Quick Answer
Robert Gordon University is placed 75th of 130 in the Complete University Guide 2027 with a score of 571 out of 1000, and it is 5th of 130 for graduates on track and 17th for graduate outcomes. It claims three subjects in the guide’s top ten and we counted all three: Forensic Science 6th of 37, Physiotherapy 9th of 48 and Counselling, Psychotherapy and Occupational Therapy 10th of 47.
- Overall ranking: 75th of 130, score 571/1000
- Graduates on track: 5th of 130
- Graduate outcomes: 17th of 130
- Entry standards: 24th of 130
- Research intensity: 119th of 130
- Part-time students: 38%
Reviewed by Dr Elizabeth Adey for 2027 entry · Uni Direct team, 2026
RGU at a glance for 2027 entry
Graduates on track5th of 130its strongest measure.Forensic Science6th of 37counted off the ordered table.
Research intensity119th of 130its weakest.WhereAberdeenone riverside campus at Garthdee.Sources: Complete University Guide 2027 league table, ranking breakdown, student statistics and study options for Robert Gordon University, and its Forensic Science, Physiotherapy, Counselling, Psychotherapy and Occupational Therapy and Accounting and Finance subject tables, the subject positions counted off their own ordered tables in rank order; Wikipedia for the founding, the name changes, the campuses and the 2022/23 student numbers; Semrush, United Kingdom database, for the search volumes quoted; GOV.UK for the Student route. All read 16 September 2026.
Robert Gordon University teaches on a single riverside campus at Garthdee, in Aberdeen. Its city centre campus at Schoolhill closed to teaching in 2017, when the last academic departments moved out to Garthdee. It became The Robert Gordon University on 9 June 1992 and it traces itself to a hospital school founded in 1750.
Its league table entry splits cleanly in two. Four of the guide’s eleven measures are in the top thirty: graduates on track 5th, graduate outcomes 17th, entry standards 24th and student satisfaction 30th. Four more are past 100th: research quality 106th, academic services spending 108th, the student–staff ratio 118th and research intensity 119th.
The whole field is in our guide to the best UK universities. We counted the Complete University Guide 2027 Architecture table on 16 September 2026 and Robert Gordon is 34th of 58, one place behind the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
Where Robert Gordon University ranks
Placed 75th of 130 in the Complete University Guide 2027 with a score of 571 out of 1000. Four measures are inside the top thirty and four are past 100th, which is an unusually divided profile.
| Measure | Value | Rank of 130 | What it records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduate prospects, on track | 83.1 | 5th | graduates who say they are where they wanted to be |
| Graduate prospects, outcomes | 82.0 | 17th | graduates in professional work or further study |
| Entry standards | 150 out of 208 | 24th | what entrants actually held on arrival |
| Student satisfaction | 3.20 out of 4 | 30th | what students there reported |
| Continuation | 90.9 | 68th | the share who carry on into the next year |
| Overall | 571 out of 1000 | 75th | the combined league table position |
| Facilities spend | 648 | 84th | spending per student on facilities |
| Research quality | 2.54 out of 4 | 106th | the assessed quality of its research |
| Academic services spend | 1,502 | 108th | libraries, computing and academic support |
| Student–staff ratio | 19.0 | 118th | students per member of teaching staff |
| Research intensity | 0.17 | 119th | the share of staff active in research |
Source: Complete University Guide 2027, read 16 September 2026.
Three claimed, three counted
Robert Gordon University claims three subjects in the guide’s top ten, and every one of them was counted off its own ordered table in rank order this morning. The three tables are different sizes, which is the only thing that tells the three results apart.
Source: Complete University Guide 2027 subject tables, counted 16 September 2026.
The three subject positions, and what the table sizes mean
Forensic Science: 6th of 37. Above it sit Strathclyde, Dundee, Keele, Nottingham Trent and Lincoln; below it, Northumbria 7th, Kent 8th and Abertay 9th. Three of the top six are Scottish.
Physiotherapy: 9th of 48. Liverpool is 1st, then East Anglia, Birmingham, Cardiff, Southampton, Plymouth, Gloucestershire and Glasgow Caledonian. Forty-eight institutions are ranked, and the eight above RGU include six research-intensive universities, which is the context that makes ninth worth more than it looks.
Counselling, Psychotherapy and Occupational Therapy: 10th of 47. We counted the same table earlier in the day while writing up Sunderland, which is 7th in it, and recorded Robert Gordon at 10th then. The count and the guide’s own profile agree.
A fourth position, not a top-ten one: Accounting and Finance 43rd of 104. The guide printed that as 43rd out of 104, and 104 is what we counted in that table ourselves today, so the two agree. We check because they do not always. On three other pages this week the guide’s profile printed a table size its own table contradicted.
