Diversity in Higher Education

Scotland’s four-year undergraduate degree structure is sometimes referred to as the “gold standard” of university education.  It follows a long-established European tradition and has been emulated in the structure of higher education courses in many countries worldwide, including the United States and most recently Hong Kong. No other country within the UK offers this degree structure as standard.

Advantages of the four-year undergraduate degree include:

• Enhanced flexibility in subject choice which allows students to experience new subjects without committing to them longer-term.
• The opportunity for students to mature academically, honing their intellectual skills, and personally before committing to a specialism.
• Academic breath which is valuable in terms of academic development and is attractive to employers.
• The opportunity for specialisation in later year of the undergraduate degree courses, but from a broader base which provides stronger academic foundations for later study.  

Diversity of course choice

Scotland’s higher education sector is able to offer over 4,500 courses in more than 150 subject groupings at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Each university’s infrastructure, staff-led research propensities and student body activity and input mean that no two degree courses are the same.  

Highly recommended by international students

i-Graduate research shows that 91% of international graduates were satisfied with the learning experience at their university, 86% would recommend studying at a Scottish university, and 84% think that their degree was worth the financial investment. (Source: International Graduate Outcomes 2019 (i-GO):