Our history

Our history began in the 1960s with Lord Robbins, our first Chancellor and a visionary economist who changed the face of higher education in the United Kingdom.  

He understood the importance of a skilled workforce to the future wealth and wellbeing of society. In 1963 the Robbins Report recommended widening of access to higher education, concluding that university places should be available to all who were qualified for them by ability and attainment. 

This heralded a new era of expansion of higher education. As part of that expansion, the University of Stirling was founded in 1967 by Royal command when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II signed the Royal Charter.  

On 18 September 1967, 164 undergraduate students and 31 postgraduates began their courses. Today, our University has more than 17,500 students from 140 countries, and more than 115,000 alumni from 180 countries.

Across the decades since our University was founded, we have celebrated many major milestones. Here are just some:

1986

University of Stirling Innovation Park opens, providing an enterprise hub for businesses involved in innovative research and development.

1991

The University’s first aquaculture laboratories open, signalling the beginning of our world-class research in this area, which was recognised with the prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2019.

2013

As part of the University’s £40 million investment in student residences, the first of our new style accommodation properties, Willow Court, opens to students.

2017

As we celebrated our 50th anniversary, the University was named in the Times Higher Education global list of top universities aged 50 or under.

2020

The new £20 million Sports Centre opens, providing a world-class training ground for athletes and sports enthusiasts, and underlining our designation as Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence.

2021

The University’s £23 million Campus Central opens, providing collaborative learning and meeting spaces, shops, cafés, and student support services.

2024

Stirling celebrates the 10th anniversary of our partnership with leading pathway provider INTO, and is shortlisted at the Times Higher Education Awards for University of the Year. Our swimmers win three medals at the Paris Olympics.

2025

A new state-of-the-art indoor golf studio is unveiled on campus – enabling golf scholars to use data-driven insights to perfect their game.