Edinburgh Napier University

Summary

History

Edinburgh Napier is named after John Napier, a 16th century mathematician and philosopher who invented logarithms and the decimal point. He was born in the tower house of Merchiston Castle and in 1958 this tower was saved from demolition and integrated into a new college called Napier Technical College.

In 1964 the College opened its doors to 800 students who studied coopering, cabinet making, boat building, chemistry and engineering. After a number of mergers, in 1992 Napier is officially inaugurated as a university. It has been rated as Scotland’s best modern university by The Guardian University Guide (2008) and first in Scotland for graduate employability (HESA 2009).

It is now home to over 18,000 students from over 100 countries and recent developments include the £60m state-of-the art Sighthill campus which opened in 2011. 

University Environment

Edinburgh Napier boasts three campuses in the south west of the city, all packed with cutting-edge, innovated facilities designed to support your studies and give you the skills for employment. 

Craiglockhart Campus

The Craiglockhart Campus is home to the Business School, housed in the former Craiglockhart Hydropathic Hospital buildings where First World War poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon were first met and were treated. Alongside the hospital sits the iconic, silver-skinned, egg-shaped Lindsay Stewart Lecture Theatre. Refurbished in 2004 and set within attractive grounds overlooking Edinburgh, its facilities include 200- and 400-seat lecture theatres and digital multimedia labs. Craiglockhart is also home to the innovation and enterprise centre Bright Red Triangle.

Sighthill Campus

Sighthill Campus serves the 5,000 students and staff of the Schools of Life, Sport & Social Sciences and Nursing, Midwifery & Social Care. It’s cutting-edge facilities include a five-storey Learning Resource Centre, state-of-the-art clinical skills suite, hospital wards, a high-dependency unit and dedicated sports science labs. Sighthill is also home to the [EN]GAGE sports centre and the new BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy.

Merchiston Campus

Centrally located, Merchiston Campus is home to the University’s engineers, computer scientists and creative students. Its facilities include the award-winning Jack Kilby Computing Centre, the Edinburgh Napier Students’ Association, computer games and cyber forensics labs, newsroom, photography studios and soundproofed, state-of-the-art music studios. It is also home to a Bright Red Triangle incubator and Vbase, where you can find out about a whole host of enjoyable and rewarding volunteering opportunities. 

Academics

Schools

• The Business School
• School of Applied Science
• School of Arts & Creative Industries
• School of Computing
• School of Engineering & the Built Environment
• School of Health & Social Care

Research

In the latest Research Excellence Framework in 2014 54% of Edinburgh Napier’s research was judged to be either world-leading or internationally excellent. They were rated the top UK modern university for Impact in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences and in the top 25% UK modern universities for Overall research in: Communication, Cultural and Media Studies; Library and Information Management; Computer Science and Informatics; and English language and Literature.

International & Industrial Opportunities

Edinburgh Napier is part of Erasmus+ so you’ve got the opportunity to travel to Europe to study, while you can also go further afield and study for either a trimester or a year in Australia, Canada, China, Japan, New Zealand or the USA.

Many of Edinburgh Napier’s courses come with the option of work-related learning, including live projects, work shadowing, internships and year-long placements. There are also opportunities for students to take part in an employer mentoring programme, which pairs you with a workplace mentor who can help you with your own skills, put you in touch with relevant contacts and give you an insight into a particular industry.

Fees & Finance

Scholarships & Bursaries

The University offer a number of scholarships, bursaries and small project grants to help you make the most of your time at university. These awards are gifted by friends, organisations and graduates of the University who wish to invest in the talent and ambition of today’s students.

Scholarships and bursaries might include funding to cover the cost of course fees, cost-of-living bursaries and hardship funding. Student mobility and small project grants might include: funding for travel, research or study; start-up funding; and funding to support excellence in sport or the creative arts.

Facilities

Learning Facilities

Edinburgh Napier’s libraries offer a wealth of resources, help and advice, as well as a great place to study. As an Edinburgh Napier student you’ll have access to: over 200,000 print and audio-visual learning and research materials; more than 32,000 full-text e-journals and magazines on and off campus; 84,000 eBooks, which you can read online; a mix of quiet and silent study areas for individual and group work; and lectures, workshops and drop-in sessions to give you the research skills you'll need for your course.

At each of the campuses you'll find modern and well-equipped computing resources including more than 1,600 PCs and 200 Macs. The 500-seat Jack Kilby Computing Centre at Merchiston campus is open 24/7 during term time. There are also specialised software packages available, as well as a laptop loan service, while Moodle, is the University’s Virtual Learning Environment. 

