48-637: There are fifteen universities based in Scotland , the Open University , and three other institutions of higher education. The first university in Scotland was St John's College, St Andrews , founded in 1418. St Salvator's College was added to St. Andrews in 1450. The other great bishoprics followed, with the University of Glasgow being founded in 1451 and King's College, Aberdeen in 1495. St Leonard's College
96-598: A Humanist academy for the training of clerics. Public lectures that were established in Edinburgh in the 1540s would eventually become the University of Edinburgh in 1582. A university also briefly existed in Fraserburgh . After the Reformation, Scotland's universities underwent a series of reforms associated with Andrew Melville , who was influenced by the anti-Aristotelian Petrus Ramus . In 1617 King James VI decreed that
144-572: A centre of learning to consider the role of religion and politics was highlighted by the support garnered from a diverse range of scholars and religious and political figures who endorsed the Centre's establishment. These supporters who have continued as Patrons of the Centre include Gustavo Gutiérrez , Cardinal O'Brien , Bishop Desmond Tutu , Carole Hillenbrand , Ian Linden , Julian Filochowski , J.D.Y. Peel , Rev Joel Edwards , Professor George P. Smith II and Dr. P.T.W. Baxter. The current director
192-407: A high-quality liberal education to the sons of the nobility and gentry. In the eighteenth century the universities went from being small and parochial institutions, largely for the training of clergy and lawyers, to major intellectual centres at the forefront of Scottish identity and life, seen as fundamental to democratic principles and the opportunity for social advancement for the talented. Many of
240-458: A series of reforms associated with Andrew Melville . After the Restoration there was a purge of Presbyterians from the universities, but most of the intellectual advances of the preceding period were preserved. The Scottish university colleges recovered from the disruption of the civil war years and Restoration with a lecture-based curriculum that was able to embrace economics and science, offering
288-578: A taught postgraduate degree (primarily a master's degree) and 14,105 for a postgraduate research degree (primarily PhD). The three largest universities by enrolment were the Universities of Glasgow (39,755 students), Edinburgh (39,110 students) and Strathclyde (24,860 students). The Scottish Universities Summer School in Physics (SUSSP) was established in 1960 by the four ancient Scottish Universities (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St. Andrews) to contribute to
336-402: A third cluster containing 13 old universities and 54 new universities including the remaining Scottish universities; and a fourth cluster contains 19 new universities but no Scottish universities. The below lists the outcome of the latest Research Excellence Framework undertaken in 2021 (the next REF is scheduled for 2028) by the four UK higher education funding bodies. The quality of research
384-413: Is Dr Mark Elliott . The Logos Institute for Analytic and Exegetical Theology was founded in 2016 by Professor Alan Torrance and Dr Andrew Torrance. The Institute "is committed to scholarship that reflects a concern for: transparency; simplicity in expression; clear, logical argumentation; and rigorous analysis. It also reflects a radical commitment to interdisciplinary engagement, particularly between
432-420: Is Professor Mario Aguilar The Institute for Bible, Theology & Hermeneutics (IBTH) was established in 2009 to give formal identity to the long-standing project of research into Scripture and theology that has been associated with the work at St Mary's School of Divinity. The institute introduces its aims as seeking, "To overcome the sense of fragmentation within the field of Divinity that burdens many within
480-716: Is one of five approved centres for the training of Church of Scotland ministers. Graduates include the Very Rev Dr Finlay Macdonald , the immediate past Principal Clerk to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and a former Moderator. Beginning May 2018, the Principal of St Mary's College was Rev. Dr. Stephen Holmes, also Head of the School of Divinity, who replaced Ian Bradley ( Professor Emeritus ). Oliver Crisp
528-522: Is provided for Scottish-domiciled students by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland . Students ordinarily resident in Scotland do not pay tuition fees for their first undergraduate degree, but tuition fees are charged for those from the rest of the United Kingdom. All students are required to pay tuition fees for postgraduate education (e.g. MSc, PhD), except in certain priority areas funded by
SECTION 10
#1732855938610576-767: Is the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills , currently Jenny Gilruth of the Scottish National Party . University status in Scotland and throughout the United Kingdom today is conferred by the Privy Council which takes advice from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education . All Scottish universities are public universities and part funded by the Scottish Government (through its Scottish Funding Council ) and financial support
624-495: Is the one who finds wisdom. Universities in Scotland There are fifteen universities in Scotland and three other institutions of higher education that have the authority to award academic degrees. The first university college in Scotland was founded at St John's College, St Andrews in 1418 by Henry Wardlaw , bishop of St Andrews. St Salvator's College was added to St Andrews in 1450. The University of Glasgow
