New Student FAQ

Before you start as a student here, we need you to complete the online matriculation process. Matriculation is the formal process where you register as a student with Edinburgh Napier University. We’ll send you an email in late December/January to your personal email account which will ask you to create your Edinburgh Napier password and set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all of our IT and Library Services. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be able to access the link to the online matriculation system.

You should log in and follow the series of simple and easy steps to complete the matriculation process and, at the end of the process, you’ll get a message that will tell you what you need to do during your first few days at University to complete your matriculation. Some students will also need to complete a Student Visa &/or Finance checks in order to complete the matriculation process in full.

Please note that you must complete the online process and any other checks that are required for you to become a fully matriculated student at Edinburgh Napier University.

You will receive the first communications about starting your course only once your application status is Unconditional Firm. This means you have accepted the offer of a place at the University and you have met any conditions which we set you as part of your offer.

Welcome email (Welcome to Edinburgh Napier University)

From w/c 5 December 2022 onwards, we will be issuing a welcome email to anyone whose application status is Unconditional Firm. The Welcome email will be sent to your personal email account when your application status changes to Unconditional Firm (e.g. after the release of your examination results).

Please allow 7 working days after your status changes to Unconditional Firm for this email to arrive. If you are Unconditional Firm and have not received this welcome email, please check your junk/spam email folders first.

If you have not received your welcome email, please contact ugadmissions@napier.ac.uk for undergraduate programmes and pgadmissions@napier.ac.uk for postgraduate programmes to check the status of your offer and that we hold the correct email address for you.

The next email communication that you’ll receive to your personal email account will tell you about matriculating (registering) as a student at the University.

Matriculation email (Getting registered with Edinburgh Napier University – Part 1 of 3)

Please check your junk/spam email folders first if you haven’t received this email. If you have not received this matriculation email (Getting Registered with Edinburgh Napier University – Part 1 of 3) by 10 January 2023  please contact induction@napier.ac.uk

Password creation email (Getting registered with Edinburgh Napier University – Part 2 of 3)

The next email that you’ll receive to your personal email account with the subject header - Getting Registered with Edinburgh Napier University - Part 2 of 3 - advises you how to create your Edinburgh Napier password for all University online services and how to set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). This will enable you to access the online matriculation service, and also, your University email account and our on and off campus online services.

To create your password you’ll need to know your Edinburgh Napier number (matriculation number) which is on all of our communications to you and you’ll need to confirm the personal email address that you’ve used during the application process to the University. Your password must:

• Be at least 15 characters in length
• Not contain your name, username or your matriculation number
• Not contain words such as ‘napier’ or ‘password’

Once you’ve created your password you’ll be directed to the online matriculation (registration) process which you will need to complete before commencing your studies. After that you will be able to access:

• The Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR) service registration process - a great resource which will enable you to retrieve and change your password should you forget it in the future.
• The online Introduction to Computing and Library Services which provides you with a very helpful guide on how to use and get the most from the University’s Computing and Library Services.
• The Photo Manager to submit a photo for your student card.

Password confirmation email (Getting registered with Edinburgh Napier University – Part 3 of 3)

Once you’ve created your password you’ll receive a confirmation email to your personal email account. This email also includes the link to the online matriculation (registration) process, the Self-Service Password Reset service and the online Introduction to Computing and Library Services and other important steps you need to do before the start of your course. Please complete all three steps as soon as possible and before the start of your course.

Please check your junk/spam email folders in the first instance if you haven’t received this email.

For any other enquiries, please contact induction@napier.ac.uk

The latest date you can enrol at the university is 03 February 2023.

You should contact our iPoint team by emailing iPoint@napier.ac.uk or attending their desk at each campus and if you have completed the matriculation process, they will be able to issue you with this letter.

Please check your junk or spam folder in your email client. The matriculation email is sent from NOREPLY@napier.ac.uk which may be incorrectly identified as spam. Matriculation emails will be sent in batches to students with an unconditional firm offer from w/c 5 December 2022 onwards. 

If you are unable to locate the email message, please contact induction@napier.ac.uk

Please check your junk or spam folder in your email client. The matriculation email is sent from NOREPLY@napier.ac.uk which may be incorrectly identified as spam.

If you are unable to locate the email message please contact induction@napier.ac.uk

You’ll get an email from the University around the 9 January 2023 that will provide information about the induction activities for your course.

Remember to also check out activities arranged by Edinburgh Napier Students' Association. 

