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Annual Review 2024

"At St Andrews, we are at our best when we come together with a shared purpose." – Professor Dame Sally Mapstone FRSE

Introduction by the Principal

Amid the significant financial headwinds facing UK higher education, and ongoing geopolitical uncertainties, in 2024 St Andrews continued to uphold its reputation for excellence in teaching, research, and global collaboration.

Our strengths in student experience and outcomes, alongside our deeply embedded international connectivity, have remained cornerstones of our success. We once again performed well in key UK rankings, underpinned by the National Student Survey 2024, according to which students at St Andrews are more positive about their education than students at any other mainstream university in the UK.

This review provides a snapshot of some individual and collective achievements, under the themes of the University Strategy 2022-2027.

In September we launched Making Waves, a £300 million fundraising campaign in support of our world-leading ambitions. Making Waves will help create ‘New College’, the first college to be built in St Andrews in nearly 300 years, which will house our new Business School and the School of International Relations, educating the global leaders of the future.

We enhanced our digital education portfolio of online courses for postgraduate study and expanded our offering by introducing a range of professional skills short courses. Our first cohorts joined us in 2024 for these self-paced courses in high-demand fields such as Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning.

The launch of our innovative 100-year partnership with the Corrour estate, near Fort William, was emblematic of our leadership in sustainability. The partnership will focus on nature-based solutions to the climate crisis, developing land management techniques and peatland restoration and supporting our work to be net zero by 2035.

Our commitment to making St Andrews a diverse place to work and study was underlined by achieving an institutional Silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our continued efforts to advance gender equality across the University; and a Race Equality Charter Bronze Award for our ongoing work to advance race equality.

The Entrepreneurship Centre hosted a successful Innovation Week, bringing together students, alumni and the wider community. Featuring speaker sessions, interactive workshops, and networking opportunities, the event provided hands-on learning and access to industry leaders, reinforcing the University’s role as a hub for entrepreneurial thinking.

The thread that brings the strategy together is a commitment to global and local social responsibility. Our Community Fund, the centrepiece of our socially responsible activities at a regional level, has completed its fourth year, supporting grassroots and charity projects in Fife.

As we reflect on 2024, I extend my deepest gratitude to our funders, partners, and supporters. Your generosity and collaboration have been instrumental in driving forward our ambitious initiatives, from advancing groundbreaking research to enhancing student support and investing in world-class facilities.

At St Andrews, we are at our best when we come together with a shared purpose. Our collective commitment to excellence, respect for diverse perspectives, and unwavering dedication to innovation and inclusivity will guide us through the complexities of the present and toward a stronger future.

I invite you to read this review to see how, together, we continue to shape our University and the world beyond.

Professor Dame Sally Mapstone FRSE
Principal and Vice-Chancellor

Professor Dame Sally Mapstone FRSE

St Andrews at a glance

Students

• 10,234 students
• 8,388 undergraduates
• 1,846 postgraduates
• 135 countries
• 91.0% of students enter employment or further study after graduation

Staff

• 2,906 staff
• 4 faculties
• 18 schools
• 31 units

Income down 0.26% to £321.6m

• Tuition fee income up 5.3% to £158.6m
• New donations from philanthropy. New funds committed £18.9m. Funds received £10.3m
• Making Waves Campaign total (Jan 25) £132.6m
• Investment income, which helps to support scholarships, bursaries and widening access initiatives £5.8m

 

Timeline 2024

  • January 2024

    The St Andrews Repair and Advice Café launched, thanks to funding from the University’s Community Fund. The monthly café, run by Transition, is open to students, staff and the wider community. Items fixed included watches, clocks, shoes, a sleeping bag, a vase, a wheelchair tyre, solar lights, and a handbag strap.

  • February 2024

    The University was awarded a £2 million grant by the Wolfson Foundation to enable the development of green hydrogen technologies that will play a key role in decarbonising the energy and chemical industries. The Green Hydrogen Accelerator will provide dedicated space at Eden Campus for world-leading research into the efficient production of hydrogen from water and its use in energy storage and chemic production.

  • March 2024

    A major new partnership between the University and NHS Fife was confirmed, allowing students studying Medicine at St Andrews to do all their clinical training and complete their primary medical qualification in Fife with the new 5-year medical degree.

  • April 2024

    Researchers working in the new Scottish Brain Sciences (SBS) laboratory at the University’s Eden Campus are collaborating with Roche Diagnostics to open the way to the first blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages to be carried out in Scotland.

  • May 2024

    The University hosted Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to celebrate the launch of Scotland’s Future Speaker Series. Ms Sturgeon’s spoke of her “innate optimism” about the “power of politics to change lives for the better” and the role of young people’s voices and spirit in shaping Scotland’s Future.

  • June 2024

    In a week which celebrated the academic achievements of over 2000 graduates, award-winning writer and satirist Armando Iannucci spoke at a graduation ceremony about his imposter syndrome after receiving an Honorary Degree from the University.

  • July 2024

    Students at the University are more positive about their education than students at any other mainstream university in the UK, according to the results of the National Student Survey 2024. St Andrews also came top in the UK for academic support and learning resources.

  • August 2024

    The University and Corrour signed an innovative 100- year partnership to focus on nature-based solutions to the climate crisis, developing land management techniques and peatland restoration. The carbon benefits of this long-term partnership are estimated to be 100,000 tonnes of CO2e for St Andrews.

  • September 2024

    The Making Waves campaign to raise £300 million to support scholarships, research, academic programmes, and sustainability initiatives was officially unveiled with a series of events throughout St Andrews, including a torchlight parade through the town.

  • October 2024

    A new affordable and sustainable housing development for postgraduate students and staff was completed at the Grange, on the outskirts of St Andrews. Working in partnership with Kingdom Initiatives for the first time, the new ‘university village’ will help reduce accommodation pressures in St Andrews.

  • November 2024

    The partnership between the University and Stagecoach celebrated its second anniversary by marking £1.7 million in cost savings for staff and students. Since the scheme began bus users have travelled 22 million kilometres, made over 670,000 journeys and purchased almost 50,000 tickets.

  • December 2024

    Senior Lecturer Dr Peter Mackay was named Scotland’s new Makar, the National Poet for Scotland. The role of Makar, a three-year tenure supported by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Poetry Library, is a prestigious literary position dedicated to championing poetry across Scotland. Dr Mackay’s appointment marks a historic milestone as he is the first Makar to primarily write in Gaelic.