672-542: The European Enlightenment . Many of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment were university professors, who developed their ideas in university lectures. Key figures included Francis Hutcheson , Hugh Blair , David Hume , Adam Smith , James Burnett , Adam Ferguson , John Millar and William Robertson , William Cullen , James Anderson , Joseph Black and James Hutton . At the beginning of
720-744: The Faculty of Divinity of the university. At its foundation in 1538 St Mary's was intended to be a College for instruction in Divinity, Law, and Medicine, as well as in Arts, but its career on this extensive scale was short-lived. Under a new foundation and erection, confirmed by Parliament in 1579, it was set apart for the study of Theology only, and it has remained a Divinity College ever since. From 1580 onwards each Principal has acted as primarius Professor of Divinity, or first Master. St Mary's College retains much of its original sixteenth-century buildings, specifically
768-581: The Further and Higher Education Act 1992 , the distinction between universities and colleges was removed, creating new universities at Abertay , Glasgow Caledonian , Napier , Paisley and Robert Gordon . There are fifteen universities in Scotland and three other institutions of higher education which have the authority to award academic degrees . The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) gained full university status in 2011, having been created through
816-622: The Protestant teachings of the reformers. It was dedicated to a revival of learning on the Continental trilingual model and from the outset laid emphasis on the knowledge of Latin , Greek and Hebrew . In 1579, nineteen years after the Reformation brought fundamental changes to the religious life of the Scottish nation , St Mary's College was reconstituted, under the influence of Andrew Melville , as
864-515: The Robbins Report of 1963 there was a rapid expansion in higher education in Scotland. By the end of the decade the number of Scottish Universities had doubled. New universities included the University of Dundee , Strathclyde , Heriot-Watt , and Stirling . From the 1970s the government preferred to expand higher education in the non-university sector and by the late 1980s roughly half of students in higher education were in colleges. In 1992, under
912-481: The University of Aberdeen in 1860. Marischal College was rebuilt in the Gothic style from 1900. The University of Edinburgh was taken out of the care of the city and established on a similar basis to the other ancient universities. After the Robbins Report of 1963 there was a rapid expansion in higher education in Scotland. By the end of the decade the number of Scottish Universities had doubled. New universities included
960-474: The University of Dundee , Strathclyde , Heriot-Watt , and Stirling . From the 1970s the government preferred to expand higher education in the non-university sector and by the late 1980s roughly half of students in higher education were in colleges. In 1992, the distinction between universities and polytechnic colleges/Central institutions was removed. This created new universities at Abertay , Glasgow Caledonian , Napier , Paisley and Robert Gordon . in 2001
1008-450: The University of the Highlands and Islands was created by a federation of 13 colleges and research institutions in the Highlands and Islands and gained full university status in 2011. Established as King's College, Aberdeen in 1495 by a papal bull of Pope Alexander VI , and in 1860 merged with Marischal College (established 1593 as Aberdeen's second university), explicitly maintaining the date of foundation of King's College. Blessed
SECTION 20
#17328559386101056-498: The 2022–23 academic year, 292,240 students studied at universities or institutes of higher education in Scotland, 228,005 of whom were full-time, 59.0% were female and 40.4% male. 59.5% of students were domiciled in Scotland, 11.5% from the rest of the United Kingdom, and the remaining 28.7% being international students (4.5% from the European Union). Of all these, approximately 198,745 were studying at undergraduate level, 79,395 for
1104-726: The 2025 global rankings, three Scottish universities featured in the world's top 200 universities in both of the QS and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings . In terms of rankings there are four distinctive clusters of higher and lower status universities in the UK: Oxbridge comprising cluster one; a second cluster containing the remaining 22 Russell Group universities together with 17 other old universities, including Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heriot-Watt, St Andrews, Stirling and Strathclyde;
1152-475: The Academy, promoting intra-disciplinary conversation between Biblical Studies and the various fields of Theology, thus providing a core identity for a more integrated discipline competent to engage in inter-disciplinary research. With the study of general hermeneutical theory and practice at its centre, it will be outward-looking and keen to engage with issues arising from the contemporary world." The current director
