28th August 1413

University of St Andrews is established by a Papal Bull

The University of St Andrews is the third oldest university in the English-speaking world (only Oxford and Cambridge are older). This also makes it the oldest of Scotland’s four ancient universities, the others being the University of Glasgow, University of Aberdeen and University of Edinburgh.

University status

It was established by Augustinian clergy, although not initially as a university, in 1410, and granted university status three years later when Pope Benedict XIII issued a Bull, or decree, upon the request of Bishop Henry Wardlaw. Over the next several centuries, the university grew considerably as additional schools and colleges were opened to accommodate an increasingly diverse range of subject areas.

It was initially a male-only institution and accepted women for the first time in 1876, although only to a limited degree: female students had to wait until 1889 before they were accepted on the same terms as men.