University of Glasgow

University of Glasgow
Scottish Gaelic: Oilthigh Ghlaschu
Coat of arms
Latin: Universitas Glasguensis[1][2][3]
MottoLatin: Via, Veritas, Vita
Motto in English
The Way, The Truth, The Life
TypePublic research university
Ancient university
Established7 January 1451; 573 years ago (1451-01-07)
Endowment£234.3 million (2023)[4]
Budget£944.2 million (2022/23)[4]
ChancellorDame Katherine Grainger
RectorGhassan Abu-Sittah
PrincipalSir Anton Muscatelli
Academic staff
5,585 (2022/23)[5]
Administrative staff
4,265 (2022/23)[5]
Students39,755 (2022/23)[6]
Undergraduates23,845 (2022/23)[6]
Postgraduates15,915 (2022/23)[6]
Location
Glasgow
,
Scotland, UK
Flag
Colours
                     
More
  • Arts
                               

    Dentistry

                     

    Divinity

                               

    Engineering

                               

    Law

                    

    Medicine

                           

    Nursing

                     

    Science

                               

    Social Sciences

                         

    Veterinary Medicine

                     
Affiliations
Websitegla.ac.uk Edit this at Wikidata

The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as Glas. in post-nominals; Scottish Gaelic: Oilthigh Ghlaschu[7]) is a public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in 1451 [O.S. 1450],[8] it is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Along with the universities of St Andrews, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh, the university was part of the Scottish Enlightenment during the 18th century. Glasgow is the largest university in Scotland by total enrolment and, with over 15,900 postgraduates, the fifth-largest in the United Kingdom by postgraduate enrolment.[6]

In common with universities of the pre-modern era, Glasgow originally educated students primarily from wealthy backgrounds; however, it became a pioneer[citation needed] in British higher education in the 19th century by also providing for the needs of students from the growing urban and commercial middle class. Glasgow University served all of these students by preparing them for professions: law, medicine, civil service, teaching, and the church. It also trained smaller but growing numbers for careers in science and engineering.[9] Glasgow has the fifth-largest endowment of any university in the UK and the annual income of the institution for 2022–23 was £944.2 million of which £220.7 million was from research grants and contracts, with an expenditure of £827.4 million.[4] It is a member of Universitas 21, the Russell Group[10] and the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities.

The university was originally located in the city's High Street; since 1870, its main campus has been at Gilmorehill in the City's West End.[11] Additionally, a number of university buildings are located elsewhere, such as the Veterinary School in Bearsden, and the Crichton Campus in Dumfries.[12]

The alumni of the University of Glasgow include some of the major figures of modern history, including James Wilson, a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence, 3 Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom (William Lamb, Henry Campbell-Bannerman and Bonar Law), 3 Scottish First Ministers (Humza Yousaf, Nicola Sturgeon and Donald Dewar), economist Adam Smith, philosopher Francis Hutcheson, engineer James Watt, physicist Lord Kelvin, surgeon Joseph Lister along with 4 Nobel Prize laureates (in total 8 Nobel Prize winners are affiliated with the University) and numerous Olympic gold medallists, including the current chancellor, Dame Katherine Grainger.

  1. ^ Record of the Jubilee Celebrations of the University of Sydney. Sydney, New South Wales: William Brooks and Co. 1903. ISBN 9781112213304.
  2. ^ Records of The Tercentenary Festival of Dublin University. Dublin, Ireland: Hodges, Figgis & Co. 1894. ISBN 9781355361602.
  3. ^ Actes du Jubilé de 1909 (in Swiss French). Geneva, Switzerland: Georg Keck & Cie. 1910. ISBN 9781360078335.
  4. ^ a b c "Reports and Financial Statements for the year to 31 July 2023" (PDF). University of Glasgow. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Who's working in HE?". www.hesa.ac.uk. Higher Education Statistics Agency.
  6. ^ a b c d "Where do HE students study? | HESA". hesa.ac.uk. Higher Education Statistics Agency.
  7. ^ "University of Glasgow – Explore – UofG Gàidhlig". gla.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  8. ^ "University of Glasgow Story, The Papal Bull". University of Glasgow. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  9. ^ Paul L. Robertson, "The Development of an Urban University: Glasgow, 1860–1914", History of Education Quarterly, Winter 1990, Vol. 30#1, pp. 47–78.
  10. ^ "Russell Group | University of Glasgow". The Russell Group. 17 August 2023.
  11. ^ "University of Glasgow :: About us :: maps and travel". Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  12. ^ "Building Knowledge – An Architectural History of the University of Glasgow" published by Historic Scotland in association with the University (2013)