Forensic Science, the top ten counted
Counted off the Complete University Guide 2027 Forensic Science table in rank order. Thirty-seven institutions are ranked in it.
| Position | University |
|---|---|
| 1st | University of Strathclyde |
| 2nd | University of Dundee |
| 3rd | Keele University |
| 4th | Nottingham Trent University |
| 5th | University of Lincoln |
| 6th | Robert Gordon University |
| 7th | Northumbria University |
| 8th | University of Kent |
| 9th | Abertay University |
| 10th | Liverpool John Moores University |
Source: Complete University Guide 2027 Forensic Science table, counted 16 September 2026.
A work-integrated university, and what the figures do and do not show
The guide’s own summary describes Robert Gordon University as a work-integrated institution, with placements and community practice at the core of teaching and professional representatives sitting on every examination board. That summary comes from the university and its Teaching Excellence Framework submission, so it is a claim rather than a measurement.
The two measures that would show whether it works are 5th of 130 and 17th of 130. Graduate prospects on track asks graduates whether they are doing what they wanted to be doing, and Robert Gordon is 5th in the country on it. Graduate outcomes counts graduates in professional work or further study, and it is 17th. Those are the two strongest measures on this page and they point the same way as the claim.
We are not saying the placements caused the positions. Nothing the guide publishes would show that, and Aberdeen is a city with an unusual labour market. What we are saying is that the claim and the numbers agree, which is not true of every university that makes the claim.
One gap worth knowing about: the guide’s own course listing for Robert Gordon shows 79 full-time undergraduate courses and no count at all for sandwich or placement courses. That is a gap in the listing rather than evidence that the placements are not there, and it is exactly the sort of thing to put to a department directly. Ask whether the placement on your course is guaranteed, who arranges it, and how long it lasts.
Who studies here
Thirty-eight per cent of Robert Gordon students are part-time, which is the largest part-time share on any of these pages, and a third are postgraduates. Together those two figures describe a university with a great many students who are already working.
Source: Complete University Guide 2027 student statistics, read 16 September 2026.
Two universities in Aberdeen, and they are not interchangeable
Aberdeen has two universities and the guide places them forty-three positions apart. The University of Aberdeen is 32nd of 130 in the 2027 table and Robert Gordon University is 75th. They are separate institutions with separate charters, separate campuses and separate applications.
The difference between them is not only the overall position. The University of Aberdeen dates from the fifteenth century and is a research university; Robert Gordon became a university in 1992 and describes itself by its placements. Robert Gordon is 5th in the country for graduates on track and 119th for research intensity, and those two numbers together are the shape of the place.
Which one suits you is a question about what you want the degree to do. If you are heading for a research degree, the research measures on this page are the ones that answer your question, and they are the weak half. If you are heading for a profession, the graduate measures are, and they are the strong half. Check the name on the offer letter either way, because the two are confused often enough to matter.
A hospital school in 1750, a university on 9 June 1992
Robert Gordon’s Hospital was founded in 1750 to give poor children a basic education. It merged with the Aberdeen Mechanics’ Institute in 1881 to become Robert Gordon’s College, split its adult education work off as Robert Gordon’s Technical College in 1910, and became Robert Gordon’s Institute of Technology in 1965.
It was awarded university status as The Robert Gordon University on 9 June 1992, under the Further and Higher Education Act. Its motto is Omni Nunc Arte Magistra, which it translates as Now by all your mastered arts.
The campus is one place, which is unusual on these pages. Garthdee, on the banks of the Dee, dates from the 1950s, and by August 2017 every academic department had moved there from the city centre campus at Schoolhill and St Andrew Street, which now hosts events only. The Scott Sutherland School of Architecture opened at Garthdee in 1957 and the Sir Ian Wood Building opened in the summer of 2013, formally opened in July 2015.
From a hospital school to a university
The institution’s own line of descent, with the dates. It is longer than most on these pages.
| Year | What it was called |
|---|---|
| 1750 | Robert Gordon’s Hospital, founded to give poor children a basic education |
| 1881 | Robert Gordon’s College, after merging with the Aberdeen Mechanics’ Institute |
| 1910 | Robert Gordon’s Technical College, when the adult education work split off |
| 1965 | Robert Gordon’s Institute of Technology |
| 9 June 1992 | The Robert Gordon University |
Source: Wikipedia, read 16 September 2026.
One headcount, and it is three years old
Wikipedia records 14,840 students in 2022/23, made up of 10,150 undergraduates and 4,690 postgraduates. That is the most recent headcount we could find, and it is three years old, which we say because it matters when you quote it.
The Complete University Guide places the university in its band of 10,001 to 15,000 students, which is consistent with that figure, and puts the split at 68% undergraduate and 32% postgraduate. The Wikipedia numbers work out at 68% and 32% as well. Both sources agree on the size and on the shape; only the currency of the headcount is in question.
Twelve per cent of students are international and 2% are from the EU. The search figures show where the overseas interest comes from: the university’s name draws 9,900 searches a month in the United Kingdom and 25,100 worldwide, with Nigeria, India, Pakistan, the United States and Canada the largest markets outside Britain, read in Semrush on 16 September 2026.
