Editing University of St Andrews (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of the University of St Andrews}}

===Foundation===
[[File:College Hall St Andrews B.JPG|thumb|College Hall, within the 16th-century St Mary's College building]]
In 1410, a group of [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] clergy, driven from the [[University of Paris]] by the [[Western Schism|Avignon schism]] and from the universities of [[University of Oxford|Oxford]] and [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]] by the [[Anglo-Scottish Wars]], formed a society of higher learning in St Andrews, offering courses of lectures in divinity, logic, philosophy, and law. A [[charter]] of privilege was bestowed upon the society of masters and scholars by the [[Archbishop of St Andrews|Bishop of St Andrews]], [[Henry Wardlaw]],<ref name="Wardlaw, Henry, d.1440, Bishop of St Andrews">{{Cite DNB|last=Sprott |first=George Washington |wstitle=Wardlaw, Henry|volume=59|pages=352-353}}</ref> on 28 February 1411–12.<ref name="Mediaeval university">{{Cite web|title=Mediaeval university|url=http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/media/court-office/documents/medieval_university.pdf|access-date=24 July 2022|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722053757/http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/media/court-office/documents/medieval_university.pdf|archive-date=22 July 2013}}</ref> Wardlaw then successfully petitioned the [[Antipope Benedict XIII|Avignon Pope Benedict XIII]] to grant the school university status by issuing a series of [[papal bull]]s, which followed on 28 August 1413.<ref name="Scotland1837">{{Cite book|author=Great Britain. Commission for Visiting the Universities and Colleges of Scotland|title=University of St. Andrews|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iCwPAQAAMAAJ&pg=Pag173|year=1837|publisher=W. Clowes and Sons|pages=173–}}</ref> King [[James I of Scotland]] confirmed the [[charter]] of the university in 1432. Subsequent kings supported the university, with King [[James V of Scotland]] "confirming privileges of the university" in 1532.<ref name="St Andrews history of the university">{{Cite web|title=A brief history of the University|publisher=University of St Andrews|url=http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/about/history/brief/|access-date=9 January 2016|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923172128/https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/about/history/brief/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last1=Lyon|first1=C.J.|title=History of St. Andrews, episcopal, monastic, academic, and civil&nbsp;..., Volume 2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oe49AAAAcAAJ&q=james+V++st+andrews+university+1532&pg=PA234|publisher=Tait |year = 1843| pages =230–34|access-date=9 January 2016|quote=King James I of Scotland confirmed the charter of the university in 1432...There are four ...confirmations by James V; in the year 1532...}}</ref>

A college of theology and arts, called [[St John's College, St Andrews|St John's College]], was founded in 1418<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gashe.ac.uk/isaar/P0243.html |title=Lindores, Lawrence of, ? 1372–1437, Rector, University of St Andrews, Scotland |publisher=Gashe.ac.uk |date=15 August 2002 |access-date=17 April 2011}}{{Dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> by Robert of Montrose and Lawrence of Lindores. [[St Salvator's College, St Andrews|St Salvator's College]] was established in 1450 by Bishop [[James Kennedy (bishop)|James Kennedy]].<ref name="Kennedy, James, ? 1406–1465, Bishop of St Andrews">{{Cite DNB|last=Millar |first=Alexander Hastie |wstitle=Kennedy, James (1406?-1465)|volume=30|pages=421-422}}</ref> [[St Leonard's College, St Andrews|St Leonard's College]] was founded in 1511 by Archbishop [[Alexander Stewart (archbishop of St Andrews)|Alexander Stewart]], who intended it to have a far more monastic character than either of the other colleges. St John's College was refounded by Cardinal [[James Beaton]] under the name [[St Mary's College, St Andrews|St Mary's College]] in 1538 for the study of divinity and law. It was intended to encourage traditional Catholic teachings in opposition to the emerging [[Scottish Reformation]], but once Scotland had formally split with the [[Pope|Papacy]] in 1560, it became a teaching institution for Protestant clergy.<ref name="Beaton, James, d 1539, Archbishop of St Andrews">{{Cite DNB|last=MacArthur |first=Margaret |wstitle=Beaton, James (d.1539)|volume=4|pages=18-19}}</ref> At its foundation in 1538 St Mary's was intended to be a college for instruction in divinity, law, and medicine, as well as in Arts, but its career on this extensive scale was short-lived. Under a new foundation and erection, confirmed by Parliament in 1579, it was set apart for the study of Theology, and it has remained a Divinity College ever since.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Hew |title=Fasti ecclesiae scoticanae; the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the reformation |date=1928 |publisher=Oliver and Boyd |location=Edinburgh |pages=[https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc07scot/page/417 417]–418 |volume=7 |url=https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc07scot |access-date=8 July 2019}}{{PD-notice}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Holloway|first1=Ernest, R. |date=2011|title=Andrew Melville and Humanism in Renaissance Scotland 1545–1622|url=https://archive.org/details/AndrewMelvilleAndHumanismInRenaissanceScotland15451622/page/n5|pages=1–388|publisher=Brill|location=Leiden, Boston}}</ref>