1200-681: The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary , is the home of the Faculty and School of Divinity within the University of St Andrews , in Fife , Scotland. The college was founded in 1538 by Archbishop James Beaton , uncle of Cardinal David Beaton on the site of the Pedagogy or St John's College (founded 1418). St Mary's College was intended to preserve the teachings of the Catholic church against
1248-615: The School of Divinity is placed first in the United Kingdom for undergraduate studies ahead of Durham in second place and Cambridge in third. In the 2016 Guardian University Guide , it is also ranked first in the United Kingdom in religious studies and theology. The college has four research centres. The Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts (ITIA) was founded within the college by professors Trevor Hart and Jeremy Begbie (currently Thomas A. Langford Research Professor at Duke Divinity School) in 2000. It "aims to advance and enrich an active conversation between Christian theology and
1296-564: The Scottish Government, or if another source of funding can be found (e.g. research council studentship for a PhD). A representative body called Universities Scotland works to promote Scotland's universities, as well as six other higher education institutions. The total consolidated annual income for the fifteen Scottish universities for 2020–21 was £4.38 billion of which £847 million was from research grants and contracts, with an operating surplus of £290.4 million (6.63%). £1.36 billion
1344-614: The Scottish economy. Until the fifteenth century, Scots who wished to attend university had to travel to England or to the Continent. This situation was transformed by the founding of St John's College, St Andrews in 1418 by Henry Wardlaw , bishop of St. Andrews. St Salvator's College was added to St. Andrews in 1450. The other great bishoprics followed, with the University of Glasgow being founded in 1451 and King's College, Aberdeen in 1495. Initially, these institutions were designed for
1392-627: The arts – bringing rigorous theological thinking to the arts, and bringing the resources of the arts to the enterprise of theology." The current director is Dr Gavin Hopps . The Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics (CSRP) was founded in November 2004 by a group of academics attached to the Schools of Divinity, International Relations, Modern Languages, and Philosophical and Anthropological Studies. The need for
1440-501: The curriculum to meet the needs of the emerging middle classes and the professions. The result of these reforms was a revitalisation of the Scottish university system and growth in the number of students. In the first half of the twentieth century Scottish universities fell behind those in England and Europe in terms of participation and investment. After the Robbins Report of 1963 there was a rapid expansion in higher education in Scotland. By
1488-612: The dissemination of advanced knowledge in physics and the formation of contacts among scientists from different countries through the setting up of a series of annual summer schools of the highest international standard. As of 2014 it had increased to include Dundee, Glasgow Caledonian, Heriot-Watt, Paisley, and Strathclyde. In the 2025 national league table rankings, five of the top twenty in both of The Guardian University Guide and in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide were Scottish universities. In
List of universities in Scotland - Misplaced Pages Continue
1536-544: The end of the decade the number of Scottish universities had doubled. In 1992 the distinction between universities and colleges was removed, creating a series of new universities. All Scottish universities are public and funded in part by the Scottish Government (through its Scottish Funding Council ). In 2022–23, approximately 292,200 students studied at universities or institutes of higher education in Scotland, 84,000 of whom are international students . The sector employs, directly and indirectly, six per cent of all jobs in
1584-454: The federation of 13 colleges and research institutions across the Highlands and Islands, a process that began in 2001. All Scottish universities have the power to award degrees at all levels: undergraduate, taught postgraduate, and doctoral. Education in Scotland is controlled by the Scottish Government under the terms of the Scotland Act 1998 . The minister responsible for higher education
1632-484: The key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment were university professors, who developed their ideas in university lectures. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Scotland's five university colleges had no entrance exams. Students typically entered at ages of 15 or 16, attended for as little as two years, chose which lectures to attend and left without qualifications. There was a concerted attempt to modernise
1680-459: The need to reform the system to meet the needs of the emerging middle classes and the professions. The result of these reforms was a revitalisation of the Scottish university system, which expanded to 6,254 students by the end of the century and produced leading figures in both the arts and sciences. In the first half of the twentieth century Scottish universities fell behind those in England and Europe in terms of participation and investment. After
1728-412: The nineteenth century, Scotland's five university colleges had no entrance exam, students typically entered at ages of 15 or 16, attended for as little as two years, chose which lectures to attend and left without qualifications. The curriculum was dominated by divinity and the law and there was a concerted attempt to modernise the curriculum, particularly by introducing degrees in the physical sciences and
