Published on Eurydice (https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice) University education in Scotland has a long history. There are 19 higher education institutions (HEIs) in Scotland, comprising 16 universities: 14 campus based universities A distance-learning university (the Open University) An educational partnership university (the University of the Highlands and Islands) 3 other institutions (one art school, one conservatoire and a rural college). For a list see the Scottish Government website [1]. HEIs are funded by the Scottish Funding Council [2] (SFC). Courses at higher education level (mainly Higher National Certificate (HNC), Higher National Diploma (HND) or both, but also including a limited amount of degree provision) are also offered by all the colleges that provide further education courses, and there are close links between the further education and higher education sectors. Governance Universities in Scotland are autonomous bodies with responsibility for managing their own budgets, staff, course provision and admissions processes. Each is run by a governing body, known as a Board of Governors or a Court, generally consisting of around 25 members with academic matters the responsibility of the academic board/Senate. Membership tends to be quite large, ranging from 17 to 28 and includes representatives from staff and students. The tendency is for there to be an external ‘lay’ member majority. Each is administered and managed by a Principal or Director. Types There are 4 types of Universities in Scotland; Ancient, Chartered, Post 1992 and Small Specialist Institutions: Ancient Universities are St Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh - known collectively as the ‘4 ancient Scottish universities' and were founded in the 15th and 16th centuries. Chartered Universities are Dundee, Heriot-Watt, Stirling, Strathclyde and Open University in Scotland. These were established by royal charter in the 1960s. Post 1992 Universities are known as ‘the new universities’ - consisting of Abertay, Glasgow Caledonian, Edinburgh Napier, Robert Gordon, Queen Margaret Edinburgh, Highlands and Islands and West of Scotland. They were designated as universities under the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 (the “1992 Act”). Other HEIs commonly known as the ‘small specialist institutions’ draw on a mixture of the 1992 Act, the Companies Act and other legislation. These HEIs are: Glasgow School of Art, which specialises in fine art, art and design, and architecture Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), which has six campuses in Aberdeen, Ayr, Broxburn, Cupar, Dumfries and Edinburgh, where it provides courses in agricultural sciences and related disciplines Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, which specialises in music and has the power to award its own degrees (though not research degrees). The other HEIs have validation arrangements with a university or degree-awarding body, by which the university approves the courses and assessment arrangements and awards its degree to the successful candidates. This diverse range of institutions is currently regulated under a complex legal structure made up of papal bulls, ordinances, statutes, statutory instruments and royal charters. Changes, however small, often require Privy Council approval. The Principals of the Scottish universities and HEIs meet to discuss matters of common interest and common policies in the body known as Universities Scotland [3]. There is also one private HEI; Al-Maktoum College in Dundee, which offers postgraduate programmes (taught Masters and PhD) in the study of Islam and Muslims, and validated by the University of Aberdeen. Private providers offer training and educational courses in various adult education fields. Locations Most of Scotland’s HEIs are in or very near to the major cities – Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Universities of St Andrews and Stirling are located in or just outside smaller towns with historic significance. The University of the Highlands and Islands offers higher education at all levels across an area stretching from the Shetland Isles to Perthshire, via academic partnerships with local colleges and research institutions. In the Scottish Borders, Heriot-Watt University offers higher education from its campus in Galashiels, which enjoys a leading position in textile design and textile technology. The University of the West of Scotland has campuses in Paisley, Ayr and Hamilton. In Dumfries and Galloway, the Universities of Glasgow and West of Scotland, the Open University, and Dumfries and Galloway College have come together to form the pioneering multi-institution Crichton Campus. DID YOU FIND WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR? YES NO Contact * Message * Leave this field blank Source URL: https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/types-higher-education-institutions-93_is Links [1] http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Education/UniversitiesColleges/16640 [2] http://www.sfc.ac.uk [3] http://www.universities-scotland.ac.uk/.