14 Scottish universities ranked best to worst in new league table for 2026 - see the best places to study
Each year, the respected guide publishes its UK university and subject league tables to help would-be students make informed choices.
The main league table is based on ten measures: entry standards, student satisfaction, research quality, research intensity, academic services spend, spending on student facilities, continuation, student-staff ratio, graduate prospects – outcomes, and graduate prospects – on track.
Scroll through our picture gallery to see Scotland's 14 universities ranked from best to worst – and see how they compare to unis across the UK.
1 . Scotland's 14 universities ranked from best to worst
Scroll through our picture gallery to see Scotland's 14 universities ranked from best to worst – and see how they compare to unis across the UK. Photo: Pixabay Photo Sales
2 . The University of St Andrews
Scotland rank: 1. UK rank: 4. Seven centuries of history link the students with the town, leading to the ancient and yet modern institution apparent today. Photo: Third Party Photo Sales
3 . University of Edinburgh
Scotland rank: 2. UK rank: 18. From Nobel laureates and Olympic champions to space explorers and prime ministers, the University of Edinburgh has been influencing history since it opened the gates to its first students in 1583. Photo: Third Party Photo Sales
4 . Heriot-Watt University
Scotland rank: 3. UK rank: 25. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and subsequently granted university status by royal charter in 1966. Heriot-Watt University is the eighth-oldest higher education institute in the UK. Photo: Third Party Photo Sales
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Edinburgh Reporter
4 days ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Fringe 2025: The Provocateurs: Compassion During Birth/Screw Up or Breakthrough?
The Provocateurs is The Stand's new series of debates, featuring academics who have to tell us about their research while making it fun – and provocative – all in the space of twenty minutes. And if that sounds familiar, it is. Last year these events were part of the Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas sessions but, as our host Susan Morrison tells us, 'The Young People said we needed a rebrand.' Fortunately, even if (by her own admission), Morrison find 'provocateurs' a tricky word to get her Glaswegian tongue around, nothing else has really changed. We're still promised an interesting, entertaining and thought-provoking hour (with time for questions) from two researchers at the top of their game. On Thursday, our first speaker is Lucy Remnant (University of Edinburgh), a scientist studying DNA and chromosomes. But before she gets onto those, Remnant wants to tell us about scientific mistakes, of which it seems there are rather a lot. Is that a bad thing? 'NO!' Students are taught, says Lucy, to learn from their mistakes but not to repeat them – when in fact, looking at them and repeating them can sometimes lead to massive breakthroughs. Lucy cites Alexander Fleming. He discovered penicillin, right? What a genius! But if Fleming hadn't left a plate of bacteria out when he went on holiday, he'd never have found a fungus growing on that bacteria when he came back. That fungus was preventing the bacteria from growing. It was promptly named penicillin, and went on to have a stellar career of its own, saving the lives of many soldiers in World War One. In 1895, Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen, a German physicist, was busy shooting cathode rays through chemicals. On a whim, he decided to shoot some through his own pelvis. He wasn't supposed to be doing this (who knew?) but ta-dah! He discovered X-Rays and they've been used to take photos of bones ever since. In her own field, Lucy tells us about Linus Pauling. He published what he thought was the chemical structure of DNA; a year later James Watson and Francis Crick found out he'd got it wrong – and by looking at where he'd gone wrong, they got it right. To illustrate her research, Lucy produces some knitted socks. Except they're not socks – they're tubes of chromosomes. Possibly… Each sock has a pair, except one sad one that gets left behind and feels uncomfortable. It's likely that 1% of the population has a different number of chromosomes from the standard 46. These are mistakes made by cells, and it's those mistakes – which may cause anything from Down's Syndrome to cancer and fertility problems – that Lucy's investigating. And a human mistake – or rather a failure to follow a protocol – has led to her lab's discovery of a new and simpler way to isolate chromosomes, and so to the writing of a new, simpler, protocol. 