University of St Andrews

Overview

The University of St Andrews is one of the world’s oldest universities, dating all the way back to 1413. Because of this, it’s famous throughout the world and has inspired other places of study that are based overseas. It’s based on the east coast of Scotland in the small town of St Andrews, around 55 miles north of Edinburgh.

It’s not only the university in this small town that has worldwide fame, as the ‘Home of Golf’ St Andrews Golf Club is also located here. These two historic and iconic institutions make the town of St Andrews a culturally relevant and important place to feel part of.

The university’s heritage is such that it’s actually the third oldest uni in the English-speaking world, behind Oxford and Cambridge. It’s about to finish a £1bn campus investment plan, which includes an Advanced Research Centre, showing how far it’s come since its early years, which amazingly saw the expulsion of several masters and students in 1470 for attacking the Dean with bows and arrows.

The university has also been praised for its recent work with the University of Edinburgh in chemistry and physics and is renowned for its marine research, pioneering medical work and study of terrorism and political violence.

Over the centuries, many great minds have chosen to study at St Andrews, such as Benjamin Franklin, Edward Jenner (who created the smallpox vaccine), JM Barrie (author of Peter Pan) and Rudyard Kipling (author of the Jungle Book). It’s also famously where Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, met and started dating.

Most students apply to study a single honours programme but joint honours options are available too. This is where you can combine two or three subjects within an undergraduate degree. For example, it’s fairly common to study a humanities course, like history, alongside a language, such as French or Spanish. At St Andrews most courses are studied full time over four years and fit into one of the uni’s four faculties – arts, divinity, medicine and science.

The University of St Andrews flexibly structures its courses. Each degree is gained by passing a certain number of modules which can often come from outside of your subject’s faculty, as well as from within.

Due to the flexibility of the university’s degree programmes, you have the chance to change your main subject choice during the first two years of study. Students have until the end of their second year to decide what their final degree subject or subjects will be.

It’s also possible with some courses to achieve a master’s degree by studying for five years and doing an integrated master’s course. Also, some courses offer the chance to study abroad for a year. If you do this, your degree will last five years as well. Part-time study is also a possibility, which is fairly rare at undergraduate level.

The University of St Andrews has a variety of accommodation options that cater for over 4,000 students, which aim to suit all tastes and budgets. Undergraduate students in their first year are guaranteed accommodation, as long as they apply within the deadline. Most new first year students are placed in halls of residence.

Within the halls of residence, you can choose between catered and self-catered options, en-suite and shared bathrooms, as well as single or double occupancy rooms. When applying, students pick the type of room they want, rather than selecting a specific hall, and the uni will try and match them with an appropriate room.

If you don’t think halls of residence are right for you, St Andrews also has a number of private accommodation options, like student houses, flats and lodgings within the area.

As the town of St Andrews is small, most accommodation options are within a close distance to the uni.

Once you graduate, you can take advantage of St Andrews’ Careers Centre for up to three years. This gives graduates a number of resources to use to help with the next step after finishing their undergraduate degree.

For example, you can use the service to search for jobs, internships and other graduate opportunities. Employers can advertise job opportunities on the platform, giving St Andrews’ graduates direct access to certain job adverts.

The careers service also offers a wide range of support to help graduates successfully apply for jobs by providing guidance around completing job application forms, writing CVs and cover letters, completing psychometric tests and preparing for assessment centres.

Various events are also held on a regular basis, including careers fairs, skills workshops, networking events and employer presentations. These will give you a chance to increase your employability by developing certain skills, exploring career options and making connections with possible employers.

The University of St Andrews is committed to attracting the very best students, regardless of their financial background, so it has several scholarships and bursaries available. These aim to reward academic and extra-curricular excellence and to help students support themselves during their studies.

Funding applications can be made after a student has applied to study at St Andrews, through the student’s online application portal.

For students who meet certain criteria, like attending a school that doesn’t send many people to uni or students who come from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, a full transition programme is offered. This includes first-year mentoring and a bursary of £1,500 a year.

Also, St Andrews has some scholarships which are for students who want to study certain subjects, including chemistry, physics & astronomy and maths & statistics. Scholarships are also available for students who meet the criteria and can demonstrate exceptional abilities in music and sport, as well as golf specifically.

There will be certain guidelines to meet to receive any of the funding and you should check the university’s website for more details about the scholarships and bursaries on offer, as well as to help find out whether you are eligible for the funding.