Applications for undergraduate students at the University of Aberdeen have risen by 5.3% with over 12,000 applications received for 2005 entry – the highest number ever recorded at this stage of the recruitment process.
The figures have been published today (February 17, 2005), by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS).
The figures have also revealed that the University of Aberdeen is continuing to attract international applicants with a 14% increase in overseas applicants – 5% above the national average.
Lori Manders, Director of External Affairs, University of Aberdeen, said: “We are delighted that the figures demonstrate that the University continues to be an attractive place to study for students from home and abroad.
“We have particularly strong links with North America and Asia and continue to invest in these areas. For example, we have recently made key appointments as part of our expansion of our international recruitment office.”
The University of Aberdeen is one of Scotland’s top institutions, and is one of the UK’s most internationally distinguished universities.
In October 2004, the University demonstrated its commitment to its international links with the signing of a landmark agreement with the University of Petroleum–Beijing, China. In the presence of First Minister Jack McConnell, Professor Dominic Houlihan, Vice Principal, Research and Commercialisation, of the University of Aberdeen, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Professor Li Xiusheng, President of the University of Petroleum-Beijing.
The agreement cements the relationship between the two institutions and will lead to greater joint working, such as student exchanges. The initial exchanges will be in the areas of petroleum geology and geology, and the programmes will develop through time.
In addition, the University of Aberdeen is due to receive postgraduate students in September 2005 into its Masters course in Hydrocarbon Enterprise as part of the 1+1 programme, where Masters Students do a one-year Masters in Beijing and a one year Masters in Aberdeen.
The University is at the forefront in many areas of arts and social sciences, in science, computing, engineering and technology. As expected, applications to Education and Medicine continue to rise, and the new BMus (Batchelor of Music) is proving to be very popular.
The University recently launched a £9million investment programme to ensure that the Institution maintains its position as one of Britain’s leading research-led universities and that Aberdeen remains one of the strongest research communities in the UK.
The University’s Sixth Century recruitment campaign has been extremely successful with a number of exceptional appointments in key areas during 2003/04. These have helped to strengthen significantly the intellectual capital and academic competitiveness of the institution.
The University is looking forward to welcoming applicants at its BSc Applicant Day on Wednesday, March 2, and its MA Applicant Day on Wednesday, March 9, 2005. Anyone interested in attending should contact Student Recruitment and Admissions Service on (01224) 272090, or log on to www.abdn.ac.uk/maapplicantday
Further details are available from the UCAS website: www.ucas.ac.uk