Founded in 1413, St. Andrews is the oldest university in Scotland. By the middle of the sixteenth century the University had three colleges—St Savator's (1450), St Leonard's (1511) and St Mary's (1538).

The university is relatively small with a population of staff and students around 6,000. The university is closely integrated with the town of St Andrews. It is divided into four faculties—Arts, Divinity, Science and Medicine.

In maintaining an enviable reputation for success in teaching and research, the university has been able to achieve a high graduate employment rating. While the majority of research at St. Andrews occurs within academic schools, a number of centres and institutes address larger projects such as those found in the Centre for Ethics, Philosophy and Public Affairs.

Included among the distinguished Gifford lecturers at the University of St. Andrews are: Stanley Hauerwas, Roger Penrose, Arthur Peacocke, Hilary Putnam, Antony Flew, John Macquarrie, A.J. Ayer, Werner Heisenberg, Emil Brunner, James Ward, Richard Burdon Haldane, and Edward Caird.