Applications up 25 per cent

Student applications to the University of Dundee are up 25% - the second largest percentage rise in the UK - according to the latest figures from UCAS; and imaginative new courses account for much of the increase. New degree programmes in innovative product design, sports biomedicine and interactive media design have all proved popular.

Director of Student Recruitment Gordon Craig said imaginative new courses crossing traditional subject boundaries had struck a chord with up and coming students.

"The courses have boosted applications in areas such as science and engineering which nationally face major recruitment problems. Applications to science degrees at the University of Dundee are up 15% and to engineering degrees up 60.7%. "

The largest percentage increases in applications are from the local area (up 37.8%) and from the rest of Scotland (up 26%). Applications from Northern Ireland are up 16.7%.

While welcoming the UCAS figures Gordon Craig also urged caution in their interpretation. "There are a couple of anomalies - such as the merger with Northern College - which will inflate the current UCAS application numbers, but even once these have been stripped out of the equation we have a very positive story to tell with applications up by over 10% year on year."

The rise is also thought to reflect the attractions of Dundee as a student-friendly city. DUSA's reputation as a lively club and pub scene, the competitive cost of living and the warmth of the people which the Lonely Planet Guide 2002 described as "among the friendliest, most welcoming and most entertaining people you'll meet anywhere in the country" have combined with the university's quality reputation to charm in the latest generation of students.

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