Global InformationUniversity of Edinburgh information
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| Latin: Universitas Academica Edinburgensis | |
Former names | Tounis College King James' College |
|---|---|
| Type | Public research university Ancient university |
| Established | 1583[1] |
Academic affiliation |
|
| Endowment | £559.8 million (2023)[2] |
| Budget | £1.341 billion (2022/23)[2] |
| Chancellor | Anne, Princess Royal |
| Rector | Simon Fanshawe |
| Principal | Sir Peter Mathieson |
Academic staff | 4,952 FTE (2022)[3] |
Administrative staff | 6,215 FTE (2022)[3] |
| Students | 41,250 (2021/22)[4][a] |
| Undergraduates | 26,000 (2021/22)[4] |
| Postgraduates | 15,245 (2021/22)[4] |
| Location | Edinburgh , Scotland, UK 55°57′N 3°11′W / 55.950°N 3.183°W |
| Campus | Urban, suburban |
| Colours | Red Blue[6] |
| Website | www |
 | |
The University of Edinburgh (Scots: University o Edinburgh, Scottish Gaelic: Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as Edin. in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter of King James VI in 1582 and officially opened in 1583, it is one of Scotland's four ancient universities and the sixth-oldest university in continuous operation in the English-speaking world.[1] The university played an important role in Edinburgh becoming a chief intellectual centre during the Scottish Enlightenment and contributed to the city being nicknamed the "Athens of the North".[7][8]
The three main global university rankings (QS, THE, and ARWU) all place Edinburgh within their respective top 40.[9][10][11] It is a member of several associations of research-intensive universities, including the Coimbra Group, League of European Research Universities, Russell Group, Una Europa, and Universitas 21.[12] In the fiscal year ending 31 July 2023, it had a total income of £1.341 billion, of which £339.5 million was from research grants and contracts. It has the third-largest endowment in the UK, behind only Cambridge and Oxford.[2] The university occupies five main campuses in the city of Edinburgh, which include many buildings of historical and architectural significance such as those in the Old Town.[13]
Edinburgh is the seventh-largest university in the UK by enrolment[4] and receives over 75,000 undergraduate applications per year, making it the second-most popular university in the UK by volume of applications.[14] Edinburgh had the seventh-highest average UCAS points amongst British universities for new entrants in 2021.[15] The university continues to have links to the royal family, having had Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh as its chancellor from 1953 to 2010 and Anne, Princess Royal since March 2011.[16]
Alumni of the university include inventor Alexander Graham Bell, naturalist Charles Darwin, philosopher David Hume, physicist James Clerk Maxwell, and writers such as Sir J. M. Barrie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, J. K. Rowling,[17] Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson.[18][19] The university counts several heads of state and government amongst its graduates, including three British prime ministers. Three Supreme Court justices of the UK were educated at Edinburgh. As of January 2023,[update] 19 Nobel Prize laureates, four Pulitzer Prize winners, three Turing Award winners, and an Abel Prize laureate and Fields Medalist have been affiliated with Edinburgh as alumni or academic staff.[20] Edinburgh alumni have won a total of ten Olympic gold medals.[b]
- ^ a b "Opening of Edinburgh University, 1583". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ a b c "Annual Report and Accounts for the Year to 31 July 2023" (PDF). The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Staff Headcount & Full Time Equivalent Statistics (FTE) as at Oct-22". Human Resources, The University of Edinburgh. October 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Where do HE students study? | HESA". hesa.ac.uk.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Student Figures 2020/21was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Edinburgh's core colours". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ Moss, Michael S. (June 2004). "Reviewed Work: The University of Edinburgh: An Illustrated History by Robert D. Anderson, Michael Lynch, Nicholas Phillipson". The English Historical Review. 119 (482): 810–811. doi:10.1093/ehr/119.482.810. JSTOR 3489575. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- ^ Lowrey, John (June 2001). "From Caesarea to Athens: Greek Revival Edinburgh and the Question of Scottish Identity within the Unionist State". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 60 (2): 136–157. doi:10.2307/991701. JSTOR 991701. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "The University of Edinburgh : Rankings, Fees & Courses Details". Top Universities. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "World University Rankings – University of Edinburgh". Times Higher Education. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
- ^ "Shanghai Ranking-Universities". Shanghairanking.com. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- ^ "Affiliations". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ "University Heritage". Edinburgh World Heritage. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- ^ "Undergraduate admissions statistics". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
- ^ "Complete University Guide 2024 – Entry Standards". The Complete University Guide. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ "New Chancellor elected". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
- ^ "JK Rowling awarded honorary degree". The Telegraph. 8 July 2004. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "Alumni in history". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "Commemorative plaques". The University of Edinburgh. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Nobel Prizes". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
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