Fast Facts
- Ranked in the top 30 universities in the UK (Complete University Guide 2021 and The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020)
- Scottish University of the Year 2019 (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019)
- In the top 170 universities in the world (Times Higher Education (World) 2020)
- Community of more than 130 nationalities, with 15,000 students
- Five Nobel Laureates are associated with the University of Aberdeen
- 75% of research classified as world leading (REF 2014)
- Global international networks: campus in Qatar, Alliance with Curtin University and Partnerships in Sri Lanka
- 1st in the UK for dentistry (Guardian University League Table 2020)
- 2nd in the UK for sports science (Complete University Guide 2021)
- Top 25 in the world for Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies, top 100 for Anthropology, Archaeology and Agriculture (2020 QS World University Rankings by subject)
- The University was presented with the 2018 Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its world-class health services research
- Outstanding sports facilities include Olympic-standard Aberdeen Sports Village and Aquatic Centre
- Ranked 38th in the world for Gender Equality by the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2020
- This year, the University is marking its 525th birthday by celebrating its rich and diverse achievements of the past and with the launch of a new strategic vision – Aberdeen 2040
League Tables
The national and global league tables are calculated using different criteria and weighting but all include; student satisfaction, student to staff ratio, graduate prospects, and entry grades.
| League Table | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complete University Guide (UK) | 44 | 40 | 42 | 40 | 28 | 29 | 26 |
| Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide (UK) | 44 | 45 | 44 | 40 | 26 | 27 | - |
| Guardian University League Table (UK) | 41 | 41 | 36 | 46 | 51 | 34 | - |
| Times Higher Education (UK) | 26 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 22 | 25 | - |
| Times Higher Education (World) | 178 | 172 | 188 | 185 | 158 | 168 | - |
| QS World Rankings (UK) | 24 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 28 |
| QS World Rankings (World) | 137 | 137 | 141 | 158 | 172 | 194 | 207 |
- The Complete University Guide 2021
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Sports Science 2nd Accounting & Finance 4th Medicine 4th Linguistics 5th Law 6th Electrical & Electronic Engineering 8th Education 9th Civil Engineering 10th Business & Management Studies 11th Geology 12th General Engineering 13th Dentistry 13th English 14th Theology & Religious Studies 14th History of Art 14th Anatomy & Physiology 14th Music 16th Anthropology 16th Pharmacology 16th Economics 17th Mathematics 20th Psychology 20th History 21st Chemical Engineering 21st Geography & Environmental Science 23rd - The Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020
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Theology & Religious Studies 6th Law 7th Civil Engineering 7th Medicine 9th Linguistics 11th Sport Science 11th Education 12th History of Art, Architecture and Design 12th General Engineering 12th Pharmacology and Pharmacy 12th Music 13th English 14th Anatomy & Physiology 14th Geology 14th Anthropology 15th Philosophy 15th Economics 20th Chemical Engineering 22nd Business Studies 24th - Guardian University League Table 2020
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Dentistry 1st Medicine 2nd Anthropology 4th Sociology 7th Law 9th Anatomy & Physiology 12th Physics 14th General Engineering 14th Earth & Marine Sciences 20th Pharmacy & Pharmacology 21st Computer Science & Information Systems 24th - Leiden Rankings 2021
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The Leiden University Rankings use bibliometric indicators to measure the performance of universities across the world.
Scientific Impact
Ranked 29th in the UK for the scientific impact of its research.
Research Collaboration
The University is ranked 8th in the UK and 1st in Scotland for collaborative research that takes place with partners across the world.
Open Access Publishing
The University is ranked 49th in the world for the number of Open Access publications. 78.5% of publications by University of Aberdeen researchers are Open Access.
Research Gender Diversity
This year, the university is ranked 8th in the UK for gender diversity. The University has consistently been ranked highly in the UK for the gender diversity of its researchers.