One thing the search figures say about Aberdeen rather than about the university: three of the five largest phrases in the whole cluster after the name itself are job searches. This is a significant local employer as well as a university, which is worth knowing if you are thinking about working while you study.
Elizabeth’s view
Fifth of a hundred and thirty for graduates on track, on a university placed seventy-fifth overall, is the number that would make me look twice at this place. It is a survey of graduates saying whether they ended up where they meant to, and a university that describes itself by its placements ought to do well on it. This one does.
The other half of the profile is just as clear and points the other way. Research quality at a hundred and sixth and research intensity at a hundred and nineteenth are not near-misses, they are the bottom of the table. If you are going to Aberdeen to do a PhD, those are your numbers and they are not good. If you are going to qualify as a physiotherapist, they are irrelevant to you.
Three top-ten subjects claimed and three counted is the second complete ratio I have been able to print, and the table sizes matter: sixth of thirty-seven, ninth of forty-eight, tenth of forty-seven. All three are real, and the physiotherapy one is the hardest-won of them, because the eight universities above it are mostly large research institutions.
Frequently asked questions about Robert Gordon University
Is Robert Gordon a good university?
The Complete University Guide 2027 places Robert Gordon University 75th of 130 with a score of 571 out of 1000. Its strongest measures are graduate prospects on track at 5th of 130, graduate outcomes at 17th and entry standards at 24th. Its weakest are research intensity at 119th, the student-staff ratio at 118th and academic services spending at 108th. It has three subjects in the guide’s top ten and we counted all three: Forensic Science 6th of 37, Physiotherapy 9th of 48 and Counselling, Psychotherapy and Occupational Therapy 10th of 47.
Where is Robert Gordon University located?
In Aberdeen, in the north-east of Scotland, on a single campus at Garthdee on the banks of the Dee. Its city centre campus at Schoolhill and St Andrew Street stopped hosting teaching in 2017, when the last academic departments moved to Garthdee, and now hosts events only.
How many campuses does Robert Gordon University have?
One for teaching. Every academic department had moved to the Garthdee campus by August 2017. The former city centre campus at Schoolhill and St Andrew Street is still owned by the university and hosts events, but it is not a teaching campus.
Is Robert Gordon University a private university?
No. It is a public university. It was awarded university status as The Robert Gordon University on 9 June 1992 under the Further and Higher Education Act, and it is one of the institutions ranked in the Complete University Guide’s table of 130 UK universities.
Is Robert Gordon University the same as the University of Aberdeen?
No. They are two separate universities in the same city. The Complete University Guide 2027 places the University of Aberdeen 32nd of 130 and Robert Gordon University 75th. They have separate charters, separate campuses and separate applications, and an offer from one is not an offer from the other.
What is Robert Gordon University best at?
Graduate prospects. The Complete University Guide 2027 places it 5th of 130 for graduates on track, which asks graduates whether they are doing what they wanted to be doing, and 17th of 130 for graduate outcomes. By subject, its highest counted position is Forensic Science at 6th of 37.
How many students does Robert Gordon University have?
Wikipedia records 14,840 students in 2022/23, made up of 10,150 undergraduates and 4,690 postgraduates. That figure is three years old. The Complete University Guide places the university in its band of 10,001 to 15,000 students, which is consistent with it, and puts the split at 68% undergraduate and 32% postgraduate, which is exactly what the Wikipedia figures work out at.
When did Robert Gordon become a university?
On 9 June 1992, under the Further and Higher Education Act. It was Robert Gordon’s Institute of Technology from 1965, Robert Gordon’s Technical College from 1910, and traces itself to Robert Gordon’s Hospital, founded in 1750 to give poor children a basic education.
Is Robert Gordon University the right choice for you?
It is worth applying to if one of its three counted top-ten subjects is your field, if you want a degree with a placement built into it and have asked how that placement actually works, or if you want a single campus in a city with a strong professional labour market. The honest cautions are research intensity at 119th of 130, research quality at 106th, academic services spending at 108th and a student–staff ratio of 19.0 at 118th. None of those matter much on a professional undergraduate degree and all of them matter on a research one.
On visas, the published rules for the Student route are on GOV.UK, which is the only authority on them; we can put you in touch with our immigration partner for advice on an individual application. If you want help telling two universities in one city apart, or working out what a subject position is worth once you know the size of the table, that is exactly the conversation we have every day. You can find out more below. Or for a free consultation, contact us now.
Sources: Complete University Guide 2027 league table, ranking breakdown, student statistics and study options for Robert Gordon University, and its Forensic Science, Physiotherapy, Counselling, Psychotherapy and Occupational Therapy and Accounting and Finance subject tables, the subject positions counted off their own ordered tables in rank order; Wikipedia for the founding, the name changes, the campuses and the 2022/23 student numbers; Semrush, United Kingdom database, for the search volumes quoted; GOV.UK for the Student route. All read 16 September 2026.