker’s classic vampire novel.

Universities in Aberdeen

The University of Aberdeen is a world-class institution with around 15,000 students. It offers courses across a wide range of subjects and holds the distinction of being the fifth oldest university in Britain, being founded in 1495, which is an astonishing 500 years of educational heritage. The university is home to a diverse international body of students, with over 120 countries represented in the community.

Robert Gordon University is similarly sized with around 16,000 students and maintains an impressive track record in engaging its students with industry leading organisations and developing both regional and national workforces. It provides a fantastic student experience and is rated highly by student reviewers.

If you think Aberdeen is the uni city for you, start searching for courses now.