Key messaging

University narrative

The University of Glasgow has been changing the world since 1451. We are a world top 100 university and a member of the prestigious Russell Group of leading UK research universities.

Our people have always been at the forefront of innovation, including eight Nobel Laureates, two UK Prime Ministers, three First Ministers of Scotland, 10 Fellows of the Royal Society and 11 Fellows of the British Academy. Our past achievements inspire our current world changers.

As a globally connected university, we work in partnership with others across the world to advance global solutions to real world problems. We are proud to be a founding member of the university networks Universitas 21 and The Guild of European Research Intensive Universities.

We are committed to tackling the most pressing global challenges facing humanity and the natural world. We are delivering against the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and have pledged to be carbon neutral by 2030. We were the first European university to declare it would divest from fossil fuels by 2024 and the first in Scotland to declare a climate emergency.

We believe that everyone should have fair access to education. We are proud of our long tradition of helping talented people to fulfil their ambitions, regardless of their background or circumstances. Our University of Sanctuary status recognises the safe and welcoming environment we provide for refugees and asylum seekers.

We are home to The Hunterian, our museum and art gallery, one of the leading university museums in the world. We have the world’s largest permanent display of the work of James McNeill Whistler and the largest single holding of the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Last updated August 2023

Our campuses

Our Gilmorehill campus is based in the West End of the city and is home to the majority of our teaching and research facilities.

Our Garscube campus is four miles from our Gilmorehill campus and is home to Veterinary Medicine, research buildings and outdoor sports facilities.

Our Dumfries campus is 80 miles from Glasgow, situated in south-west Scotland and is now home to the School of Social & Environmental Sustainability.

Expanding Gilmorehill campus

We have delivered one of the most significant expansions of a UK university city campus for over a century.

Over the last decade, we have invested in our estate to expand our world-class campus and facilities.

An area covering 14 acres of land next to our magnificent Gilmorehill campus has been redeveloped to build a mix of modern research, teaching and public spaces.

Our new buildings will mean the University remains a centre for world-changing research, as well as a vibrant community hub and centre for public engagement.

  • The James McCune Smith Learning Hub provides state-of-the-art teaching facilities, with flexible study spaces and interactive teaching for students to help create a more immersive learning experience.
  • The Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre (ARC) is the creative and collaborative heart of research at the University of Glasgow. The building bridges the boundaries between research, cross-subject collaboration and true societal impact.
  • The Clarice Pears building brings together academic leaders from public health, medicine, epidemiology, psychology and health data science to address some of the world's greatest health challenges.
  • The new home to the postgraduate teaching hub & Adam Smith Business School (name tbc) will be a multidisciplinary home for students of our postgraduate masters’ degrees and provide world-leading facilities for the Adam Smith Business School.
Last updated August 2023

Inclusive Glasgow

The University of Glasgow is committed to building an inclusive and welcoming community for all.

We are proud of our long tradition of helping talented people to fulfil their ambitions regardless of their background or circumstances.

Through our widening participation work we encourage, prepare and support students who are under-represented in higher education to achieve entry to university.

Our University of Sanctuary status recognises the safe and welcoming environment we provide for refugees and asylum seekers.

We offer pastoral, financial and educational support, including scholarships to assist applicants to the University who are in the UK on humanitarian grounds. We also embed a culture of sanctuary into our policies and processes.

Our history of openness at Glasgow stretches back over the centuries. After being refused entry to university in his own country because of his race, James McCune Smith came to study at Glasgow. In 1837 he became the first African American to receive a university medical degree.

Last updated August 2023

Research

Research Excellence Framework

The University of Glasgow has been recognised for its world-leading research and the positive impact it has on society, by the Research Excellence Framework (REF).

The REF is a recognised indicator of research quality, influencing student choice and the distribution of public funds for research.

The results highlight Glasgow’s position as a world-changing university which produces research of global and national importance:

  • 1st in Scotland for Grade Point Average
  • 1st in Scotland for research outputs
  • 5th in Russell Group for 4* research outputs.

The submission also highlighted Glasgow’s commitment to making a difference beyond academia. The University submitted 118 impact case studies to expert panels, showcasing the University’s wide-ranging collaborations with external partners to deliver societal and economic impacts locally, nationally and globally.

Find out more: Research excellence at Glasgow

Glasgow research beacons

The University of Glasgow research beacons are multidisciplinary areas of research excellence. They bring together world-changing researchers who are working with other institutions, funders, practitioners, policymakers and charities to address global challenges.

Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre

The Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre (ARC) is changing the way research is conducted at Glasgow.

The ARC brings more than 500 world-leading researchers from a range of disciplines together in a building specifically designed to facilitate collaboration and interdisciplinary research.

It provides an inclusive space for public and community engagement with researchers, which breaks down barriers and cultivates equitable partnerships.

As home to one of the largest Extended Reality (XR) studios in the UK, the ARC provides unique opportunities to push the boundaries of XR research.

Research culture

Our positive research culture promotes a healthy research environment, in which individuals collaborate in an atmosphere of openness and trust.

We focus on collegiality, career development, research recognition, open research and research integrity.

Research collaborations

Through our strategic partnerships and research collaborations we are creating the opportunity for the sharing of knowledge and we strive to do this in an equitable and sustainable way.

