The University of Stirling, built mostly in the 1960s and 1970s, is set on a wooded and landscaped site, which includes a small loch (lake) and Airthrey Castle, an eighteenth-century baronial residence. Its 330-acre parkland campus has been recognized as one of the most beautiful in the United Kingdom and is consistently top-rated for student experience, safety, and campus life.

The university has some of the finest sports facilities in the country, including a 50-meter swimming pool (home of the National Swimming Academy), excellent fitness center, National Indoor Tennis Center, athletic track, and a nine-hole golf course. The Sports Union offers just about every sports club imaginable, all of which are available to USAC students. The university's main social building, Campus Central, is home to an active Students Union and includes the Macrobert Arts Center. This newly modernized theatre hosts virtually every type of artistic event: from theatre and symphony orchestras to student film festivals. Additional campus amenities include digitally-connected study spaces, an extensive library, shops and cafés, a multi-faith chaplaincy, and a new Student Services Hub.

During the fall and spring terms, USAC students can join the university’s Students' Union, allowing them to participate fully in university activities, student organizations, and sports teams. Clubs and societies—which range from Art Club to True Crime Society, from Drama to Mountaineering Club, and from Baking Society to Esports—are great ways to get involved, meet people with similar interests, and become integrated into campus life. There are also free events throughout the semester as part of the university’s “Be Connected” program – these range from arts and crafts nights to movie screenings to celebrating international festivals like Diwali.

Most of the university’s 19,000 students use local buses as convenient transportation around the city and surrounding area. Bus service is regular and frequent, and the university’s bus hub is centrally located on campus.