Edinburgh Napier University vs The University of Edinburgh vs Heriot-Watt University - HW vs Queen Margaret University - QMU vs General Assembly

Side-by-side comparison from 409 verified student reviews. Scan one row at a time — winners are highlighted

Quick verdict
Higher overall rating: Tie
Edinburgh Napier University: wins 0/0 categories
The University of Edinburgh: wins 0/0 categories
Heriot-Watt University - HW: wins 0/0 categories
Queen Margaret University - QMU: wins 0/0 categories
General Assembly: wins 0/0 categories
Creative Design School: wins 0/0 categories
Carousel Training Centre: wins 0/0 categories
Comparing
Edinburgh, The United Kingdom
4.20
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46 reviews
×
Best programme: Business Management
Edinburgh, The United Kingdom
4.30
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128 reviews
×
Best programme: Computer Science
Edinburgh, The United Kingdom
4.00
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207 reviews
×
Best programme: Accounting and Finance
Edinburgh, The United Kingdom
4.20
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15 reviews
×
Best programme: BSc Psychology
New York City, United States
5.00
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1 reviews
×
Best programme: Marketing
Edinburgh, The United Kingdom
5.00
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11 reviews
×
Best programme: Graphic Design
Edinburgh, The United Kingdom
5.00
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1 reviews
×
Best programme: Children
Category ratings
Facilities
4.29
4.34
3.87
3.77
5.00
5.00
5.00
Location
4.18
4.78
3.45
3.87
5.00
5.00
5.00
Professors
4.15
4.21
4.09
3.98
4.00
5.00
5.00
Internationality
4.13
4.52
3.78
4.07
3.00
5.00
5.00
Student life
4.16
4.43
3.79
3.69
5.00
5.00
5.00
Value
4.00
4.01
3.85
3.99
4.00
5.00
5.00
Accommodation
3.63
3.87
3.61
4.10
5.00
5.00
5.00
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • +Career-focused, practical, and industry-linked programmes
  • +Supportive and approachable faculty
  • +Well-structured curriculum and learning environment
  • +Engaging and knowledgeable faculty.
  • +Vibrant community and social opportunities.
  • +Academic growth and valuable experiences.
  • +Accessible British degrees and supportive, human-centered staff
  • +Valuable learning experiences and recognition across GCC
  • +Diverse and inclusive environment with networking opportunities
  • +Integrated social justice and ethical focus in curriculum
  • +Supportive and knowledgeable staff dedicated to student success
  • +Practical, well-structured programmes with modern facilities
  • +Knowledgeable, supportive professors
  • +Abundant study resources and learning activities
  • +Networking opportunities
  • +Flexible, online course structure
  • +Personalized one-to-one tutor support
  • +Practical skills for portfolio and career development
  • +Supportive and kind staff/lecturers
  • +Accessible and helpful academic support
  • +Pleasant and easy to travel to environment
Cons
  • -Unapproachable and neglectful lecturers are a significant problem.
  • -Administrative and management issues create a negative experience.
  • -Facilities are outdated and do not meet student needs.
  • -Lack of program improvement and unmet expectations.
  • -High costs and limited ethnic diversity.
  • -University relying on prestige over student experience enhancements.
  • -Ineffective teaching and lack of academic support lead to poor learning outcomes.
  • -Insufficient practical facilities and career services hinder professional development.
  • -Poor management, administrative issues, and negative staff interactions create a frustrating environment.
  • -Administrative and management issues cause confusion and frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and a lack of necessary resources hinder learning.
  • -Poor communication and unresponsiveness from staff create a negative experience.
  • -Outdated facilities and resources.
  • -Poor communication and administrative issues.
  • -Lack of practical application and relevant curriculum.
  • -Administrative and management issues cause significant frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and poor maintenance detract from the learning environment.
  • -Lack of resources and support hinders academic progress.
  • -Poor communication and lack of transparency from administration.
  • -Inadequate resources and support services for students.
  • -Overcrowded and outdated facilities.
Rating summary
What students say

An analysis of university ratings reveals strong performance in several key areas. Facilities and location received particularly high marks. Student life and professor quality are also well-regarded. Internationality is a notable strength. The weakest area identified is accommodation, which received the lowest score. Value is rated consistently well.

This institution garners strong acclaim, particularly for its **Location**, which received the highest rating. Student Life and Internationality also scored very well. Conversely, **Accomodation** presents as the weakest area, with a notably lower score compared to other aspects. Facilities, Professors, and Value fall within a respectable middle range.

