The independent IpsosMORI National Student Survey 2006 commissioned by HEFCE placed it third among the UK universities. It has achieved the most consistently high ratings in research assessment exercises with no subjects receiving a rating lower than 4 on a grading scale 1-5*, where 5* denotes outstanding international research. The departments of English and Psychology have received a 5* in the latest exercise, and 72% of staff across the university received a 5 or 5* rating. The Philosophical Gourmet report ranks St Andrews graduate philosophy programme as third in the UK, and the joint programme with Stirling University is ranked second in the UK and joint 13th in the world.

Nearly eight in ten graduates obtain a First Class or an Upper Second Class Honours degree. A similar proportion enter further employment requiring a respected degree or obtaining placements for further postgraduate research. The ancient Scottish universities award Master of Arts degrees (except for science students who are awarded a Bachelor of Science degree) which are classified upon graduation, in contrast to Oxbridge where one becomes a Master of Arts after a certain number of years, and the rest of the UK, where graduates are awarded BAs.

Entry to the University is highly competitive; the latest UCAS figures show that there are generally twelve applications for every place available, and the University has not entered Clearing since 2003. The standard offer of a place tends to require at a minimum AAABB at Scottish Highers for Scottish applicants, AAB at GCE A Levels for English, Welsh and Northern Irish candidates, or a score of at least 36 points on the International Baccalaureate. They have a noted prerence for candidates who already have these qualification, something that implicitly gives prerence to Scottish applicants as they will have normally completed the Scottish Highers at the time of application, whereas other applicants, such as those studying in England, are still in the process of attaining their final secondary qualifications.

Traditions Gowns One of the most conspicuous traditions at St Andrews is the wearing of academic dress, particularly the distinctive red undergraduate gown of the United College. Undergraduates in Arts and Science subjects can be seen wearing these garments at the installation of a Rector or Chancellor, at chapel services, on Pier Walks , at formal hall dinners, at meetings of the Union Debating Society, or giving tours to prospective students and visitors. Divinity students wear a black undergraduate gown. (See Academic dress of the University of St Andrews.)

Raisin Weekend Raisin Weekend is the highlight of the social calendar at the University. Held annually over the last weekend of November, first years are entertained by their academic parents, normally consisting of a tea party thrown by the mothers and then a tour of pubs conducted by the fathers. This culminates in a foam fight on the Monday morning in quad of St Salvator s College.

The cursed cobblestone initials outside St Salvators College chapel.

Cobblestones Situated around the town of St Andrews are cobblestone markings denoting where Protestant martyrs were burnt at the stake. To students, the most notable of these is the cobblestone initials PH located outside the main gate of St Salvators College. These cobblestones denote where Patrick Hamilton was martyred in 1528. According to student tradition, stepping on the PH will cause a student to become cursed, with the fect that the offender will fail his or her degree and so students are known to jump over the cobblestones when passing.

May Dip The May Dip is a student tradition held annually at dawn on May Day. Students stay awake until dawn, at which time they collectively run into the North Sea. The May Dip is also traditionally the only way of removing the curse inflicted by stepping on the PH cobbles. If a student is to step on the stones he/she can be forgiven if on the dawn of the first of May, they run into the north sea.

Governance and administration As with the other Ancient universities of Scotland, governance is determined by the Universities (Scotland) Act 1858. This Act created three bodies: the General Council, University Court and Academic Senate (Senatus Academicus).

General Council The General Council is a standing advisory body of all the graduates, academics and former academics of the University. It meets twice a year and appoints a Business Committee to transact business between these meetings. Its most important functions are to appoint two Assessors to the University Court and elect the University Chancellor.

University Court The University Court is the body responsible for administrative and financial matters, and is in fect the governing body of the University. It is chaired by the Rector, who is elected by all the matriculated students of the University. Members are appointed by the General Council, Academic Senate and Fife Council. The President of the Students Representative Council and Director of Representation are ex officio members of the Court. Several lay members are also co-opted and must include a fixed number of alumni of the University.

Senatus Academicus The Academic Senate (Latin Senatus Academicus) is the supreme academic body for the University. Its members include all of the Professors of the University, certain senior Readers, a number of Senior Lecturers and Lecturers and three elected student Senate Representatives - one from the Arts / Divinity faculty, one from the Science / Medicine faculty and one postgraduate student. It is responsible for authorising degree programmes and issuing all degrees to graduates. Another function of the Senate is to discipline students. The President of the Senate is the University Principal.

Faculties

St Andrews University Classics Building

The University is divided into four academic Faculties: Arts Divinity Medicine Science

Each is governed by a Faculty Council and administered by a Dean. Students apply to become members of a particular faculty, as opposed to any particular school or department.

Student organisations

St Salvator s Quadrangle during the Raisin Weekend foam fight

Students Association The University of St Andrews Students Association is the organisation which represents the student body of the University of St Andrews. The Association was instituted in 1983 under the Constitution and Laws of the University of St Andrews Students Association. It comprises the Students Representative Council (SRC), established in 1885 and legally dined under the Universities (Scotland) Act 1889[19] , and the Students Union (which was itself a merger of the Students Union and the Women s Union). The Students Association is registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator as charity SCO19883

The Students Association Building (colloquially known as the Union) is located on St Mary s Place, St Andrews. External bodies operating in the building include a Blackwells bookshop and the University s Student Support Services. The Students Association is affiliated to, and indeed a founding member of, the Coalition of Higher Education Students in Scotland (CHESS) and is not a member of the National Union of Students.

The Students Association receives a maintenance grant from the University, which stood at 159,000 GBP for the academic year 2004-2005.

The Students Association is headed up by four sabbatical officers. Currently they are Andrew Keenan (Association President), James Shield (Director of Representation), Stacy Lee (Director of Events and Services) and Philippa Dunn (Director of Student Development and Activities).

Societies Students at the university form various voluntary societies for academic, social, political, religious and other reasons. Many of these are affiliated with the Students Association; notable affiliated societies are the Bute Medical Society, University of St Andrews Union Debating Society and the Shinty Club. Other groups are not affiliated to the University or the Students Association, and therore not a part of the University structure. Notable independent student groups include the Global Investment Group, Kate Kennedy Club and the Discussion Club。

Media Newspapers: The Saint is the longest-lived student newspaper, published fortnightly since 1997 and tracing its roots several decades further. It is fully independent of both the Student s Union and the University, which has led to some controversy about certain articles in the past. This independence is only matched by two other student newspapers in Britain - Cherwell in Oxford and Varsity in Cambridge. On 17 April 2006, the Vine magazine (supported by the Students Association) was re-launched. The magazine claimed to generate discussion and thought throughout the student population of the town, and was printed at irregular intervals. Sales were poor, and the publication eventually closed down in 2007.

Radio: On 28 February 2005, a number of St Andrews students launched the University s first FM station broadcasting over 5 km on the 87.7 MHz frequency. The station was granted a Restricted Service Licence by Ofcom, which allowed for six hours of broadcast a day. Subsequent periods of broadcast followed until the end of 2007, when it was decided to re-brand Star FM as STAR or St Andrews Radio and broadcast solely as an Internet station online for twenty-four hours a day. The radio station is now a sub-committee of the Students Association under the name of the Broadcasting Committee. It recommenced broadcasting on 17th February 2008 and broadcasts 24/7 during University term time. The station can be found at www.standrewsradio.com.

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