Attention Foundation, UEC, Matriculation & Diploma Students: This is Your Chance for a UK Education

The United Kingdom has long played a pivotal role in educating Malaysians at the tertiary level. The idea of heading to the football-crazy land continues to occupy the minds of budding students all over our country, who hope to join the 17,000-plus Malaysians currently studying in the UK (HESA 2015/16).

However, with only select pre-university qualifications recognised by tertiary institutions in the UK, it’s oft a seemingly impossible dream to realise. Until now, that is, because there’s a university in the UK that accepts not only matriculation and Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) qualifications as a prerequisite but foundation and diploma programmes as well. What’s more, it offers master’s degree courses that only take a year to complete as well. Oh, and it is conveniently located in the 4^th most beautiful city in the world for good measure.

The 4^th Most Beautiful City in the World

 Ah yes, London, the city known for its bright red double-decker buses, a legendary subway system, as well as being home to a multitude of football clubs – is not the answer. In actuality, the 4^th most beautiful city in the world is the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh (Rough Guides, 2017), and the university in question is Edinburgh Napier University.

Let’s dig a little deeper into the city that is home to not just one but two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and the top modern UK university that calls it home.

Edinburgh – the Melting Pot of the UK

It isn’t easy to pinpoint the locus that makes Edinburgh such a revered city, but it could be attributed to the city’s unique geography that mixes the old and the new, giving everyone a little something. Its UNESCO heritage sites, aptly named Old Town and New Town, bear testament to that fact.

Medieval streets are complemented by jazz and film festivals, the legendary and imposing Edinburgh Castle dominates the serene skyline, and live music and comedy at various bars and pubs reign supreme.

Additionally, the Scottish culinary scene isn’t only populated with haggis as movies would make you believe. Thai, Italian, French, Mongolian and Kurdish cuisines populate the streets, bestowing Edinburgh with the distinction of having more restaurants per head than any other city in the UK.

These mean you can attend classes in the morning, march down to a medieval castle at noon, join a comedy fest in the evening, pop by an Italian joint for dinner and maybe even a pub for entertainment after. All these you can do with peace of mind, as Edinburgh is ranked the 3^rd safest city in the world (Post Office Travel Insurance survey, 2015).

Welcome to Edinburgh Napier University

 This fusion of the classic and modern serves as a perfect backdrop for over 19,500 students from more than 140 countries currently studying at Edinburgh Napier University. Founded in 1964, the relatively young university offers a diverse range of courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Edinburgh Napier University consists of six schools:

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

Each school is based at one of the university’s three campuses:

• Craiglockhart Campus – Business School
• Merchiston Campus – School of Arts & Creative Industries, School of Computing, School of Engineering & the Built Environment
• Sighthill Campus – School of Applied Sciences, School of Health & Social Care

With such strong competition from fellow Scottish universities, what makes Edinburgh Napier University stand out? One of the factors is its entry requirements. For Malaysians in particular, while STPM is expectedly accepted by the institution, matriculation, foundation and UEC results are also welcome. If you’re one of the many Malaysians looking to obtain their master’s degree on the other hand, you’ll be happy to learn that ENU offers a variety of them, many of which only take a single year (12 months) to complete.

Sweetening the deal is the fact that diploma students are not only accepted as well but they can jump directly to Year 3 of the relevant degree programme, allowing them to graduate in just two years. If financial constraint is your concern, then you’ll be happy to know that Edinburgh Napier University students are eligible for the ASEAN Scholarship, which awards £3,000 to new students.

Highly Ranked in the UK

 Edinburgh Napier University may be young in university years, but it has made its mark in the tertiary education world by clinching a burgeoning collection of awards and top rankings in recent times. These include:

• Edinburgh Napier University is ranked in the top 5% of universities worldwide (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2017 & 2018).
• Edinburgh Napier University received five stars for teaching, employability and internationalisation from the prestigious QS Stars rankings.
• Edinburgh Napier University is a top 10 UK modern university (The Guardian Guide 2018) for the following many subjects, including - Criminology (3^rd), Media & Film Studies (4^th), Modern Language & Linguistics (4^th), Sociology (6^th) and more.
• Edinburgh Napier University is also among the top modern UK universities for the following subjects (The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018) – Art & Design (14^th), Criminology (11^th), Hospitality, Leisure, Recreation and Tourism (14^th) and Communication & Media Studies (16^th).

With a clear emphasis on modern and creative courses, Edinburgh Napier University appeals to the forward-thinking generation of today.

Courses in the fields of design and hospitality and tourism are given unparalleled significance, supplemented by more traditional mainstays such as business and management. With different campuses catering to different fields, students can expect every course to be given the same amount of attention and emphasis.

While England has always been the leading destination for tertiary education in the UK, Scotland – Edinburgh in particular – has been receiving more and more attention. This is in part thanks to the vibrancy that fills the entire city and partly due to the emergence of a modern university that gives gravity to modern courses.

These two parts combine to create the perfect ecosystem in which students can thrive in their pursuit of a degree, be it undergraduate or postgraduate. With the acceptance of foundation, matriculation, UEC and diploma students alongside other widely accepted qualifications such as A-Levels, Edinburgh Napier University provides Malaysian students with greater accessibility to a UK university than ever.

Are you interested in learning about the courses, fees and scholarships offered by Edinburgh Napier University? If you are, click here.