Sports Facilities 

If you want to participate competitively, to socialise or just get fit, Edinburgh Napier has more than 20 different clubs available to join. If your chosen activity isn’t catered for, you can seek advice and support to start a club up yourself. If competition is your thing, the University participates in nationwide tournaments and competitions. ENSA Sports also provides opportunities for students to give back to their clubs through the ‘Be Part of It’ programme, allowing students to become involved with coaching, officiating and areas such as performance analysis. 

Modern sports facilities are available across all three campuses including a fitness suite with resistance and cardio machines, and sports hall for activities such as football, netball, badminton, trampolining and wrestling.

Students' Union

Students’ Union 

Edinburgh Napier Students’ Association (ENSA)’s vision is “to enhance students’ experience continually and assist students in achieving their full potential.” Freshers’ Week is full of events to get university life off to a great start including a Welcome Party, a Freshers’ Ball, ghost tours, sports events and a visit to a Highland Games. 

ENSA Volunteering operates through its ‘VBase’ hubs, and offers third sector volunteering opportunities and the ability to record, print and reflect on your volunteering and associated skills development.  

The Union Bar is a great social space to eat, drink, play games or just hang out. It has amazing deals on food and drinks and is the perfect place to host Society meetings, fundraisers, movie screenings, parties.

Student Support

Religion & Spirituality

The University have spaces for prayer and quiet on every campus, and you'll find plenty of places in Edinburgh that will cater for your personal religious and spiritual needs. Edinburgh hosts places of worship for most major religious traditions, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism.

Health & Wellbeing

The University’s counselling service offers a non-judgemental and accepting environment by dedicated and qualified counsellors. Short-term counselling is offered and includes student-lead exploration and goal orientation of both your studies and your life in general.

Mental health advisers can also help if you have an existing mental health condition; are feeling anxious or depressed; or want to plan how to stay well while at university.

The University welcomes students of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. The Disability and Inclusion team supports students with temporary or long-term health conditions, disabilities and additional needs. In addition to the provision of general advice and guidance about support for particular difficulties, they have staff with knowledge of specialist technology, software and equipment who can help, advise and support you with it. They can provide both information and practical help to enable you to develop techniques and strategies that assist with studying and learning.

Career Facilities

The University’s Confident Futures workshops are designed by a team of industry-recognised, professional consultants, to develop a wide range of skills, attributes and attitudes that will enhance your chances of being successful in your studies, work and life. The programme is unique within Higher Education, developing skills that are highly prized by accredited professional bodies. Workshops are available to all students either integrated into your programmes of study or as part of an additional open programme which is open to alumni for up to three years after graduation.

All Edinburgh Napier’s courses aim to develop confident, employable graduates with effective attitudes to knowledge, learning, citizenship and the world of work.

‘Stand Out’ helps students and graduates secure a great job when they leave, with activities including: 1:1 advice and guidance; CV doctor; online contact with a careers adviser; assessment centre preparation; access to current graduate vacancies; and workshops to help you get a graduate job on topics such as social media, how to sell your strengths, how to make stand out and self-employment. 

Edinburgh Napier also offers a range of workshops to help improve performance in coursework and exams. These interactive sessions give you hands-on practice and are designed to help you develop the academic skills you need at university, focusing on essential study skills such as critical reading and writing, structuring essays and reports, writing scientific reports, referencing and exam revision.

Accommodation

Edinburgh Napier currently has around 250 flats across the city centre, offering accommodation for around 1,300 students. This includes 778 en-suite bed spaces the Bainfield student residential development at Fountainbridge which opened in 2014. Included are a number of studios and the residence is situated just a 10-minutes walk from the centre of town. There are bars and restaurants nearby and the Union Canal runs along the back of the accommodation – perfect for a walk, a cycle or even a row along the water. Bainfield is also home to the Bainfield Café/Bar, which boasts large televisions, a pool table and plenty social space to chill out in.

The University’s Slateford Road accommodation opened in September 2015 and has 242 en-suite bed spaces including studios and a few two-bedroom apartments. It is located on the outskirts of the city centre but just a short walk from the Bainfield accommodation. There are local takeaways and bars nearby and it’s located on a good bus route to the campuses and the city centre.

International

English Language Requirements

If your first language is not English, you require an IELTs score of at least 6.0 overall, with no component below 5.5 or equivalent.

International Support

Edinburgh Napier boasts almost 9,000 international students from over 100 countries. Their international support team provides a professional and friendly welcome to all international students while providing advice on a range of immigration matters relating to study and life in the UK, as well as organising social events during the academic year. 

The University uses a shared travel service Edinburgh Napier Direct which operates 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. Set up by the University and a local travel service it arranges transfers for students, parents, friends and University staff to and from Edinburgh Airport.

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