Why choose Edinburgh? The student perspective | Study abroad in Edinburgh

Hear what our students like most about studying here in our latest video about Study Abroad in Edinburgh, along with our top five reasons for choosing Edinburgh.

What’s it like in Edinburgh?

Let our current visiting students tell you about their experiences of the city as we follow the highs and lows of their year abroad in Edinburgh.

Study Abroad Blog

Why choose Edinburgh?

Our visiting students reveal the top 5 reasons they chose to study with us here in Edinburgh:

1. The city

The University of Edinburgh is located in the very heart of Scotland’s capital; a capital which is consistently considered one of the most desirable places to live in the world, and is also ranked the greenest in the UK.

Wherever you are in Edinburgh you’re never far from nature.

Edinburgh has truly evolved me into my most mature and authentic self, and it is surreal thinking I have become the young woman high school me had once envisioned. A core lesson I have learned is to never set a limit on your dreams. I know it sounds cliché, but traveling the U.K. and Europe in my twenties once felt so out of reach, and if it weren’t for my passion for experiencing living abroad I would not have the privilege to be writing this right now.

Take a virtual tour

2. Tourism

Despite its small size (and population of around only 550,000 people), Edinburgh has all of the social and cultural assets of a city. It’s no surprise that Edinburgh is one of the UK’s leading tourist destinations, coming second only to London.

Studying in Edinburgh gives our students a chance to live in the Old and New towns of Edinburgh and explore them for themselves.

The nature of an academic semester or year abroad, the nature of being a visiting student, is unforgivingly ephemeral. It’s in the name: we are only visitors. Yet, we spend months living here as a local might, finding our favorite coffee spots and making friends and walking the same routes to class each day. We put down roots, with the knowledge that they can only go down so deep, and that one day soon we will have to pull them back up.

With a wide range of museums, art galleries, theatres and cinemas, and playing host to 12 festivals each year (including the world’s largest arts festival) Edinburgh offers plenty to see and do all year round.

Our international airport and centrally located railway station ensure that we’re well connected to the UK and the rest of the world.

3. Reputation and ranking

The University of Edinburgh has been at the forefront of knowledge since it was founded in 1583.

Today, we’re proud to be one of the world’s top 50 universities*. We’re 34th in the most recent QS World University Rankings

* QS World University ranking 2026

We welcome over 2000 visiting students every year and we’re pleased to say that each year over 90% of students say they would recommend the University of Edinburgh to others.

Time flies when you are having fun. Outside of a robust social life, I cannot believe how much I have enjoyed my classes. Even the hours I’ve spent over policy briefs and quantities traded felt special because these are courses I could not take back home, experiences I am having abroad. The people I have met in my classes, a lot of them other visiting students, have so many interesting and new perspectives I would not have been able to hear about at most other universities.

4. Social life

We encourage our students to get involved with as many clubs and societies as possible whilst in Edinburgh, and there are over 360 to choose from: from Harry Potter to astrobiology, from chocolate to the Tango, there is a society out there for everyone!

Student societies

The University’s sport and exercise facilities are considered some of the very best in the UK, and with over 70 sports clubs to choose from at the University of Edinburgh it’s easy to keep fit and healthy whilst studying here.

Edinburgh also has a great nightlife and all of the bars, clubs and venues you might expect from a vibrant capital city.

We’re really proud of our student-run Erasmus Student Network Edinburgh, which is a great place to socialise and have a coffee with fellow students. The Erasmus Student Network Edinburgh also organises events and subsidised trips for international students, which are a great way to explore Scotland and parts of the UK.

Erasmus Student Network Edinburgh

A Chinese proverb says, “Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles.” Edinburgh’s magic lies in its seamless blending of nature and culture.

5. Personal safety and security

Edinburgh is generally considered to be a very safe student city, with a low crime rate.

The University of Edinburgh regularly receives very high satisfaction ratings for safety and security in the International Student Barometer survey.

Regardless, we are not complacent about safety and security and provide a variety of guidance and advice to our new visiting students.

Student Safety and support

One more thing…

The University of Edinburgh is proud to have a diverse student body, including over 11,000 international students from more than 180 countries.

To find out more about what Scotland has to offer international students then please see the ‘Scotland Welcomes the World’ campaign website, established to celebrate the diversity and inclusivity of Scottish education across all 19 of the country’s higher education institutions.

Scotland Welcomes the World

This article was published on 2024-06-24