Teaching timetables are published three times a year on My Napier (Web Timetables), Edinburgh Napier App and Office365 calendars. Personalised Timetables are available to new students after Matriculation. Please note it can take up to five working days for your personalised timetable to be fully available.

You will have, on average, nine hours of taught classes per week. Classes are taught on Monday to Fridays during the day and you may find that you have classes over several days of the week. You may also find that your timetable is different from your friend’s; this may be because you’ve chosen different modules or you have different tutorial sessions.

Find out more about your timetable.

Once you have successfully set your password you will be taken to the Security Info page on your Microsoft 365 account to set your Multi-Factor Authentication. When signing in use your email address in the format:

[your Edinburgh Napier student number]@live.napier.ac.uk, e.g. 40001234@live.napier.ac.uk

Click ‘Add Method’ and select ‘Authenticator App’ or ‘Phone’. This provides extra security on your account.

You will then receive another email which will take you to the online matriculation process. It contains a series of simple steps which you must complete as soon as possible.

If you have forgotten your password please visit the Self-Service Password Reset service in the first instance. You should have enrolled for this as part of your Introduction to Computing and Library Services.

If you are still having difficulty then please contact the IS Service Desk or your on campus /IT help desk.

The email address supplied during the application process differs from the one you are entering now. This could be due to a spelling mistake either now or on your application form or it may be because you have chosen to use a different email address.

First of all try re-typing the email address the email came to. Please check the TO field of the email you received to ensure that email address you’re entering matches exactly with what we have. If the same error occurs then please contact the IS Service Desk.

Your password does not meet the University’s complexity rules:

Password must be at least 15 characters in length
Password must not contain your name, username or your matriculation number
Password must not contain words such as “napier” or “password”

Please note that if you have been a student with us before, you will not be able to use any of your passwords used previously. This applies if it was a completely different course.

If you have just received the first email, then please wait 72 hours and try again. It is likely that your account is still being created.

If it has been 72 hours since you received the email please contact the IS Service Desk or your local Library/IT Help Desk.

You have already used the link within the ‘Getting Registered with Edinburgh Napier University Part 2 of 3’ email to set your password. This link may only be used once to set your password. If you have forgotten your password please contact the IS Service Desk or your on campus IT help desk.

You can find out more about MFA, including how to get help if you’re having difficulties, on the Multi-Factor Authentication My Napier page. 

Once you have completed matriculation you will be given an option to upload a photo for your student card via Photo Manager.

Once you have uploaded the photo and you are fully matriculated, your card (if you are eligible for a physical card) will be posted to the UK contact address you have confirmed in Photo Manager. Please note that student cards will only be sent to a UK contact address. If your address is not correct, you need to update your student record prior to uploading your photo.

You will have an opportunity to change this address but if you do not have a secure contact address yet that your card can be posted to, you may choose not to request your card at this time. Please be aware that if you request your card to be sent to an address, other than your UK contact address, and are unable to retrieve the card you may be charged £10 for a replacement. Once you have an address you can then come back, upload your photo, choose/update your address and your card will be posted to you.

When you are fully matriculated, have a confirmed contact address, and have uploaded a photo, your card will be sent to the card bureau for printing. The data is sent down daily every evening so will be picked up the next day and processed. Your card will be posted within 5-7 days of the bureau receiving your card data. Please note that the processing time may increase to 10-14 working days at the start of term due to a high volume of requests.

When you are fully matriculated, have a confirmed contact address, and have uploaded a photo, your card will be sent to the card bureau for printing. The data is sent down daily every evening so will be picked up the next day and processed. Your card will be posted within 5-7 days of the bureau receiving your card data. Please note that the processing time may increase to 10-14 working days at the start of term due to a high volume of requests.

You will receive a notification via the Edinburgh Napier App when your card has been posted.

No, your card will be waiting for you when you arrive at your student accommodation.

Contact iPoint staff by emailing idcards@napier.ac.uk and let them know that you haven’t received your card. iPoint staff will be able to check when your card was posted and can arrange for a reprint if required.

Login with your 8 digit Edinburgh Napier number and your password that you set earlier. You can access Photo Manager from the Next Steps page.

Don’t panic. You don’t need your physical card immediately so you can wait until you have a UK contact address before you upload your photo.

Please be aware that if you request your card to be sent to an address other than your contact address and are unable to retrieve the card, you may be charged £10 for a replacement.

If you click No where prompted this will take you to eStudent Records where you can update your contact address. Once complete, please go back to https://studentcard.napier.ac.uk/access/login and complete your photo upload. You may need to wait 5-10 minutes for your amended address to appear.

