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The University of St Andrews is a public university located in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. Established in 1413, it’s considered one of the oldest universities in Scotland, and the third oldest university in the UK after Oxford and Cambridge. By the middle of the 16th century, three colleges were built inside the university; St Salvator’s (1450), St Leonard’s (1511), and St Mary’s (1538). Later on, St Salvator’s and St Leonard’s Colleges joined to form the United College which still stands to this day. During the 19th century, the university was well-known as a research hub for arts, divinity, and the biological and physical sciences. In 1897, a new centre in Dundee joined the university and it gained remarkable achievements in medical and applied science. However, the Dundee centre later developed into The University of Dundee in 1967. In 2009, the University of St Andrews became the first Scottish ancient university to appoint a woman as principal, recruiting Professor Louise Richardson.
The University of St Andrews consists of four main faculties which are the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Divinity, Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Science. Each faculty has multiple departments and each is led by a head of school and supported by a number of academic and professional staff. Subjects are unique per faculty; however, both the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Science share multidisciplinary subjects like Economics and Financial Economics, Geography, Management, Mathematics, Psychology, Statistics, and Sustainable Development.
The University of St Andrews offers undergraduate studies, postgraduate studies, and non-degree courses. Undergraduate studies have both full-time and part-time options with honours degrees, joint honours degrees and general degrees where students don’t have to specialize in a certain area. Postgraduate studies consist of a range of masters courses including the MLitt and MSc programmes offered by the University and research degrees which include MPhil, PhD, DLang, EngD, MSc (Res) and MSt (Res). In order to be admitted onto these degrees, students must have an undergraduate degree from the Faculty of Science or a master’s degree from the Faculty of Arts and Divinity. Non-degree courses consist of summer schools and programmes for school-aged students; these include the Sutton Trust summer school, as well as summer programmes in science, creative writing and Scottish studies, evening language courses, sign language courses, and upskilling courses.
The University of St Andrews doesn’t have a main university campus; instead, university buildings are dispersed across the town. The university facilities consist of university chapels, three museums, cafes, shops, and venues, where students, staff, alumni and even public visitors can get married. The university also has multiple student services that offer student support, and a University Community Fund.
The university offers more than 4,000 beds ranging to accommodate a variety of students’ tastes, needs, and budgets.
A wide range of accommodation at the university is offered for undergraduate students and it consists of multiple room options with different styles. St Andrews’ student accommodation offers five different types of accommodation such as catered, single and shared rooms with shared bathrooms, catered rooms with en suite bathrooms, self-catered rooms with a shared bathroom, self-catered rooms with en suite bathrooms, and shared rooms for up to three students. Many types of residence halls are available for undergraduate students such as catered standard, catered en-suite, self-catered standard, self-catered en-suite, and shared rooms.
All first-year undergraduate students are guaranteed a place in halls, as long as certain conditions are met. The university also offers accommodation for students and their partners or family members as the university has a small selection to accommodate this setup. The university offers private accommodation as well through Studentpad, St Andrews’ student accommodation search engine, which helps students find houses, flats and lodgings in or near the St Andrews area. The website lists available properties to rent directly from the landlords themselves and includes additional information on how to rent and where to get information.
Postgraduate students from other institutions who are visiting St Andrews, either for a short research visit or an extended stay, can apply for St Andrews’ postgraduate accommodation under a temporary contract. Leases are given for a single en suite room within a self-catered five-bedroom apartment in which tenants share the kitchen and living area with four other residents. The cost of the accommodation includes heating, lighting, and internet connection only; the university doesn’t provide bedding, crockery, cutlery, pillows, linen, towels or bedding. All tenants are responsible for cleaning their rooms and the communal areas within the apartment.
The University of St Andrews is the only university in town, however, if you wish to visit other universities in nearby cities, check the University of Edinburgh, University of Dundee, Abertay University, and the University of Glasgow. They are all a short ride away.
About 45% of the students at the University of St Andrews are international students, coming from over 135 countries.
Yes, the University of St Andrews offers a number of scholarships for international students, including the International Undergraduate Scholarship.
Yes, the University of St Andrews provides a number of student support services, including:
The University of St Andrews has a relatively low acceptance rate of around 10%.
St Andrews is consistently ranked among the top universities in the UK. In the 2024 QS World University Rankings, St Andrews is ranked 95th in the world.