University of St Andrews

Scotland's first university

Founded in the early 15th century, St Andrews is Scotland’s first university and the third oldest in the English speaking world.

Teaching began in the community of St Andrews in 1410, and the University was formally constituted by the issue of a papal bull in 1413.

Internationally Scottish

We are the most international of Scotland's universities and one of the most international in the UK. There are more than 130 countries represented in the 2021-2022 student population. For 2021 entry we received applications from 179 different countries.  

Traditions

Academic families are a spontaneous tradition where third and fourth year students can adopt first year students as their 'children' to act as mentors and introduce them to student life.

Every year, hundreds of first-year students, dressed in fancy dress by their academic parents, gather in St Salvator’s Quad for the annual Raisin Monday foam fight.

The PH initials set into cobblestones outside the Sallies Quad mark the spot where Patrick Hamilton was burnt at the stake in 1582. According to tradition, any student who steps on the PH will be cursed to fail their degree.

The only cure for Patrick Hamilton’s curse is to participate in the annual May Dip. At sunrise on May Day, students make their way down to East Sands and collectively run into the North Sea.

Extracurricular activities

There are over 150 student societies ranging from artistic and musical through to religious and cultural.

Sport is a valued aspect of university life – there are over 50 sports clubs and 100 competitive sports teams to choose from.

High student satisfaction

The University of St Andrews is top in the UK for student academic experience with more than 89% of St Andrews final year students giving the University top marks for the quality of the learning and teaching experience, according to the results of the National Student Survey 2022.

According to the Complete University Guide 2027, the University of St Andrews ranks third in the UK for student satisfaction.

Teaching quality

The University was named the top university in the UK by the Guardian University Guide 2023 and Scottish University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023.

Visit here for more information about studying in St Andrews.