Your Edinburgh Adventure
For over 200 years our pioneering research and education has made a positive impact on the global stage. We continue to push new frontiers in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Business and Design.
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Life in Edinburgh
Safe, friendly, vibrant, and exciting; this is Edinburgh, your next adventure.
Edinburgh was voted 'The Best City for Culture' by Time Out in 2023 and it's not hard to see why. From music and film, to theatre and comedy, there’s a bit of culture to suit everyone. And Edinburgh is home to the world’s largest arts festivals like the Edinburgh Fringe and loads of fantastic, and free, museums
and art galleries.
There is also a huge variety of clubs, pubs and bars each offering a unique atmosphere to suit your mood on how you want to socialise. And when you fancy some food, there’s always a restaurant or cafe to suit your taste, with new pop-up eateries and unique foodie spots appearing all the time.
And for those who need the occasional break from city living, there are hiking trails, green spaces, gardens, beaches and more within the city itself or within easy reach by bike, bus, tram and train.
Edinburgh is closer than you think
It’s easy to travel further afield from Edinburgh, as we’re just a short bus, train or plane ride away from anywhere in the UK. If you were to hop on a plane from London, you’d be with us in just over an hour.
Heriot-Watt is based on a 380-acre green campus, six miles from Edinburgh city centre. It's well served by buses that stop outside our main entrance and that get you into the city centre in 30 minutes. As a student you can travel by bus for free with the Young Scot Card.
If you plan on having visitors there are plenty of options for hotels in Edinburgh and the Courtyard by Marriot hotel on campus.
£1500 Travel Home Bursary
We appreciate that moving away from home is a big transition, especially if you’ve come from further away. The no-strings attached £1,500 bursary means you can visit home whenever you like (or spend however you’d like). You will receive three payments of £500 directly into your bank account in October, February and April in your first year with us.
Travel Home Bursary
Together We Shape Your Future
Our degrees are career-focused and relevant to the needs of business and industry. We will help you to meet some of the world’s top employers such as PwC and Cisco. They actively seek out our graduates due to our reputation for developing the right know-how and skills for today’s workplaces.
All our students, whichever campus they study at, have lifelong access to career support services. These services include our GRADfutures vacancies platform, and our ‘Aspiring Futures’ programme which supports students who face additional employability barriers.
Our Careers and Graduate Futures Service also provides tailor-made advice and will support you with CVs, applying for jobs, selection tests and interviews.
We also try to give our students every opportunity to earn whilst studying with Unitemps. This is a campus-based job agency that places Heriot-Watt students in temporary roles within the University. It provides opportunities to work in a wide variety of areas such as events, social media, hospitality, logistics and administration. Once you’re signed up, you can also apply for roles in every city where Unitemps has an office. This could mean easy access to temporary work during holidays.
Why Heriot-Watt University?
Top UK rankings
We are ranked 256th in the World and 32nd in the UK in the QS World University Rankings.
Graduate employability
1st in Scotland and 2nd in the UK for graduate employability (Graduate Outcomes Survey, 2024) and Heriot-Watt graduates earn an average salary of £28,000.
Guaranteed Accommodation
Stay in safe and secure housing on our beautiful parkland campus in Edinburgh within walking distance of teaching buildings, library and the Student Union.
Student facilities
1st in Scotland and 3rd in the UK for the amount spent on student facilities (Complete University Guide, 2023).
Your student life
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Download the 2025 prospectus or request a printed copy.
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