The University of Edinburgh was founded in 1583, the last of the 4 ancient Scottish universities. It is now Scotland’s largest university and centre of academic excellence. They are ranked 4th in the UK for research power, based on the 2021 Research Excellence Framework .(Times Higher Education, Overall Ranking of Institutions). It is also the home of the Edinburgh College of Art (ECA).
Courses and students
There are almost 400 degree programmes in 60 subjects on offer, taught through 23 academic schools in three colleges:
The university had 49,740 students in 2022/23, including 29,765 undergraduate students. 9,075 of the undergraduate students were from Scotland.
There are 300 student exchange programmes giving the chance to study abroad across 40 countries worldwide..
Facilities and services
The university is home to a wide range of facilities including: one of the UK’s Wellcome Trust research facilities; The Institute of Astronomy at the Historic Royal Observatory in Edinburgh; and The Hospital for Small Animals at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.
The university is one of the UK’s leading sports universities. They have excellent facilities managed by the university’s Centre for Sport and Exercise. It includes extensive state-of-the-art gyms, a residential centre for outdoor activities, a swimming pool, widespread playing fields and a leading sports injuries clinic.
There are more than 70 different sports clubs and 200 teams to choose from, and clubs cater for all ability levels. Sport-specific coaches currently lead eight sporting activities: rowing, swimming, hockey, women’s fencing, archery, orienteering, men’s rugby, and women’s basketball.
Ranking
In the Complete University Guide 2025, the university is ranked the 2nd top university in Scotland.
The university is ranked 22nd in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2024.
In the Complete University Guide 2025, Edinburgh University has: 30 subjects in the top ten; ranked 3rd in UK for Nursing; and 1st in Scotland for medicine and Veterinary Medicine.
Ranked 1st in Scotland, 4th in the UK and 13th in the world for law (Times Higher Education World University Rankings: Law 2024).
3rd in UK and 6th in Europe in the QS Sustainability Ranking 2024.
Video
Courtesy of University of Edinburgh