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Yvonne Kuipers is Professor of Midwifery at Edinburgh Napier University, an honorary professor at the University of Antwerp and an NMC Registered Midwife. Her research looks at women's experiences of birth and how these might be improved. Yvonne's presentation begins with voiceovers of comments passed on to interviewers by the women who were on the receiving end of them. Women are told to 'stop moaning' to 'be a good girl.' They are regularly told that they should be grateful they have a healthy baby, regardless of whether they've been ignored, mocked, cut, stitched, given medication without consent and totally traumatised. A pilot lands a plane safely; he gets a round of applause. Beyonce performs Crazy and gets a standing ovation, 'Childbirth is special, sacred…the women doing it should be honoured, applauded, given flowers, diamonds.' What happens to most women? They're left flailing on their backs under bright lights, with no privacy and a constant stream of medical staff coming in and out of the room. In 'normal' life, says Yvonne, the things done to women in childbirth would be classed as assault. In the labour ward, they're just 'routine procedure.' Women do not forget childbirth. Even if it all happened years ago, when Yvonne talks with them they remember it as if it were yesterday, and few of them see it as a positive experience. A 2004 report showed that there had been no improvement in birth outcomes in high income countries; this led to efforts being focused entirely on the reduction of neo-natal deaths, and blame for poor outcomes being directed at women. Mothers are labelled too fat, too thin, too old, too everything. If a woman in labour disagrees with a medical professional, what Yvonne calls 'the dead baby card' is swiftly played; you'd better accept what we say, you don't want to risk your baby's life, do you? 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Whilst there may not be time to get consent in an emergency, it would normally be perfectly possible to ask a woman if she agrees with the proposed course of action. Is there a way to build compassion into midwifery training? And even if there is, can it be put into practice given the constraints under which midwives work? This was an interesting talk and one that raised more questions than it answered. I'm sure most mothers, or women planning a pregnancy, would like to hear more about Yvonne's work in future, but much as I would like to see her views in action, I fear that nothing will change in our underfunded, overloaded, system for many years to come. The Provocateurs series continues throughout the Fringe at The Stand, York Place (venue numbers vary.) Please note many events, including these ones, take place in buildings other than The Stand's main venue, though still on York Place. On Monday 18 August at 11.25am Chris Purcell will speak on Learn with Your Body and Michael Leavitt on Knocks to the Head, followed at 5.40pm by Chris Elsden on Children's Money and Berengere Digard on Minds Eyes. Further talks include Urban Camping, Sleep Myths, Robot Romance, Brain Health Roulette, Gender Fears, Women in Iranian Cinema, and many more. For details visit The Stand's website and click on the Fringe tab. Like this: Like Related
STV News
6 days ago
- STV News
Satellite to track climate change from space with help from Scots scientists
Scientists from the University of Edinburgh are celebrating the successful launch of a new satellite set to transform the way the world monitors carbon dioxide. MicroCarb – a landmark UK-France mission – has soared into orbit aboard the 35-metre Vega-C rocket, launched from French Guiana. It's designed to deliver the most detailed satellite measurements of atmospheric CO2 ever achieved from space. The groundbreaking satellite marks a major milestone in the fight against climate change by providing more accurate climate data, experts say. STV News 'Climate watchdog' satellite will transform how carbon is monitored globally Designed to act as a 'climate watchdog', MicroCarb will pinpoint how much carbon dioxide is being emitted and absorbed by cities, oceans and forests in unprecedented detail. Its readings will feed into global efforts to tackle climate change and limit global warming to 1.5C. University of Edinburgh space science professor Paul Palmer told STV News: 'For us, there are still some very fundamental questions about our knowledge of the global carbon cycle particularly now with our warming world. STV News Researchers from the University of Edinburgh will translate the satellite's CO₂ data into detailed publicly accessible maps showing carbon absorption and emissions. 'We're seeing things changing very rapidly, particularly in the tropics, and also because we're going to collect data that will contribute to the Paris Agreement. 