Ancient universities of Scotland

Ancient universities of Scotland. Clockwise from upper left: St Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh.

St Andrews

Glasgow

Aberdeen

Edinburgh

class=notpageimage|

Locations of the ancient universities

The ancient universities of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Oilthighean ann an Alba)^[1] are medieval and renaissance universities that continue to exist in the present day. Together, the four universities are the oldest universities in continuous operation in the English-speaking world after the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The majority of the ancient universities of the British Isles are located within Scotland, and have a number of distinctive features in common, being governed by a series of measures laid down in the Universities (Scotland) Acts 1858–1966. The Universities (Scotland) Act 1966 uses the term 'older universities' to refer to St Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh.^[2] The four universities are generally regarded as the country's most selective, eminent and well-ranked universities.^[6]

In common with the other ancient universities of the United Kingdom, the Scottish ancients find themselves administered in a quite different fashion from the new universities (there are now fifteen universities in Scotland) and are granted a number of privileges as a result of their different status. The ancient universities are part of twenty-seven culturally significant institutions recognised by the British monarchy as privileged bodies of the United Kingdom.^[7]