Living in Glasgow

Welcome to Glasgow

Glasgow is one of Scotland’s largest cities. It is a vibrant and welcoming place with a unique personality. There is lots to discover and do for you to make the most out of your student life here.

Reasons to study in Glasgow

• In 2019, the city was named the cultural and creative centre of the UK by the European Commission – ahead of London and Bristol.
• Ranked as the 4th best student city in the UK (QS Best Student Cities 2025).
• In 2020, the University of Strathclyde was honoured with the Whatuni? Student Choice Award for Local Life, due to Glasgow's welcoming, student-centric nature.
• Bursting with culture and creativity, Glasgow has many vibrant areas and events to keep students entertained with, and hosts over 100 cultural organisations.
• Glasgow is also home to the largest shopping centre in Britain outside London, perfect for buying everything you need for your student life.
• The city has more than 90 public parks and gardens, plus a thriving food and music scene with festivals held throughout the year.
• Voted the friendliest city in the UK (Conde Nast Traveller Readers' Choice Awards 2024). 

Discover Scotland and the UK

Glasgow is an incredible city, with plenty of hidden gems and lots to discover.  If you are aged under 22 years old, you can apply to the Free Bus Travel Scheme (Transport Scotland) and explore Glasgow and beyond whilst studying in Scotland.

Glasgow has excellent transport links that make it easy to visit the rest of the UK too. Glasgow Airport is just 20 minutes from the city centre by bus, where you can catch a short flight to London (75 minutes) or Belfast (45 minutes). You can also catch a train from Glasgow to Edinburgh, or to cities south of the Scottish border, such as Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester.

Things to do in Glasgow for students

Glasgow has an abundance of sights to see, many of which are free to visit. It is a compact city that is easy to navigate and explore on foot. You can visit different neighbourhoods and find unique landmarks that make this city so special. 

Must-see sights

• See famous artworks in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and  Museum, and Gallery of Modern Art
• Visit the stunning Riverside Museum to see objects from Glasgow’s history
• Take yourself on a tour around the city’s striking street art (look out for the Panda or Spaceman)
• Make sure you look up to see the city’s fantastic architecture – such as the modern Riverside Museum or the Victorian Glasgow City Chambers

Food

Visit the city’s West End to sample exciting flavours from around the world. Thanks to its multicultural community, Glasgow’s food scene has lots of choice, as well as traditional Scottish fayre.

Music

Glasgow is world-famous for its music scene – it was first in the UK to become a designated UNESCO City of Music. From big global music acts to small local talent, there’s a huge variety of classical and modern live music.

Sports

Football fans are well catered for in Glasgow, with two of the UK’s major teams based here – Rangers F.C. and Celtic F.C. The national football team also plays in Glasgow at Hampden Park.

Enjoy the outdoors in Scotland

The name Glasgow is said to come from the Gaelic for “green place”, and with over 90 public parks to explore it’s easy to see why. Glasgow has lots of opportunities for you to experience nature, from bike rides around Victorian Kelvingrove Park, to relaxing in the Botanic Gardens, or seeing the wildlife and woods at Mugdock Country Park.

Travel 30 minutes outside Glasgow city centre and you’ll arrive in the stunning Scottish countryside. You can visit the world-famous Loch Lomond National Park and explore by foot or by boat. If you’re adventurous, you can go wakeboarding, rock climbing or skiing and snowboarding in winter.

Join us

Our Student Enrolment Advisors are available to answer any questions you may have and help you with your application. We can't wait to meet you!