Abertay University (UK)
Abertay University, located in Dundee, Scotland, is one of the most unique universities I've ever visited.
Founded in 1888 as the Dundee Technical Institute and later gaining university status in 1994, it has since seen a number of historical feats.
These include offering the world's first computer games degree in 1997, launching the world's first ethical hacking degree in 2006 and becoming the UK's first Centre for Excellence in Computer Games Education in 2009.
Nowadays, Abertay no doubt provides the talent pipeline for a series of successful video game design companies, including Rockstar Dundee (creator of Grand Theft Auto), Ninja Kiwi, Outplay, Tag games and Hyper Luminal.
Here are more of the highlights from my visit!
City of Dundee
One of the first things that struck me about this city was that it's considered 'Scotland's Sunniest City,' and even in the winter, we were blessed with sunny days.
Only an hour and a half from Edinburgh and Glasgow, it was really easy to get to -- with both train and bus links directly from both airports and city centres.
And for a city with 150,000 people, I was also surprised at how lively and artsy it is.
There is also a lot happening around the waterfront, with £1 billion in investments underway to transform the space.
Already, there are parks, museums and plenty of sites to check out, which draw many tourists tourists around the UK and the world.
One such site is the V&A Museum, which reflects the city's status as the UK's first and only UNESCO City of Design.
The city's history is one that was linked with the textile industry in the 1800s, but nowadays, it's an international hub for video game design, which is driven by Abertay.
Affordability-wise, Dundee is much less expensive than Glasgow, Edinburgh and even St Andrews.
Many St Andrews students actually live in Dundee and commute 25 minutes on the bus because of this and also the fact that there is more to do in Dundee.
Although Dundee itself is quite a green city set in natural surroundings, a short 7-minute ride on the train away is the adorable area of Broughty Ferry.
With cute shops and cafes, you can stroll along the coast and wander into Broughty Ferry Castle, which offers stunning views of the surrounding water, too.
Abertay Campus
One of the best benefits of studying at Abertay is that students really feel part of a community.
With 4,000 students on campus, you're a name, not a number.
And while the population of international students is growing (currently 7 percent), 87 percent of students are Scottish, which means one's student experience will also be uniquely Scottish.
Americans, however, make up the largest percentage of undergraduate international students on campus.
This also means that class sizes are small, and the university has funding to provide each student with a career coach.
Abertay's teaching is regularly reviewed and aligns with both local and national needs; however, real world application is the primary focus.
This means there are also work placements and professional projects with industry across most courses.
Because of this and more, in the National Student Survey 2024, Abertay was rated as the top Scottish modern university and in the UK top 10 for teaching.
Its campus is right in the city centre, but by 2027, it will be even more transformed into the new city hub for sport, health and wellbeing.
One of the newer spots for students is the recently renovated library and Students' Association.
Abertay has also allocated capital budget for a digital transformation to help make students’ lives more efficient and friendly, such as improving standards for audio-visual technology in classrooms.
Parker House is where first-year students live just a few minutes' walk from campus, and there are also sometimes students from the University of Dundee and University of St Andrews who live there.
Academics
No doubt, games design is the most notable program at Abertay, which was ranked as the top international school for game design by the Princeton Review in 2024.
It's unlike other game design programs for a number of reasons, including the fact that it has a strong ecosystem with companies (it helps there are 40 game design companies in Dundee).
About 1.1 percent of all the workforce in Dundee is in the game design industry, the second highest being Brighton with only 0.3 percent.
Abertay's programs also integrate the arts side of things with the technology side (whereas most games courses tend to be one or the other).
The degrees are accredited by ScreenSkills (only a handful of UK programs have this), and it has one of the UK's largest PlayStation development labs.
All students, regardless of course, have access to the new Competitive Games Lab, which features 20 high-end gaming machines, where students compete and play (no teaching is done here).
But students aren't just developing games for fun.
They also have a social focus, such as creating a game for cystic fibrosis patients to practice their breathing.
Research at Abertay is dedicated to widening access to games (through hardware or other accessibility features), ultimately making everyone feel welcome.
Lastly, whilst all their programs focus on programming, no coding experience is required to start the course.
And if students do figure out they don't want to be a game designer, the programs are fundamentally computer science degrees with a games flavor, so their skills will still be strong enough to work in software engineering.
Other areas where Abertay excels is in Food Science and Forensic Science, and the facilities are fantastic.
For Food Science, they have a consumer testing room, featuring color-changing lights and positive airflow to remove smell bias, a freeze dryer, spray dryer, pasteurization equipment, brewing facility, vacuum packing and more.
In Forensic Science, they have have a mock court room where students practice giving evidence for the law students working mock cases.
And let's not forget: there is also a crime scene house!
Abertay's Forensic Science program is also the only course in the UK outside of a medical or dental one that takes students to a mortuary.
Summary: Abertay University
Abertay University is the perfect university for any student looking for a campus with a strong community feel and where personalized support is a priority.
Its small size grants it a number of benefits, such as an ability to invest in the student experience and facilities, whilst also ensuring all students have the practical experience necessary to find jobs upon completion.
And located centrally in the heart of the student-friendly city of Dundee, it's a no-brainer option for many, particularly those interested in game design.
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