Please ensure that you have entered a valid UK post code.

Please note that student cards will only be sent to a UK contact address.

It takes a few minutes for this update to reach Photo Manager. If this happens, please try again in 5-10 minutes.

Yes, if you use Photo Manager on your mobile device, you will have the option to take a photo, or upload one of your existing photos.

Yes, these are available in Photo Manager. Your photo should:

• Be a recent colour photo
• Be a close-up of your full head and shoulders
• Be clear and in focus
• Be against a plain, light background
• Be of you alone (no other people or pets in photo)
• Show you facing forwards
• Show your full face
• Be in jpg, gif or png format
• Be at least 300 x 350 pixels

In your photo you must:

• Have your eyes open, visible and free from reflection or glare from glasses
• Not wear a hat or cover your head unless for religious or medical reason
• Not wear sunglasses
• Not have anything covering your face

You must not:

• Submit an image of someone else

If your photo doesn’t meet the photo guidelines, there is a chance that you may be required to obtain a new student card with a new photo. This would incur a cost of £10.

Yes, your photo must be in either a jpg, gif or png format to upload.

Your photo needs to be a minimum of 300 x 350 pixels in size to ensure that it is suitable for printing on your student card. Please ensure that your photo is larger than this. 

From a PC, if you right click on your photo and click Properties, then select the Details tab, you will see the size of your photo in pixels. You can use a variety of image editing tools on your PC to resize your image.

If you have checked the size of your photo and it meets the size requirements, please contact the IS Service Desk for additional support.

No, you are only permitted to upload 1 photo. Once you have successfully submitted your photo, Photo Manager will not allow you to upload another one.

If the image you’re trying to upload appears as a black square in preview mode, please cancel your photo upload and try again on a PC or different device. If the problems persists, please contact the IS Service Desk for additional support.

If the details displayed on your card preview are not correct, please contact the IS Service Desk in the first instance.

If you download My Account, our Edinburgh Napier app, from the App Store or Google Play Store, you will see an electronic version of your card once you have fully matriculated and uploaded your photo.

You can use this to borrow books in the library and it is accepted as proof of your student status when applying for student bus/rail passes, including the Lothian Buses student ridacard.

However, the electronic version can't open University doors, including access to the building after hours or to specific labs - only your physical card can do that. You will also need to have a physical card if you are borrowing a laptop from the lapsafe.

The Fair Processing Notice informs what data is being used, how and why.

Our Tuition Fees & Student Funding pages contain all of the financial information that you’ll need to know as a new student to the University. Please note that we are unable to accept Travel cards as a method of payment.

For most students studying a full-time undergraduate course, the main support for living costs is through a low interest student loan, which is partly income-assessed.

To be eligible for a loan, you must meet the following criteria:

• You are studying on a full-time undergraduate course that qualifies for a loan
• You meet UK residence eligibility conditions (for details contact the funding body applicable to your UK home country as detailed below under “How do I apply”) 

International and EU students

Unless you have been living in the UK for 3 full years before the start of your first course of study, you will not be entitled to a Student Loan. If you are not sure of your residency status you can confirm your situation with the Student Awards Agency for Scotland by calling 0300 555 0505 or email SAAS_4@scotland.gov.uk.

The British Council's Education UK website has a facility allowing international students, from both inside and outside the EU, to search for, and gain advice on, scholarships.

• If your home is in Scotland check out the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS)
• If you are from England visit Government UK
• If you are from Northern Ireland visit the Student Finance Northern Ireland
• If you are from Wales visit the Student Finance Wales

If your application has been assessed, your student loan should be with you on the first day of term (providing we have confirmed your attendance), or 2-3 days after we confirm your attendance –whichever date is later.

Has the university confirmed my attendance?

Please visit your eStudent records and the Financial Support section, which should provide you with the date notification was sent to the SLC.

What if I haven’t yet received my first instalment?

If you have not yet received a payment you should ensure that you have:

• fully matriculated
• signed your SLC online declaration
• given SLC have a valid National Insurance number (NINO) and your bank details
• informed Edinburgh Napier University and SLC of any changes to your details, such as name and address

If you are experiencing financial difficulties as a result of non-payment of your loan/bursary you should consider your eligibility to apply for help from the Discretionary Fund. Full details of criteria and how to apply can be found on the Discretionary Fund page.

How do I get help with the cost of childcare?

If you use a registered provider you may be eligible to apply for help with childcare costs you should consider your eligibility to apply for help from the Childcare Fund.