Some university buildings that date from this period are still in use today, such as [[St Salvator's Chapel]], St Leonard's College Chapel and St Mary's College quadrangle. At this time, the majority of the teaching was of a religious nature and was conducted by clerics associated with [[St Andrews Cathedral]].

===Development===
[[File:St Salvators chapel and north street -St Andrews.jpg|left|thumb|St Salvator's Chapel]]
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the university had mixed fortunes and was often beset by civil and religious disturbances. In a particularly acute depression in 1747, severe financial problems triggered the dissolution of St Leonard's College, whose properties and staff were merged into St Salvator's College to form the [[United College, St Andrews|United College of St Salvator and St Leonard]].<ref name="Mediaeval university" /> Throughout this period student numbers were very low; for instance, when [[Samuel Johnson]] visited the university in 1773, the university had fewer than 100 students, and was in his opinion in a steady decline. He described it as "pining in decay and struggling for life".<ref name="gutenberg.org">{{Cite web |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2064/2064-h/2064-h.htm |title=A Journey to the Western Isles of Scotland |publisher=Gutenberg.org |date=20 April 2005 |access-date=17 April 2011 |archive-date=16 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716233921/http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2064/2064-h/2064-h.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The poverty of Scotland during this period also damaged St Andrews, as few were able to patronise the university and its colleges, and with state support being improbable, the income they received was scarce.

===Modern period===
====Women====
[[File:The Gateway, St Andrews geograph-6299409-by-Bill-Harrison.jpg|thumb|The Gateway building, built in 2000 as an International Golf Club and now used by the university's School of Management]]
In the second half of the 19th century, the pressure was building upon universities to open up higher education to women.<ref name="Discovery in archives">{{Cite web|url=https://standrewsrarebooks.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/discovery-in-archives-sheds-new-light-on-jex-blakes-campaign-for-medical-education-for-women/|title=Discovery in archives sheds new light on Jex-Blake's campaign for medical education for women|date=27 February 2012|access-date=3 February 2013|archive-date=3 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303172745/https://standrewsrarebooks.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/discovery-in-archives-sheds-new-light-on-jex-blakes-campaign-for-medical-education-for-women/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1876, the university senate decided to allow women to receive an education at St Andrews at a level roughly equal to the [[MA (Scotland)|Master of Arts degree]] that men were able to take at the time. The scheme came to be known as the '[[Lady Literate in Arts|LLA examination]]' (Lady Literate in Arts). It required women to pass five subjects at an ordinary level and one at honours level and entitled them to hold a diploma from the university. Not being required to attend the university in person, the women were learning by [[Distance education|correspondence]], taking as many years as needed to complete the course. They were both examined and assisted in their studies by [[educator|educationalists]] in the town or city in which they lived in the UK or abroad.<ref name="Ladies Literate in Arts">{{Cite web|title=Ladies Literate in Arts|url=http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/library/specialcollections/didyouknow/lla/|access-date=2 January 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620201913/http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/library/specialcollections/didyouknow/lla/|archive-date=20 June 2012}}</ref>

