St Andrews in world’s top 100

The University of St Andrews is one of the world’s top 100 universities, according to the QS World University Rankings 2024, published today (Tuesday 27 June).

Scotland’s oldest university is ranked 95^th in the 2024 QS Rankings of the world’s top 1500 universities, a rise of one place from last year, placing St Andrews among the top seven per cent of global higher education institutions.

Now in its 20^th year, the QS World University Rankings are regarded as one of the world’s top two higher education league tables, measuring a range of factors including academic reputation, research strengths, citations, reputation with graduate employers and international influence.

St Andrews maintains its position within the global top 100 in the QS World Rankings despite continued, marked growth in competition from overseas and an expansion of the Rankings from 1000 to 1500 global institutions.

The 2024 Rankings mark the 17th year in succession that St Andrews is placed among the world’s top 100 global universities.

The University’s academic reputation rose by two places to 173, placing St Andrews in the top percentile for this metric. This rise cements the University’s position as a world-class research institution, reflecting the truly global impact of research at St Andrews.

The QS Rankings newest metric of Sustainability, which evaluates the social and environmental impact of universities as centres of education and research, firmly places St Andrews within the global top 100 of institutions, ranking the University 77^th in the world.

The University is also ranked top 30 in the world as a beacon for international students, demonstrating St Andrews’ strategic drive to be a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive community for students from across the world. St Andrews also saw impressive gains for its student-to-faculty ratio, which increased by 37 positions.

Welcoming the news, St Andrews’ Principal, Professor Dame Sally Mapstone, FRSE, said:

“These are impressive results for a small Scottish university to be competing amongst the very best in the world. The research-led teaching and unique student experience on offer at St Andrews are what sets us apart.

“I am particularly delighted at the remarkable gains made by St Andrews in the newest metric focusing on sustainability. We want to be known as a university which practises what it preaches by placing sustainability at the heart of all we do. To see this reflected in the rankings is an endorsement of our determined commitment to sustainability.

“The global strengths of Scottish universities are something which we should be proud of, and I am pleased to see Scotland is well represented within these results. It is, however, vital that St Andrews and other Scottish universities can continue to compete on a world stage and use our collective expertise for a better world.

“It is important that we benefit from robust investment and sustainable funding models in order to grow, develop and flourish for the betterment of society.”