History & Profile of the University

Heriot-Watt University is the eighth oldest higher education institution in the UK. The name commemorates George Heriot - the 16th century financier to King James, and James Watt - the great 18th century inventor and engineer. The University originated as the School of Arts of Edinburgh in 1821. Women were welcomed as early as 1869 - 20 years ahead of other institutions, and in 1966, Heriot-Watt became a University by Royal Charter. The Scottish College of Textiles in Galashiels merged with Heriot-Watt in 1998. The Watt Club was formed in 1854, making it the oldest alumni association in the UK.

Heriot-Watt has around 7,000 on-campus students in Scotland, more than a quarter of whom are from outside the UK. This international focus creates a very cosmopolitan environment - approximately 10,000 students from 150 countries world-wide are currently studying on international programmes. We welcome students from a variety of routes and consistently perform above the UK average for graduate recruitment.

Heriot-Watt University is one of the UK's leading research institutions having been rated at the highest level by our national review body, the RAE. The University aims to deliver research of international standing, providing innovative and problem-solving capacity for business, industry and society, and exploiting novel multi-disciplinary approaches. Partnership and pooling are key to development in research at Heriot-Watt and the University is constantly working to build new multi-university partnerships.

Heriot-Watt's Edinburgh campus provides a top quality living and working environment in one of the world's great cities. The Campus occupies 380 acres of mature meadow and woodland to the west of Edinburgh, just six minutes from Edinburgh airport, and some 20 minutes from the city centre by car. On site we also have the Edinburgh Conference Centre, one of the top conference venues in the country. The Campus is also home to a large Research Park, the first of its kind in Europe, demonstrating Heriot-Watt's commitment to active collaboration with industry.

The Scottish Borders Campus is set in beautiful countryside, interspersed with historic market towns offering a wonderful slice of Scottish rural life. The combination of rural idyll and cutting edge technology is truly embodied at the campus. In addition, Edinburgh is only one hour away by road. It's the best of both worlds. The Scottish Borders Campus is home to the School of Textiles and Design and facilities include bright and airy studios, workshops and well-equipped chemistry laboratories. It also runs number of courses from the School of Management and Languages.

Heriot-Watt University's Dubai Campus is a purpose-built modern campus of over 40,000 square feet in Dubai Academic City formally opened in March 2006. The campus offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses which reflect the University's Scottish Schools and Institutes as well as student exchanges and campus transfers.