This university demonstrates strong performance, particularly in its **Professors** category, achieving a high rating of 4.09. Facilities and Value also received favorable scores around 3.85. The weakest area appears to be **Location**, with a rating of 3.45, though other aspects like Student Life, Accomodation, and Internationality are rated respectably between 3.60 and 3.79.

Across several key areas, this university demonstrates a generally positive reception. Accommodation stands out as its strongest point, receiving a near-perfect score. Conversely, student life is rated the lowest among the surveyed categories. Professors and value are also highly regarded, alongside internationality. Location and facilities show solid, mid-range performance.

Overall, this institution garners strong commendations, particularly excelling in its facilities, location, student life, and accommodation, all receiving perfect scores. Professors and perceived value also score well, indicating solid academic and financial offerings. The weakest area identified is internationality, suggesting room for growth in attracting and supporting a global student body.

This institution receives outstanding feedback across all assessed areas, achieving perfect scores in every category. Facilities, professors, location, student life, accommodation, internationality, and value are all rated a perfect 5 out of 5. There are no weak areas identified; the university demonstrates consistent excellence in all aspects of the student experience.

Across the board, this institution achieves perfect scores, indicating an excellent experience in every assessed area. Its strengths lie in exceptionally high ratings for facilities, professors, location, student life, accommodation, internationality, and overall value. No specific weaknesses are identified given the uniform top marks.

Reviews summary
Highlights

Nearly all reviews are positive (~98%), praising supportive lecturers, practical and career-focused courses, and good structure. A small amount of feedback (~2%) reported negative experiences with lecturers.

With a 4.3/5 average rating from 129 reviews, ~84% are positive, highlighting engaging lectures, supportive faculty, and ample opportunities. A single negative review (~0.8%) noted program limitations and limited ethnic diversity.

With a 4.01 average rating from 207 reviews, ~74% are positive. Students praise professors, value, and accommodation, while a small ~1.9% of feedback notes a lack of support and teaching clarity.

With an average rating of 4.19/5 and 14 out of 16 reviews being positive (~88%), students praise supportive and knowledgeable staff, relevant and engaging content, and a focus on social justice and well-being. Minimal negative feedback was noted.

With a single review, this university is rated a perfect 5/5. The student highlighted excellent professors and abundant study resources. No negative feedback was received.

All 11 reviews were positive, giving an average rating of 5/5. Students highly recommend the flexible, online courses with one-to-one tutor support and comprehensive modules that build professional portfolios.

With a 5/5 average rating from one review, ~100% of feedback is positive. The reviewer praised the relaxed environment, supportive staff, helpful assessors, and accessible coursework support.

Rating distribution
5★
33%
47%
27%
33%
100%
100%
100%
4★
54%
38%
51%
60%
0%
0%
0%
3★
11%
15%
21%
13%
0%
0%
0%
2★
0%
1%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1★
2%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Most useful review
Most liked
Undergraduate Law

This university is welcoming and continually helpful by staff and pupils. I would recommend this university to new students. The law degree I am currently studying is exactly what I expected and is also very enjoyable.

Great support from personal tutor and supervisor!

Overall the university is good, they have an easy way to apply for extensions on coursework, and special circumstances, which my personal tutor was more than happy to help with, she really was the best. My supervisor for my dissertation was also really supportive and helped through the challenging times. The lecturers are usually helpful if you are stuck, but there were some who would do the bare minimum for the students.

The campus

Love Heriot Watt! I’ve been studying in the Dubai campus and I’ve now transferred to the Edinburgh one and it’s amazing! The campus has many useful facilities and there always creative events taking place for students to interact.

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A Gateway to Graphic Design

Creative Design School (CDS) could not have been a more perfect fit for my plan to embark on a career change to graphic design. The key factors that lead to me enrolling on their Graphic Design Level 2 course was the flexibility of the course (allowing me to work full-time whilst studying), the reasonable course fee and a friendly, no-pressure Skype with the school to explain my situation and see if this would work for me. The course covers the key principles of graphic design and each module presents real-life scenario tasks that build up your portfolio while learning at the same time. I've surprised myself at how my skills have developed as I complete each module. The real bonus to studying with CDS is the amazing 1-to-1 tuition. My tutor, Pete, is always on hand to help, support and encourage me to push my creative boundaries. Having dedicated, personal tuition from someone with such knowledge of the industry is priceless. I would highly recommend this course and studying with CDS in general. I've enjoyed and gained so much from this course that I've already signed up to the Visual Communications course.

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