Founded in 1583, the University of Edinburgh has for more than 400 years been one of the most influential centres of knowledge in the world. Located in the Scottish capital, among the great figures who have studied at Edinburgh are naturalist Charles Darwin, philosopher David Hume, telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Harry Potter author JK Rowling. Inventions linked to Edinburgh include the thesaurus, the TB vaccination, the microchips that power iPod music players and Dolly the Sheep, the world’s first cloned animal.

For more than 400 years University has been at the forefront of the globalisation of education – the first Chinese, Japanese and African students to study in the West all chose to study at Edinburgh. Other graduates of the University have signed the US Declaration of Independence, founded Ivy League universities, brought modern medicine to China and post-colonial government to Africa, and wrote some of the world’s most read books. They have been awarded Nobel prizes, won Olympic events, and travelled into space.

Today Edinburgh is home to nearly 28,000 students, close to 8,500 of whom come from outside the UK to study here. The University of Edinburgh was ranked 20th in the world in the last Times Higher / QS World University Rankings.

Student Life 
The University’s historic buildings form an integral part of the city. Old College, the University’s heart, was built in the 18th and 19th Centuries and is situated in the heart of Edinburgh’s historic city centre. 

All students automatically become members of the Edinburgh University Students Association, which is run by the student body and organizes more than 200 different societies, from film to environment to politics to the UK’s oldest student newspaper. The University maintains four union houses that offer inexpensive food and drink to all students, as well as quality entertainment such as live music and comedy events. 

Diversity
The University has an International Office dedicated to looking after the needs of its diverse student body. It advises potential students on application and visa requirements, as well as accommodation and finance matters. Comprehensive support services are provided by the University and are available to all students.

Academic Programs and Resources
In the last UK Research Assessment Exercise, almost two thirds of the University of Edinburgh’s research was rated in the top categories, while one third was recognised as world leading. Edinburgh has been at the forefront of developing responses to pressing international issues such as climate change and this knowledge is filtered down through our teaching. 

Revolutionary courses include our Masters in Carbon Management, an interdisciplinary programme which blends study of the science of climate change with business studies, providing graduates with an advanced academic qualification serving as a launch pad for careers in carbon and climate change management by business, industry and government.

Other of Edinburgh top rated programmes include our MSc in International Business and Emerging Markets, a wide range of courses in Computing & Informatics and innovative online learning programmes for health professionals around the world introduced as part of our recently-launched Global Health Academy.

Students at the University of Edinburgh have access to many of the capital’s institutions, such as the National Library of Scotland, which contains close to 22 million books and documents, Scotland’s National Galleries and Museums, and the Scottish Parliament.

The University itself includes several of Edinburgh’s landmark buildings, while King’s Buildings, the University’s science campus, is as big as many entire universities. New buildings recently completed at the University include a £50 million centre for Informatics research and a new building for the School of Philosophy, Psychology, and Language Sciences. The university library is currently undergoing a £50 million redevelopment.

University leisure facilities available to students include one of the UK’s best-equipped sports centres, a public art gallery, the UK’s only entirely student-run theatre, classical music concerts in the Reid, McEwan and St Cecilia Halls and four student union bars.

Faculty & Staff
Academics currently based at the University of Edinburgh include Professor Sir Ian Wilmut, who oversaw the first successful animal cloning, Professor Stephen Salter who pioneered wave power generation and Professor Tom Devine, the leading authority on Scottish history and the impact of the Scottish Diaspora.

Staff are available to all their students through office hours, augmenting regular lectures and seminars.

Safety, Health and Wellness
The University contains a Health Centre that offers a full range of health services to patients, as well as a free counselling service that helps current students with personal problems. 

 We are proud to be Scotland’s top university for sports. The University has a top-class gym, an internationally renowned sports injury centre, a swimming pool and outdoor playing fields. In addition, the University of Edinburgh Sports Union supports 65 sports clubs, while it also runs a centre for outdoor activities, such as water sports, at Loch Tay, 80 miles north of Edinburgh.

For more information please visit: http://www.ed.ac.uk/home