Description of the attraction
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is an internationally renowned educational and research center. The university is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List - many buildings in the Old City belong to the University or are associated with it in one way or another.
In 1582, King James VI signed the Royal Charter to found the university, which was quite unusual - at that time, most universities were founded by papal bulls. What makes the University of Edinburgh even more unusual is that its foundations were allocated from the city budget. It can be argued that the University of Edinburgh became the first secular university.
It is the fourth university in Scotland, and the universities of St Andrew, Glasgow and Aberdeen were previously founded. It is curious that at that time there were only two universities in England.
For a long time, the University of Edinburgh did not have its own building or campus; its buildings were scattered throughout the Old City. The building, called today the Old College, was built in only 1827 on the South Bridge. The university library is three years older than the university itself; in 1580 it was based on the collection of books by Clement Littill.
Now the University of Edinburgh is one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world. It ranks first in Scotland, sixth in Europe and twenty in the world. It is the only Scottish university that is simultaneously a member of the Russell Group and the League of European Research Universities.
Every year the university receives about 50,000 thousand entrance applications, and the competition is more than 10 people per place.
