Edinburgh Napier University guide: Rankings, open days, fees and accommodation
Overview
Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) is one of the most high-achieving and progressive of the modern Scottish universities, achieving both consistently strong rankings in tables such as ours and enduring success in the graduate jobs market for its students. ENU ranks sixth in the UK among modern universities for the proportion of graduates in high-skilled jobs this year, only marginally behind its Russell Group neighbour the University of Edinburgh. Student satisfaction levels captured in the annual National Student Survey remain high, too. When the success of student outcomes is being evaluated, it helps to have hundreds of graduates starting work in our hospitals and schools each year - and Edinburgh Napier has just that. However, the range of courses also spans business, the arts and creative industries, applied sciences, and computing, engineering and the built environment. Split across three campuses, ENU's 15,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students are based on the west side of the Scottish capital. It recruits primarily from Scotland, with all bar 180 of the 2,860 UK-domiciled recruits in September 2023 coming from north of the border.
Paying the bills
Bursary support is focused on the small number of UK students recruited from outside Scotland and those from the Republic of Ireland, who incur fees of £9,250 a year rather than getting their tuition for free. An Access bursary of £2,000 is paid to these students who come from homes with a residual household income of up to £25,000. A £1,000 payment is made to those from homes with income of between £25,001 and £42,600. A separate (and possibly additional) Merit bursary worth £1,000 a year is paid to all 'rest of UK' (RUK) and Republic of Ireland students who achieve BBB or better at A-level (or equivalent). RUK and Irish students are a clever lot, as around 150 Merit bursaries were paid in 2022-23 among an intake of just over 200. RUK and Irish students get a free fourth year of tuition, which brings the cost of a four-year Scottish degree in line with most degrees elsewhere in the UK. All care leavers also get support of up to £1,000 a year. The university paid out almost £230,000 in hardship support in 2022-23, too. Student accommodation costs from £4,568 for a twin room on a 39-week tenancy to £10,092 for a 50-week tenancy in a studio flat.
What's new?
The university's Project Vision was launched last year, with a series of campus conversations in December 2023 examining the future requirements of each academic school and the use of space on the Craiglockhart, Merchiston and Sighthill campuses. The project will review upcoming teaching, research and technology developments and ensure that the university's estate and infrastructure can keep pace. The university is also promising further significant investment in learning and social facilities across its campuses. Two new degrees begin this month in intercultural business communication combined with either tourism management or marketing management. The university is also considering launching a graduate apprenticeship in accounting for September 2025. This would add to the eight graduate apprenticeship programmes currently offered, which expect to have more than 450 learners enrolled between them for the new academic year.
Admissions, teaching and student support
ENU has a lower proportion of first-generation students than most other modern universities - about 40% of the intake - but the university is looking to increase that number. It provides bespoke support services and named contacts for its widening participation intake, and works closely with local and national access initiatives. Around 30% of entrants last September benefited from a contextual offer of between one and three Scottish Higher grades lower than the standard offer. Contextual offer holders are invited to a special event - What's On Offer - ahead of joining the university. This demonstrates to them the range of support services provided to help them succeed, such as access to long-term laptop loans. Mental health and wellbeing support for all students includes short-term counselling, single-session therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness and a programme of mental health workshops. Prior to enrolment, students are offered a number of online courses to help keep them safe at university. These cover sexual consent; racial, sexual and social tolerance; and being an active bystander.
