University of Strathclyde guide: Rankings, open days, fees and accommodation
Overview
Strathclyde, which wins our UK University of the Year award, is a model 21st-century university. It is among the UK's leading engineering and technological universities, turning out thousands of high-quality graduates each year in areas of national shortage, and has a strong social conscience. It was our Scottish University of the Year in 2023 and all the qualities that earned the university recognition then still apply today. It was established as a 'place of useful learning' more than 225 years ago and its course portfolio keeps that founding aspiration alive. The university's success is evident in the outstanding graduate employment prospects enjoyed by its students. Strathclyde's social commitment can be seen in the large numbers of students drawn from non-traditional backgrounds; it has the biggest proportion of students from the most deprived 20% of Scottish postcodes of any high-tariff, research-intensive Scottish university. Admissions in September 2024 were close to an all-time high. While the domestic intake is predominantly Scottish (95% or more), there is good financial support for so-called Rest of UK (RUK) students, as well as for those recruited from areas of deprivation and schools with low rates of progression to higher education in Scotland. Across all four faculties - engineering, humanities and social sciences, science and its Business School - industry and business routinely have input on course structure and programme delivery, with many of those companies offering placements to students.
Paying the bills
The Strathclyde Talent Award Scheme (STAR) supports students from some of the most-deprived corners of Scotland, who are much more numerous here than is the norm in universities like Strathclyde which demand high entry grades. The scholarship is worth £1,500 a year - a £250 increase on last year - to more than 400 students recruited from Scottish secondary schools with low rates of progression to higher education; those from the most-deprived postcodes; care leavers; young carers; and those estranged from their parents. Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Rest of UK, or RUK) now pay four years of tuition fees at £9,535 per year following the abolition of a fourth-year fee waiver. But the university seeks to offset at least some of the extra costs involved in taking a four-year Scottish degree with up to £17,000 of support available. 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). More than £970,000 was paid out in hardship support to students last year, and about 65 student athletes currently hold Performance Sport scholarships worth up to £1,000 per year, plus £3,750 of in-kind support. More than 1,500 places in student residential accommodation start at £5,015 per year for a standard single room on a 39-week contract and rise to £7,920 for a 44-week contract in ensuite accommodation in Kyle Park House.
What's new?
A new coffee shop with a difference has opened on campus in the Lord Todd Building, which acts as a facilities hub at the heart of Strathclyde's student residential accommodation. The Social Bite cafe is the first in a university setting. Social Bite is a charity and social business working to eradicate homelessness by employing staff who have been homeless and distributing free food at designated times. The cafe is open to staff, students and members of the wider public. The Lord Todd student accommodation block, along with the neighbouring Birkbeck and Murray Hall accommodation, have recently been connected to the university's district energy network as part of the university's drive towards net zero. Continuing the green theme, Strathclyde's Heart of Campus improvement programme has led to several streets around the city centre campus being pedestrianised in a drive to improve the visual appeal and biodiversity of Strathclyde's green space and streetscape. The main Andersonian Library has had additional windows installed to create a lighter, airier working environment for students, and the university's print unit has moved to street-front premises in the library building. The new facilities give students a wider choice of print options and printed materials.
Admissions, teaching and student support
The Young Strathclyder widening-access programme is the university's main vehicle for raising aspiration and attainment among school pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds from primary age upwards. By both headcount and proportion of students drawn from the 20% of Scottish postcodes considered to be the most deprived, Strathclyde is the leading recruiter among research-intensive (highly selective) universities - the product of an admissions policy which pledges to 'consider academic achievement within the context in which it was gained'. In the academic year 2024-25, this translates to having 276 students on roll who have been in care, 1,687 students with unpaid caring responsibilities, 672 students who are estranged from their parents and more than 3,000 students with disabilities. Minimum entry (contextual) offers are made to applicants from the 40% of postcodes in Scotland considered to be the most deprived; the 20% in England with the lowest rates of progression to university; those from target schools which send few leavers to university; and carers or the care-experienced. The level of these lowered offers varies by course. Bespoke support is in place for students recruited under widening-access policies to help them progress and succeed; this includes getting priority when applying for hardship funding and accommodation. Mental health and wellbeing support services are offered in-person and online and a daily Zoom drop-in, facilitated by counsellors, is open to all students. Strathclyde is one of few universities to run a Wellbeing Contact initiative which asks all students at registration to provide details of a trusted individual whom the university can contact if there is a serious concern for the student's welfare. The Spectrum.Life app offers students 24/7 mental health and counselling support, and they have access to online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programmes covering a range of topics.