Heriot-Watt University Campuses Compared: Edinburgh, Scottish Borders, Orkney, Dubai and Malaysia

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Heriot-Watt University runs five campuses — Edinburgh, Scottish Borders, Orkney, Dubai and Malaysia — plus Heriot-Watt Online. The right one for you depends on your subject: Edinburgh is the broadest and largest, Scottish Borders is built around textiles, fashion and design, Orkney suits research and consultancy in a small island setting, and Dubai and Malaysia deliver British degrees with regional industry links. If your programme is only taught at one campus, that campus decides the choice for you.

How the campuses differ at a glance

Campus Setting Subject strength indicated by the university Best suited to
Edinburgh 380 acres of parkland Wide variety of programmes and specialist facilities Most applicants who want the fullest choice of subjects
Scottish Borders Countryside, in the heart of Scotland's textile industry Specialist facilities and production equipment for textiles, fashion and design Textiles, fashion and design students
Orkney One of the UK's most stunning and unique university locations Over 25 years of research, teaching and consultancy Students whose interests match its research and consultancy activity
Dubai Global study environment Research-informed degree programmes with strong business and industry links Students who want a British degree in the Gulf region
Malaysia Modern campus in Putrajaya British education with global study opportunities Students who want a British education in Southeast Asia

Edinburgh: the broadest choice

Edinburgh is the campus to start with if you have not yet narrowed your subject. It sits in 380 acres of parkland and offers a wide variety of programmes alongside specialist facilities. Because it carries the widest programme range, it is also the campus most likely to host the subject you want if no other campus lists it.

Choose Edinburgh if you want the largest selection and a traditional parkland setting, and if your programme is not tied to a specialist location.

Scottish Borders: textiles, fashion and design

The Scottish Borders campus is a countryside location placed at the centre of Scotland's textile industry. Its distinguishing feature is access to specialist facilities and production equipment for textiles, fashion and design — equipment that a general campus would not normally provide.

Choose it if your subject is textiles, fashion or design and you want to work with production equipment as part of your degree.

Orkney: a small, distinctive research location

Heriot-Watt Orkney is described as one of the UK's most stunning and unique university locations. For over 25 years the campus has supported a broad range of research, teaching and consultancy activities.

Choose Orkney if a small, distinctive location appeals to you and your interests align with the research and consultancy work carried out there. Because it is a specialist site rather than a full multi-faculty campus, check that your specific programme is taught there before applying.

Dubai and Malaysia: British degrees abroad

Both international campuses deliver a British education outside the UK:

  • Dubai offers an extensive range of research-informed degree programmes in a global study environment, with strong links to business and industry.
  • Malaysia, based at a modern campus in Putrajaya, offers high quality British education with a range of courses and global study opportunities.

Choose Dubai if you want to study in the Gulf with close industry connections; choose Malaysia if you want a British education in Southeast Asia with global study opportunities. In both cases, confirm which programmes are available at that campus, since the range is narrower than Edinburgh's.

Heriot-Watt Online

The university also lists Heriot-Watt Online alongside its physical campuses. This is the option to consider if you cannot relocate to any of the five locations — but you should verify that your subject is offered in online format, as not every programme will be.

How to decide

  1. Start with your subject. If it is textiles, fashion or design, look at Scottish Borders first. If it is tied to Orkney's research and consultancy areas, look there. Otherwise, Edinburgh is the default starting point.
  2. Check where the programme is taught. Use the university's programme search, which lets you filter by level — Foundation, Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Research and Graduate Apprenticeships — to see which campus hosts your course.
  3. Weigh location against programme range. Edinburgh gives you the widest choice; the specialist and international campuses give you a narrower but more focused offer.
  4. Visit if you can. The university runs Open Days where you can explore campuses, talk to academics about your subject and learn about student life.

A note on rankings and outcomes

The university states that 86.8% of its research is ranked world-leading and internationally excellent (Research Excellence Framework 2021), and that it is first in Scotland for graduate outcomes, producing the highest percentage of CEO and Managing Director roles (Graduate Outcomes, 2024 and Novuna Business Cash Flow, 2025). It also states that students ranked it top in Scotland for 2027 with Uni Compare. These figures describe the university as a whole rather than individual campuses, so treat them as context for the institution, not as a way to separate one campus from another.