Abertay University

Overview for international students

Abertay University is in the centre of Dundee, Scotland. It opened in 1888 as Dundee Technical Institute and became a university in 1994, and it is a small, specialised institution rather than a broad one.

It is best known for one thing: computer games. Abertay ran the world’s first computer games degree in 1997 and was the first UK university recognised as a Centre for Excellence in Computer Games Education. It has been ranked the top games university in Europe for eight consecutive years by the Princeton Review, and in 2025 was named the top international school for video games worldwide. It was also the first UK university to offer a degree in Ethical Hacking, from 2006.

Dundee matters as much as the university here. DMA Design - now Rockstar North - created Lemmings and the original Grand Theft Auto in the city, and 4J Studios built the console editions of Minecraft there. Dundee holds UNESCO City of Design status and one of the UK’s largest clusters of games studios, so placements and industry contact are unusually close at hand.

Why choose Abertay University

• Ran the world's first computer games degree in 1997, and the UK's first Ethical Hacking degree in 2006
• Ranked #1 in Europe for undergraduate games courses for eight consecutive years by the Princeton Review
• Named the top international school for video games worldwide in 2025
• A founding partner of Sony's PlayStation First programme, with one of the largest PlayStation teaching labs in Europe
• Dundee holds UNESCO City of Design status and one of the UK's largest clusters of games studios

Abertay University programmes

2 programmes in our directory. Use the course search for the full list with filters.

Entry requirements

Scottish undergraduate degrees run four years rather than three, which matters when comparing total cost against an English university. Entry usually asks for HSC or A-Levels; applicants from the Bangladeshi system are often asked for HSC plus a foundation or first year of a university programme, depending on the course.

Postgraduate entry usually asks for a good honours degree - a 2:2 minimum for most courses. Technical Master's such as Computer Games Technology are programming-focused and expect a genuine background in object-oriented programming, not only an interest in games.

English is normally evidenced with IELTS around 6.0 overall. These are the usual ranges - confirm the requirement for your specific course before applying.

Fees and scholarships

Tuition for international students is typically in the range of $11,000 – $14,500 per year, depending on the course.

Abertay offers international scholarships as tuition reductions, assessed at application. Dundee's cost of living is well below the UK average for a city with this much going on, which usually matters more to a total budget than the award itself.

Chevening and Commonwealth Scholarships apply here as at any UK university, with separate and earlier deadlines.

University rankings

Abertay does not feature prominently in general world rankings, which measure research volume across all subjects. For games and cybersecurity it is ranked among the best anywhere - judge it by subject, not by overall position.

Campus and facilities

The campus is entirely city-centre, with every building within a few minutes' walk of the others. It includes the historic Old College buildings of Dundee Business School and the Bernard King Library.

For games and computing students, the draw is the equipment: dedicated games labs, one of Europe's largest PlayStation teaching labs, and the cybersecurity and ethical hacking facilities that made the university's name.

Services for international students

A dedicated International Team supports students through application, arrival and study.

Many students take up work experience in Dundee's games studios during their degree - the city's studio cluster is unusually dense for its size, so this is realistic rather than aspirational. The alumni network supports graduates into industry through mentoring, portfolio reviews and job referrals.

International student life

Dundee is compact, affordable and well connected, and its games history is genuine: DMA Design - now Rockstar North - created Lemmings and the original Grand Theft Auto here, and 4J Studios built the console editions of Minecraft here. For a student in this field, the networking is out of proportion to the city's size.

Shops, bars, the V&A Dundee design museum and the main transport links are all walkable from campus. The Students' Association runs the clubs, societies and sports teams.

Accommodation

University accommodation is in and around the city centre, within walking distance of teaching buildings. Dundee's private rental market is also comparatively cheap by UK standards.

Check Abertay's accommodation pages for the current year's options and application dates.