Academic support

Students at St Andrews have the opportunity to build on their study skills as part of a programme of academic support and development. This can be particularly helpful for students who are transitioning from school to university, as well as for students who are new to the St Andrews system.

Whether you are an undergraduate or postgraduate student, you are welcome to attend workshops, courses and programmes based on your needs and experience. These could include practical study skills or a subject-specific skills course.

Undergraduate academic support

As an incoming undergraduate student, you are welcome to attend sessions with an academic skills tutor. 

The University’s International Education and Lifelong Learning Institute (IELLI) provides a range of training and support for undergraduate students, including: 

  • mentoring schemes
  • skills development workshops and activities
  • one-to-one tutorials on academic skills like essay writing, note-taking and time management
  • mathematics and statistics tutorials
  • personal coaching to develop self-leadership skills 

IELLI and Careers also deliver two awards, the Saints Skills Builder Award and the Saints Spotlight Award, known collectively as the Saints Skills Awards. Each award will help to enhance your employability, either by developing a range of skills or by learning how best to articulate these skills. These skills are highly valued by employers and are a good addition to your CV.  

IELLI also coordinate the Academic Skills Programme (ASP) in a number of schools, a programme of subject-specific academic skills workshops led by experienced postgraduates. 

Postgraduate academic support

There are a number of specific skills courses on offer for postgraduate students. If you are an incoming postgraduate student studying a taught course, you have the opportunity to engage with the M-Skills programme, an extracurricular programme of workshops, lectures, online resources and mentoring schemes designed to equip you with a range of useful skills and experiences for your studies at St Andrews and beyond. The programme includes networking events, academic and study skills, and professional skills.

If you’re planning on coming to St Andrews for a postgraduate research programme, you may wish to take the GRADskills programme, a suite of workshops, networking events and activities designed to improve your research capabilities and widen your employability both inside and outside academia.