Best Universities in Scotland?

Princess Smiley, Thank you for your question about Scottish universities. Last year, the Sunday Times rates the University of Edinburgh as its Scottish University of the year rating 12th in the UK. In 2007, it was ranked 11th. The Sunday Times stated in its 2005 summary. The Sunday Times University Guide 2005 The Sunday Times October 02, 2005 Innovation is the key to Edinburgh's success Its diverse range of courses and an ethos of openness have powered this ancient university into first place in Scotland, report Sue Leonard and Alastair McCall A model of broad and consistent excellence set in one of the world’s most cosmopolitan and vibrant cities, the University of Edinburgh is the 2005 Sunday Times Scottish University of the Year. It is this year’s top ranked Scottish University and sits 12th in our overall UK league table, offering students an appealing mix of culture, academia and aesthetic beauty. A key element of its success, which helps earn it this year’s title, is its ability to achieve excellence while offering a diverse range of subjects — from medicine to Arabic and Scottish ethnology — to an equally diverse range of students. “We have a good historical ethos of being extremely open,” says principal and vice-chancellor Professor Timothy O’Shea. “We have a strong spirit of scientific experimentation and a very open culture among academics who are used to creating new subjects. We are very determinedly a comprehensive university. We are very innovative.” While some institutions are closing departments, Edinburgh is expanding the number of courses and the combinations of subjects it offers from mixing business with biology and or a science subject with Japanese. At the same time it is trying to encourage students from backgrounds where university is not the natural choice after school to apply for a chance to study at the institution. Last year, in a bid to make the admissions procedure fairer, Edinburgh set a minimum threshold for entry for the most popular courses in the College of Humanities and Social Science and began taking into account factors including personal qualities, school attended and social background. The university also visits schools in areas where few children go on to university to explain the possibilities that higher education can offer them. “The key to widening access is to get very bright kids from poorer backgrounds to realise Edinburgh University is a possibility,” O’Shea says. “Equality of opportunity is a very fundamental principle.” "Founded in 1583, Edinburgh, one of Britain’s “ancient” universities, continues to grow its reputation as a world leader for teaching and research, which few can rival. It is the leading research university in Scotland and one of an elite group of institutions whose cutting-edge work is recognised worldwide. The most recent research assessment awarded the university 5 or 5* ratings in 25 subject areas. Among the jewels in the crown are pure maths, computer science, Middle Eastern and African studies, English, German and electric and electronic engineering." The 2005 Times Higher Education Supplement [THES] World University Rankings ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows: * 16th in the world for biomedicine * 14th in the world according to recruiters' eyes * 27th in the world for arts and humanities * 38th in the world for science * 30th in the world overall The Academic Ranking of World Universities 2005 [ARWU] ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows: * 5th in the UK * 9th in Europe * 47th in the world It also has the biggest university library in Scotland If you were looking for the best quality education, the University of Edinburgh is probably your best bet. The University of Glasgow was founded in 1481. Of all the universities and tertiary education establishments in Scotland, only Glasgow and Edinburgh offer a complete range of professional studies including law, medicine, dentistry, and engineering, combined with a comprehensive range of academic studies including science, social science, ancient and modern languages, literature, and history. The University of St Andrews is the oldest Scottish University founded between 1410 and 1413 and the third oldest English-speaking university. Unlike the other universities, it is located in a town rather than a city with 7,000 students in a town of 16,000. Prince William completed his degree in Arts there. The famous golf course is nearby. Good luck with your studies. Regards

Yuck. None.