Our Histories

The University of St Andrews is proud of being Scotland’s oldest university, and the third oldest in the English-speaking world. But while we know quite a lot about its medieval and early modern origins, we know far less about how St Andrews became the international, research-intensive, socially-responsible university of today.

The nineteenth and twentieth centuries were an important period of transformation for the University:

• the curriculum was expanded and modernised (e.g. with the introduction of science degrees, and new subjects like Modern Languages and English Literature)
• research training was introduced (e.g. PhD degrees), and dedicated research facilities were created
• and the student community became more diverse, with the admission of women and the growth in international students