Although your course has started your student loans and SAAS bursary payments will not be released until you have fully completed the matriculation process, and are a current student of the University.

We are required by the Home Office to hold copies of your passport details, your entry visa and stamp to the United Kingdom and a copy of your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), if you have this.

Student Route Visa holders:

You will have applied for your student visa before you leave home. You should take a photo of the your entry clearance visa, including the date stamp (after you have arrived in the UK)  in your passport AND the front and back of your BRP card (if eligible) once received and then scan and upload it using eStudent Records.  (Go to Actions and click on Passport and Visa Upload).

If you are an EEA national who has used the “UK Immigration: ID check” app, you will be able to view your immigration status online. We need to see evidence of your status so you need to request a “share code” and email it to internationalsupport@napier.ac.uk.  We will use that code to check your visa status and complete your matriculation. We also need to see evidence of when you arrived in the UK either by seeing a copy of the stamp you get in your passport or if you do not receive a stamp, we ask that you keep a copy of your boarding pass/travel itinerary to upload as part of the matriculation process.

Students studying a single semester:

If you are a non-visa national or an EU/EEA/Swiss national and have entered the UK via the e-Gate, then you will not receive any entry stamp on arrival. We ask you to keep your boarding pass and upload this to the visa upload section mentioned below on your arrival to the UK.

Visiting student fees may vary depending on your fee status or if you are coming through a University partnership. For more information on the fees you should pay and how you do it, please visit the Finance Page. For questions about the payment of your Fees you can contact the Finance team on fees@napier.ac.uk or call+44 (0) 0131 455 6120.

It cannot always be guaranteed as it depends on the School where you will be based. Module choices will be discussed at your Academic Induction, which will take place during your first week. It will give you the opportunity to discuss module choices with an academic member of staff and start to consider your timetable for the months ahead.

You should not worry! Module choices may be confirmed at your Academic Induction which will take place during your first week. If you cannot attend the Welcome Induction, please email the Global Mobility team at VisitingStudents@napier.ac.uk to let them know. 

One of the first things you should do after moving in is to register with a local doctor (GP) and dentist. It will mean that you can easily access health services if you need to and will also make it easier for the University to support you if you suffer any mental health issues.

You can find local doctors and dentists via the NHS 24 website:

• Find a local doctor
• Find a local dentist

Before you come to University, it is really important that you check with your GP that your vaccinations are up to date.

 There are two highly recommended vaccinations that new students should ensure that they get prior to starting University. These are:

1. Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) immunisation; and
2. Meningococcal ACWY immunisation

Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) immunisation- for all students

Measles, mumps and rubella are highly infectious conditions that can have serious and potentially fatal complications. The MMR vaccine is a safe and effective combined vaccine that protects against the three separate illnesses, in a single injection. The full course of the MMR vaccination requires two doses and should be given at least 4 weeks apart. It is likely that you will have received one MMR immunisation as a baby or a child, but it is advised to check with your GP before arriving at University if both doses have been administered.

 If you have not received the MMR vaccine before leaving for University, you can register with a new GP practice once you arrive and arrange to get the vaccine here as soon as possible.

Meningococcal ACWY immunisation- for first time University entrants

Meningitis and septicaemia (blood poisoning) are rare, but life threatening diseases. They are caused by several groups of meningococcal bacteria- the most common types are A, B, C, W and Y. Young people have the highest risk of contracting meningococcal disease, as well as children and babies.

The meningococcal ACWY (MenACWY) vaccine helps protect against meningitis and septicaemia. Students starting University for the first time are at an increased risk of MenACWY disease because they are more likely to stay in halls of residence and have more close contact with new students, particularly during the first few weeks of term.

It is important that you are immunised at least two weeks before you attend University to make sure your immunity has fully built up.

If you did not get MenACWY immunised before leaving for University, you can register with a new GP practice once you arrive and arrange to get the vaccine as soon as possible.

If you are postgraduate and have any queries about meningitis and septicaemia you should speak with your GP.

Information about vaccinations

Please refer to the Immunisation Scotland website for further information or call the NHS inform helpline on 0800 22 44 88 (text phone 18001 0800 22 44 88).

At Edinburgh Napier, we have a positive approach to supporting any student advising us of a disability, health condition or specific learning difficulty. 

If you have had support before, for instance extra time when you took exams at school or college, we can look to carry on that sort of support on your new course.  We can also help you think through challenges coming up, develop new strategies, and decide about any additional support, including accessing additional funding if you are eligible.

If you had a support plan at school or college, send us a copy of that as soon as you can and include any evidence that supported it, such as a screening report from school, GP’s letter or educational psychologist’s report. 