'So, understanding which countries are emitting and absorbing what will play a role in our delivery of that information.' MicroCarb can also track the faint glow plants emit when they take in too much energy from the sun than they can use, revealing seasonal trends of carbon absorption. Philippe Landiech, senior project leader for MicroCarb at the National d'études Spatiales (French National Space Agency). said watching the satellite successfully enter orbit was 'a great pleasure'. UK Space Agendy Artist's impression of MicroCarb in orbit He said: 'We had a few seconds of anxiety – there was great satisfaction once everything was okay! 'The aim of MicroCarb is to get worldwide access of the CO₂ contribution in the atmosphere and measure the CO2 content between sources around the Earth. 'To have this in the longer timeframe, we want to see the seasonal effects better in a longer timeframe and track global trends linked to the climate change we are facing.' UK minister for space Sir Chris Bryant said: 'Satellites like Microcarb are essentially our eyes in the sky,' he said. 'Over half of the critical data we use to understand climate change comes from space.' 'This groundbreaking mission is proof of what can be achieved when we harness the strength of Britain's burgeoning space industry, together with our deep scientific expertise. Bolstered with £15m UK Government backing, the MicroCarb satellite will overhaul our ability to track carbon emissions – supporting the clean energy mission that's key to this Government's Plan for Change. 'It's also further evidence of the value of our deep and unique relationship with France: a partnership which the Prime Minister reinforced, with President Macron, at the UK-France Summit earlier this month.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
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Scotsman
14-08-2025
- Scotsman
Meet the Scottish schoolgirl, 12, who features in TIME's 'Girls of the Year' list
Rebecca ended up winning an engineering award in a UK-wide competition with 70,000 entrants. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A Glasgow schoolgirl has been recognised by TIME for her invention of solar-powered backpacks for homeless people on the streets of the city. Rebecca Young, now 12, was asked during a club at school to come up with an idea focused on helping people when she was 11-years-old. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She realised how cold it gets during the winter and made the decision to create a solar-powered backpack with an electric blanket inside for homeless people on the streets of Glasgow. Then, she even ended up winning an engineering award in a UK-wide competition with 70,000 entrants. Make sure you keep up to date with news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here. Ms Young has now been recognised by TIME on their first-ever Girls of the Year list as one of 10 young leaders across the world who are inspiring their communities. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The list, curated by TIME's editorial team, has been made possible by the LEGO Group and sees the ten leaders pictured as Lego characters. Other honourees include Rutendo Shadaya, 16, an advocate for young authors in New Zealand; Coco Yoshizawa, 15, an Olympic gold-medalist in Japan; Valerie Chiu, 15, a global science educator in China; Zoé Clauzure, 15, an anti-bullying crusader in France; Clara Proksch, 12, a scientist prioritizing child safety in Germany; Ivanna Richards, 17, a racing driver shattering stereotypes in Mexico; Kornelia Wieczorek, 17, a biotech innovator in Poland; Defne Özcan, 17, a trailblazing pilot in Turkey; and Naomi S. DeBerry, 12, an organ donation advocate and children's book author in the United States. Rebecca Young has been recognised by TIME for her invention of solar-powered backpacks. | TIME and the LEGO Group Ms Young researched different types of solar panels, wiring, and batteries, and drew up a detailed blueprint for her backpack. The engineering firm Thales, which sponsored the competition, subsequently manufactured 30 of the blankets which were distributed to a homeless shelter in Glasgow earlier this year. There are now plans to make 120 more. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Her mother, Louise, says she is 'very proud' of Rebecca's hard work. Meanwhile, Rebecca added: 'It helped me see a different aspect of engineering, and how it could actually help people. 'That definitely helped inspire me.' When asked how it felt to be recognised as one of TIME's Girls of the Year, she said: "It's a huge honour and it makes me feel like the things I care about can make a difference." Rebecca, bottom left, pictured among other girls on the list on the cover of TIME. | TIME and the LEGO Group TIME's Senior Editor Dayana Sarkisova said: 'These girls are part of a generation that's reshaping what leadership looks like today. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Their generation understands that change doesn't require waiting for adulthood - it starts with seeing problems and refusing to accept them as permanent.