We partner with many international universities, research institutes, government agencies and NGOs. At an institutional level, we have key priority partnerships with the University of Sydney, University of Hong Kong, McGill University, Radboud University and the Smithsonian Institution.

We are proud to be a founding member of The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, growing our international reputation and providing a platform for engaging in new collaborations and influencing policy.

Last updated February 2024

Our city, our partner

The University of Glasgow was founded for the benefit of the city and its people.

We work with companies and organisations throughout the city to codesign solutions to create lasting impact and opportunity in Glasgow and beyond. Our staff and students are engaged in strong, enduring research and community partnerships to improve health, boost the economy, build a better future and celebrate the achievements of those living in Glasgow.

The University is a key player in the city’s ambitious plans for the regeneration of the River Clyde and in the development of a Glasgow Riverside Innovation District (GRID), which is helping to transform some of the most deprived areas in Scotland.

Our researchers are helping the city move towards climate resilience while tackling health, social and economic inequalities by working in partnership with Glasgow City Council on a £10.2 million research programme.

Volunteering is a vital part of the University of Glasgow’s culture. We have built partnerships with more than 50 social enterprises, charities, community projects and public bodies across Glasgow and beyond.

Our Vet students run a monthly drop-in service to provide care to homeless dogs in Glasgow. The clinics operate out of homeless centres and drop-in facilities so that owners can get support for themselves too.

A group of Glasgow dental students have established five oral health clinics in foodbanks throughout Glasgow. As well as providing those in lower income households with free dental supplies and advice, the society also encourages people to register with a dentist.

Our Into University learning centres have opened in the heart of some of Scotland’s most disadvantaged communities as a practical response to the poverty and educational limitations that can impact the lives of young people growing up there.

Find out more: Glasgow: our city, our partner

Last updated August 2023

UofG and the SDGs

The United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) address economic, social and environmental sustainability.

We recognise the opportunity we have, together with our partners, to make an impact on the most pressing global challenges facing humanity and the natural world.

We are committed to working towards the SDGs and integrate them in our work, and we use them as a lens through which to measure and maximise our impact.

We are a signatory of the SDG Accord, and a member of the UN Academic Impact initiative. Our Adam Smith Business School is an advanced signatory of the UN Principles of Responsible Management Education.

We are ranked 13th in the world in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings and 20th in the world in the QS Sustainability University Rankings. We are 2nd in the world for SDG11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 6th in the world for SDG16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and 9th in the world for SDG17 (Partnership for the Goals).

As a reflection of our commitment to the SDGs, we

  • were the first university in the UK to declare we would divest from fossil fuels within a decade
  • were the first university in Scotland to declare a Climate Emergency
  • committed to a significant plan of action to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.

Find out more

Last updated March 2024

Student recruitment

As a world top 100 university and member of the prestigious Russell Group, we support talented students to fulfil their ambitions regardless of background or circumstances.

We are a globally minded, outward-looking and inclusive community. Our students are taught by dedicated and passionate academics in a flexible and innovative learning environment, with more than 600 degree programmes on offer.

To study here is to join a dynamic community of more than 40,000* world changers from across the UK and from more than 140 nationalities globally. We encourage our students to have a global outlook and support them to study or work abroad with one of our 200 partners worldwide.

Our world-changing Glasgow campus, situated at the heart of one of Europe’s most vibrant cities, is bursting with ideas, creativity and potential. Our students have access to two unions, great sports facilities and more than 300 clubs and societies.

  • We were named Scottish University of the Year by The Times/Sunday Times in 2022 and 2024.
  • We’re ranked in the UK’s top 20 for graduate employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022) [as of March 2024 a more up-to-date QS ranking is yet to be released].

*please check for updated figures when quoting student numbers: sources of facts & figures about the University

City of Glasgow accolades

  • The city of Glasgow was the first UNESCO City of Music.
  • Glasgow was the European Capital of Sport in 2023, becoming the first city to take the title twice.
  • Glasgow’s West End, home to our Gilmorehill campus, is named the 20th coolest neighbourhood in the world (Time Out, 2023) [valid until October 2024]
  • In Pollstar magazine's rankings 2024, Glasgow's Barrowland's Ballroom is named the 2nd best club venue in Europe and King Tut's Wah Wah Hut is 8th, and the OVO Hydro is named the 7th best arena in Europe [valid until February 2025]
  • The Burrell Collection in Glasgow is the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2023 [valid until July 2024]
  • Glasgow was listed as the top cultural and creative centre in the UK (European Commission, last report dated 2019).
 Last updated March 2024

Sources of facts & figures about the University

When quoting facts and figures about the University in your communications, it is essential that they are accurate and up to date. It is advisable to include the date on which the figures were accurate.

To ensure accuracy, we recommend that the figures are taken from their original source. This table provides the sources of some commonly published data:

DataSource department
Source / contact
Awards & rankings External Relations Awards & Rankings webpage
Student numbers Planning, Insight & Analytics

HESA student headcount data (HESA headcounts are for reporting, i.e. all students, including withdrawn, online learning etc.)

Standard student population headcount trend data from QlikView (QlikView student headcounts are for operational use i.e. actual students physically at the university, not including withdrawn, online learning etc.)

Guidance on what numbers to use.

Income & expenditure Finance Financial statements
Graduate employability Planning, Insight & Analytics planning@glasgow.ac.uk
Last updated August 2023