1776-516: The north and West ranges. The Quad contains a thorn tree said to have been planted by Mary, Queen of Scots , during her many visits to St. Andrews. The Quad also contains the historic King James Library founded by King James VI & I in 1612. In addition, the College has The Roundel, a 16th-century building dedicated for doctoral students studying divinity at the University of St Andrews. The college
1824-456: The preceding period were preserved. The colleges at Aberdeen were de-merged. The five Scottish university colleges recovered from the disruption of the civil war years and Restoration with a lecture-based curriculum that was able to embrace economics and science, offering a high-quality liberal education to the sons of the nobility and gentry. In the eighteenth century the universities went from being small and parochial institutions, largely for
1872-480: The town college of Edinburgh should be known as King James's College. In 1641, the two colleges at Aberdeen were united by decree of Charles I (r. 1625–49), to form the "King Charles University of Aberdeen." Under the Commonwealth (1652–60), the universities saw an improvement in their funding. After the Restoration there was a purge of Presbyterians from the universities, but most of the intellectual advances of
1920-543: The training of clergy and lawyers, to major intellectual centres at the forefront of Scottish identity and life, seen as fundamental to democratic principles and the opportunity for social advancement for the talented. Chairs of medicine were founded at all the university towns. By the 1740s Edinburgh medical school was the major centre of medicine in Europe and was a leading centre in the Atlantic world. Access to Scottish universities
1968-509: The training of clerics, but they would increasingly be used by laymen. International contacts helped integrate Scotland into a wider European scholarly world and would be one of the most important ways in which the new ideas of Humanism were brought into Scottish intellectual life in the sixteenth century. St Leonard's College was founded in St Andrews in 1511 and St John's College was re-founded as St Mary's College, St Andrews in 1538, as
List of universities in Scotland - Misplaced Pages Continue
2016-595: The ‘King Charles University of Aberdeen’. They were demerged after the Restoration in 1661. In 1747 St Leonard's College in St Andrews was merged into St Salvator's College to form the United College of St Salvator and St Leonard . A new college of St Andrews was opened in Dundee in 1883, though initially an independent institution. The two colleges at Aberdeen were considered too small to be viable and they were restructured as
2064-508: Was Principal and Head of School from January 2022 until July 2024 after previously having been Acting Head of the School of Divinity since October 2021. Since the summer of 2024 William Tooman has been Principal and Head of School. As of May 2015, the Faculty and School of Divinity forms an academic community of some 131 persons: 16 members of staff; 55 postgraduate students; and 60 undergraduates. According to The Complete University Guide 2016,
2112-485: Was founded in 1451 and King's College, Aberdeen in 1495. St Leonard's College was founded in St Andrews in 1511 and St John's College was re-founded as St Mary's College, St Andrews in 1538, as a Humanist academy for the training of clerics. Public lectures that were established in Edinburgh in the 1540s, would eventually become the University of Edinburgh in 1582. After the Reformation , Scotland's universities underwent
2160-456: Was founded in Aberdeen in 1511 and St John's College was re-founded in 1538 as St Mary's College, St Andrews . Public lectures that were established in Edinburgh in the 1540s would eventually become the University of Edinburgh in 1582. A university briefly existed in Fraserburgh between 1592 and 1605. In 1641, the two colleges at Aberdeen were united by decree of Charles I (r. 1625–49), to form
2208-405: Was probably more open than in contemporary England, Germany or France. Attendance was less expensive and the student body more representative of society as a whole. The system was flexible and the curriculum became a modern philosophical and scientific one, in keeping with contemporary needs for improvement and progress. Scotland reaped the intellectual benefits of this system in its contribution to
2256-529: Was rated 4* (world leading), 3* (internationally excellent), 2* (recognised internationally), 1* (recognised nationally) and unclassified. GPA measures the quality of research and Research Power is calculated by the GPA score of a university multiplied by the full-time equivalent number of researchers submitted. The rankings are out of 129 institutions as measured by output: St Mary%27s College, St Andrews St Mary's College , founded as New College or College of
2304-565: Was received from the Scottish Funding Council via grants and £298.5 million was received from tuition fees of Home-domiciled students, defined as Scotland-domiciled students and European Union-domiciled students who began their studies prior to 2021-22. The table below is a record of each Scottish university's financial data for the 2020–21 financial year as recorded by the Higher Education Statistics Agency : In
#609390