The University of Edinburgh was founded in 1583, making it one of
Scotland’s four ancient universities. Today, the University is a leading
European centre of academic excellence. As a great civic University,
Edinburgh especially values its intellectual and economic relationship
with the Scottish community that forms its base and provides the
foundation from which it will continue to look to the widest
international horizons, enriching both itself and Scotland.
The University's academic disciplines are structured into 21 Schools in
three Colleges: Humanities and Social Science, Medicine and Veterinary
Medicine, and Science and Engineering. The College structure underpins a
broad range of courses with students able to choose their studies from
more than 300 degree programmes – the second broadest curriculum in the
UK. The University's operations are spread throughout the city in an
estate ranging from some of the oldest buildings in Edinburgh to modern,
purpose built and highly specialised facilities. Edinburgh is one of the
UK’s larger, more diverse research universities, with a current student
population of over 22,000 (roughly 17,000 undergraduates and 5,000
postgraduates). Edinburgh is the largest university in Scotland and,
with over 4000 international students drawn from more than 130 different
countries, our student body is extremely cosmopolitan. Nearly 6000
students are housed in University accommodation.
Distinguished former students or staff members include philosopher David
Hume; chemist Joseph Black; physicist James Clerk Maxwell; geologist
James Hutton; medical pioneer Elsie Inglis; Charles Darwin; Joseph
Lister; Niels Bohr and the novelists Walter Scott, Robert Louis
Stevenson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Ian Rankin; and the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP.
Edinburgh is Scotland's leading research-intensive University, with a
very strong profile across a wide subject range. Over 96% of Edinburgh's
researchers work in units undertaking international quality research
according to the most recent national Research Assessment Exercise. The
University's engagement with industry is significant and in addition to
technology licensing, commercially-funded research and patent
activities, Edinburgh actively supports knowledge transfer and the
creation of start-up companies. Edinburgh collaborates extensively
around the world in numerous research fields and is known worldwide for
its cutting-edge research in a large number of areas, including
Informatics and Medicine. It makes significant contributions to Scottish
society in areas such as Law, Education, Divinity and Management.
The University of Edinburgh sends students to what have now become the
annual Universitas 21 events of the Summer School and the
Undergraduate Research Conference. We see these as valuable
opportunities for our students to participate in international learning
forums and to showcase the quality of our learning and teaching. Student
feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and we are looking forward to
increasing and enhancing our participation in these projects.
The University is also active in a number of specific projects including
(but not exclusively) the Research Ethics Project, the proposed Virtual
Museums Project and the Archives and Records group.
The Universitas 21 Contact Manager at the University of Edinburgh is Mr Melvyn Cornish, University Secretary.