If you received the Disabled Student’s Allowance at college, please send us a copy of your needs assessment report or your recent funding application – again, as soon as you possibly can.  Preparing your support works best when we can review your documentation before you start your new course with us. – do not leave it until the term has started if you possibly can avoid it.

Find out more about the support available to you on My Napier and get in touch by emailing disabilityandinclusion@napier.ac.uk

For more information visit our Disability Inclusion pages.

Have you sorted out somewhere suitable and safe to live? Are you eligible to apply for university managed accommodation? Find out how to apply for University accommodation, or find private accommodation, and get settled into life as an Edinburgh Napier student. Student's are expected to live within a commutable distance to their campus - please ensure that your UK address has been updated if/when you move.

Find out how to get to your home campus and information on public transport by visiting our Getting to Campus page.

You will be given reading lists for each of your modules during the first couple of weeks at University. The Library stocks copies of books on the reading list for you to refer to and borrow. The Library also has an extensive collection of e-books for you to access online anywhere.

See help with finding Library books and ebooks.

ENSA Advice is a free, independent, impartial and confidential student advice service available to all Edinburgh Napier students. The service is available throughout the year from Monday to Friday and accessible from Merchiston, Craiglockhart and Sighthill campuses. The service is available throughout the year from Monday to Friday and is accessible from Merchiston, Craiglockhart and Sighthill campuses.

ENSA’s team of professional advisers can provide one-to-one advice to students in-person, over the phone, via MS Teams or via e-mail. To book an appointment, visit www.napierstudents.com/advice.

When you set your password you will also have enrolled for Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and registered for the Self-Service Password Reset service. This allows you to reset a forgotten password at any time on or off campus without having to contact the IS Service Desk or your on campus /IT help desk.

Then make sure you complete the Introduction to Computing & Library Services before you start at University. Follow the link, login using your matriculation number and password, and choose "On Campus" or "Off Campus" as appropriate. Then follow the instructions to work through.

Your email address is in the format: [your Edinburgh Napier student number]@live.napier.ac.uk, e.g. 40001234@live.napier.ac.uk.

This will give you the basic information you need to get started, including:

• Using computing suites and libraries
• How to access your University email and use Moodle – the online home of course information
• How to find the books on your reading list in the Library

Our Academic skills advisers help students get used to the different ways you may be expected to study, think and write at University. Whatever your year, programme of study and previous experience we provide guidance to help you develop the skills you need to tackle a range of academic assignments. Visit Academic Skills on My Napier.

Preparing for study at Edinburgh Napier University

We come to University with a range of different experiences, therefore it is important to understand what is expected of us at University level. Whether studying at university is completely new to you, you are a 'returner', coming from college, or beginning Postgraduate study, these resources will help you to prepare:

• Academic skills blog
• Tackling assignments (available once matriculated)
• Studying online (available once matriculated)
• Academic integrity tutorial (available once matriculated)
• English language support

You can access the University Privacy Notices here: staff.napier.ac.uk/dpstatements. There is other useful information on these pages, which you can access using the left hand menu options e.g. Processing of Personal Data by Students and Internet, Online and Web 2.0 Services.

Edinburgh Napier Students' Association (ENSA) is an independent, student-led charity created to support and improve your student experience. ENSA represents the interests of all Edinburgh Napier Students and offers a wide range of services, including sports clubs, societies, events, a free welfare-rights and education advice service, and much more.

Membership is automatic and it’s FREE!

Find out more about the services offered by ENSA at www.napierstudents.com

If you DON’T want the benefits of becoming an ENSA member, you can choose to opt-out of membership at any time, by simply emailing dataprotection@napierstudents.com, stating your name and student ID number.

Please note that if you choose to opt out of membership, you will NOT be able to access some ENSA Services, such as sports clubs and societies, and you will NOT be able to vote, or run for office, in the student elections.

All sports clubs and student societies are run by your students' association - Edinburgh Napier Students' Association (ENSA) - an independent, student-led charity created to support and improve your student experience.

Getting involved with sports and societies is an amazing way of making new friends, developing your skills and maximising your student experience. There are around 60 sports clubs and student societies you can join and you can find the full list and sign up at www.napierstudents.com/teamnapier.

Before joining an individual sports club or society, you'll need to buy an ENSA Sports or ENSA Societies Affiliation (£5 for Societies and £20 for Sports). Each sports club or society then charges a 'membership fee' set by the club/society themselves, which can range in value depending on the costs of club/society activities.