Study local, go far: Discover career success at Edinburgh Napier University's open days
Find out how Edinburgh Napier University could be the university to nurture you and your career – come to the next open day to find out more.
As more new students choose to live at home for university this year than in the last nine years, according to new data from UCAS, it’s great news for those in Edinburgh.
With smaller class sizes but a big heart and a very warm welcome, ENU has everything you need for a great experience right on your doorstep.
It’s home to some incredible facilities: state-of-the-art science labs, a clinical simulation and skills centre for nursing and midwifery, engineering and computing labs. Plus, it offers top-notch teaching and a level of student support that sees it top the rankings year after year.
And, perhaps most importantly for today’s generation of students, they’re focused on doing things differently while ensuring you can make the most of any future career.
Head along to one of the upcoming open days to see for yourself – to find out more, visit their website here.
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Be a name, not just a face in the crowd
A new campaign at ENU focuses on it being the home of ‘difference makers’, offering an enterprising and innovative community with an international reputation along with an unrivalled student learning experience.
According to the National Student Survey (NSS), Edinburgh Napier is the number one university in Edinburgh for overall student satisfaction, a position they have held for six out of the seven years since 2020.
Associate Professor Dr Kenneth Leitch is the academic lead for student recruitment in the School of Engineering, Computing and Built Environment. He says part of this success is due to the smaller class sizes which help staff get to know their students – meaning they can also spot when and where more support might be needed.
“As a lecturer, you can name all your students individually: you know names, not just faces, and that isn’t the case in many universities,” he says.
“We are exceptionally student-centred and student-focused. We pride ourselves on having an open-door policy which means lecturing staff make it a priority to communicate with their students.
“And smaller class sizes allow us to have more one-to-one interaction, which means we can identify support requirements.”
Helping students to achieve their best at university…
As well as being the top-rated modern university in the city, several courses, including the full-time undergraduate degree in accounting and the full-time degrees in English or English with film or acting, actually earned a 100% satisfaction rating from students in the survey.
“Edinburgh Napier is a university that gives people opportunities and where the staff are accessible,” says Kenneth. “There is a real focus on the student experience and that is evidenced in the National Student Survey.
“My colleagues all love teaching and they all love working with students; we all get a real buzz out of it and that translates into the student experience.”
And that support translates into helping students achieve their best. In the recent University Guide from the Daily Mail, ENU was placed as the top modern university in the UK for First and 2:1 degrees. Plus, it made the top 10 modern universities for electrical and electronic engineering (sixth), finance (eighth), journalism (sixth), media studies (eighth) and music (seventh).
And boosting employment opportunities too
“We are here to offer opportunities,” adds Kenneth. “We work with many students who might be the first in their family to go to university; they might not have considered that, so part of my role is to get out there and show them what is possible if you study here.”
Many of the degree courses tend to be applied, meaning they are rooted in practice rather than theory, opening even more careers to students as they graduate with the real skills needed in today’s workplace.
In fact, one of ENU’s key objectives is to build careers by creating opportunities. Its latest strategy pledges: "Our culture of personal growth, coupled with our flexible, innovative and holistic learning environment, will enable students and staff to shape their development and flourish in their careers."
And the results stand for themselves: 97% of students who graduated in 2024 are in work or further study after 15 months according to official figures, while The Guardian’s 2025 University Guide named it among the top five UK modern university for career prospects.
Staff members act as a bridge between academia and employers, and content on all university programmes is relevant and up-to-date, says Kenneth.
Elsewhere in the School of Engineering, Computing and Built Environment, staff are bringing real-world applications to their teaching: for example, as governments look to improve energy security, retrofitting homes and buildings is going to become a central focus in the construction industry – so it is a focus in the curriculum too, to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need.
And ENU’s reputation for understanding and delivering on today’s challenges even saw academics work on Guy Martin’s House Without Bills series’ to test whether better-insulated homes could be the key to staying comfortable as Britain's summers get hotter.
What students have to say about ENU
“I’ve loved my time at Edinburgh Napier so much," says Phoenix Brereton, a BA (Hons) Accounting student. “Through group projects and classes, I’ve made some amazing friends and having that support network has made the experience even more rewarding.
“Accounting is such a broad course. I’ve had the opportunity to explore lots of different areas of accounting and finance, which has helped me discover where my interests might lie for the future.”
Kira Pearson, who studied a BSc (Hons) in Animal and Conservation Biology, says: “The programme equipped me with a versatile skillset and a real sense of the different areas within conservation and environmental work, helping me pinpoint the roles I’m most interested in.”
Come and find out more at ENU’s open days
The best choice is already on your doorstep. With more 120 undergraduate courses to study across three campuses in Edinburgh or online, ENU provides education that makes a difference.
It’s the only institution in Scotland to offer all four routes into nursing and midwifery, and it packs a real punch when it comes to research power, currently holding the spot as the top Scottish modern university for research power and research impact.
Whether you’re interested in a career in tourism, finance, law, marketing, construction, coding, gaming, engineering, nursing, biosciences, sport or health, you can find something that suits you.
The next open days will take place on Saturday, 26 September, and Saturday, 24 October. To find out more and register for a place, visit the ENU website here.