📸 At a Glance
🌍 Edinburgh, Scotland
🎓 Russell Group ✅
⚖️ Race Equality Charter ✅ Bronze Award
💰 Scholarships Available ✅
🏅 Ranking: 18 (Complete University Guide 2026)
🔎 Overview
The University of Edinburgh is a public university based in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread across five campuses. It offers degrees across three colleges, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Medicine and Veterinary Medicine; and Science and Engineering, covering subjects including law, medicine, veterinary medicine, informatics and computer science, engineering, biological sciences, and arts and humanities.
📊 Ethnicity Breakdown
- Black: 2%
- Mixed race: 6%
- White: 80%
- Asian: 8%
- Other: 1%
- Not known: 3%
💷 Scholarships & Funding
- The Andrea Levy Scholarship – The Andrea Levy Scholarship, made possible by a gift from the family of the late Andrea Levy, supports Black African and Caribbean heritage students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds at the University of Edinburgh. It covers full tuition fees and a £5,000 annual living costs stipend.
- Cowrie Foundation Scholarship – The University of Edinburgh and the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation offer at least one scholarship for UK-resident students of Black African or Caribbean heritage from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, commencing undergraduate study in 2026/27. The award covers full tuition fees and a £5,000 annual living costs stipend.
- Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme – The University of Edinburgh has two Commonwealth Shared Scholarships to offer for the 2026-2027 academic year.
- The Garden Scholarship – The Garden Scholarship is open to Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert) in Surgical Writing and Evidence Based Practice applicants or students currently enrolled on the Postgraduate Professional Development (PgProfDev) Surgical Writing and Evidence Based Practice programme.
- Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program – The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program supports students from Sub-Saharan Africa through sustainability-focused postgraduate opportunities at The University of Edinburgh, helping develop future leaders focused on sustainable change and climate solutions.
- Nyerere Scholarship – The Nyerere Scholarship supports a Tanzanian student studying the MSc in Africa and International Development at The University of Edinburgh, based in the university’s Centre of African Studies.
- The Desmond Tutu/Church of Scotland Masters Scholarship – This scholarship supports students from Africa who are applying for a one-year Master’s programme in the School of Divinity and have official endorsement from their Church.
- Beit Trust and University of Edinburgh Scholarship – The Beit Trust and the University of Edinburgh Scholarships jointly fund postgraduate students from Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe to undertake a Masters programme in 2026-2027.
- Chevening Scholarships – Chevening Scholarships are for talented people who have been identified as potential future leaders across a wide range of fields; including politics, business, the media, civil society, religion, and academia.
- Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) – The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) provides UK-funded scholarships and fellowships for students across Commonwealth countries, including support for Master’s, PhD, and distance learning programmes.
- Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships – The Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships support students from low and middle-income countries who want to study eligible UK postgraduate programmes through part-time distance learning.
- Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarships – The University will offer PhD scholarships for students starting their PhD research at the University in the 2026-2027 academic session.
- GREAT Scholarships (Ghana) – In partnership with the British Council and the GREAT Britain Campaign, The University of Edinburgh is offering 3 scholarships to students in Thailand, Mexico and Ghana applying for one-year postgraduate courses.
👩🏿🎓👨🏾🎓 Student Life & Support
- African & Caribbean Society
- BlackEd Movement – a movement established to work with the University of Edinburgh to improve support for Black students.
- BAME Society
- Southern Africa Society – a student society for South Africans and friends at the university.
- West African Drum & Dance Society – offers drumming and dance activities rooted in West African traditions.
➡️ The university also points students to its full clubs and societies directory under cultural/national societies, which may include additional or more up-to-date groups not listed here.
📣 Things Uni To Know
Edinburgh University Students’ Association – Black and Minority Ethnic Officer – The Liberation Officers represent marginalised student communities, leading five Liberation Campaigns that bring self-identifying students together to discuss shared experiences and campaign for positive change.