In 1889, the [[Ancient university governance in Scotland|Universities (Scotland) Act]]<ref name="Act 1889">{{Cite web|title=Universities (Scotland) Act 1889|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/52-53/55/contents|access-date=2 January 2013|archive-date=2 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002064256/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/52-53/55/contents|url-status=live}}</ref> made it possible to admit women to St Andrews formally and to receive an education equal to that of male students. In September 1892, the university was reported as having "lately taken the lead in opening its classes to women"  and proclaimed  that "St Andrews hails a ladies' school –  [[St Leonards School|St Leonards]]  – second to none in the land, and probably second to few in England".<ref>{{cite news |title=Fifeshire Journal Fife, Scotland |url=https://www.genesreunited.com.au/searchbna/results?memberlastsubclass=none&searchhistorykey=0&keywords=ladies%20school%20university%20garret%20anderson&county=fife%2c%20scotland&from=1892&to=1896 |access-date=19 February 2022 |publisher=Fifeshire Journal Fife, Scotland |date=15 Sep 1892 |quote=...lately taken the lead in opening its classes to ladies ...St Andrews hails a ladies' school second to none in the land, and probably second to few in England conducted on the English public-school system... |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405231718/https://www.genesreunited.com.au/searchbna/results?memberlastsubclass=none&searchhistorykey=0&keywords=ladies%20school%20university%20garret%20anderson&county=fife,%20scotland&from=1892&to=1896 |url-status=live }}</ref> By 1892, the headmistress of St  Leonard's Ladies School, [[Frances Dove|Dame Frances Dove]], had  become "possessor" of the buildings of the university's old [[St Leonard's College, St Andrews|St Leonard's College]]  which were being used again for their original purpose of providing accommodation for students, only this time not for males but for "girl graduates and [[undergraduates]]".<ref>{{cite book |title=25 Years at St Andrews – 1865–1890 – [Chapter, After The Assembly] |date=1892 |publisher=Longmans, Greene & Co |page=371 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0zFAAAAAYAAJ&dq=women%20at%20%20Gifford%20Lectures%20%20in%201890s&pg=PA371 |access-date=23 April 2022 |archive-date=6 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406100009/https://books.google.com/books?id=0zFAAAAAYAAJ&dq=women%20at%20%20Gifford%20Lectures%20%20in%201890s&pg=PA371 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Having [[matriculation|matriculated]], [[Agnes Forbes Blackadder]] entered the university in 1892 and became the first woman to graduate from St Andrews on the same level as men on 29 March 1895, when she gained her [[Master of Arts|MA]].<ref name="St Andrews Special Collections">{{Cite web|url=https://standrewsrarebooks.wordpress.com/2017/03/07/trailblazing-women-at-the-university-of-st-andrews-a-celebration-for-international-womens-day/|title=Trailblazing Women at the University of St Andrews: A Celebration for International Women's Day|last=St Andrews Special Collections|date=7 March 2017|website=Echoes from the Vault|language=en|access-date=25 September 2019|archive-date=25 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925160600/https://standrewsrarebooks.wordpress.com/2017/03/07/trailblazing-women-at-the-university-of-st-andrews-a-celebration-for-international-womens-day/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Who was the first female graduate of the University of St Andrews?">{{Cite web|title=Who was the first female graduate of the University of St Andrews?|url=http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/library/specialcollections/didyouknow/femalegraduate/|access-date=2 January 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130110152020/http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/library/specialcollections/didyouknow/femalegraduate/|archive-date=10 January 2013}}</ref> The first female lecturer at the university was [[Alice Marion Umpherston]], appointed in 1896 to teach Physiology to women students.<ref>{{Cite web|title=International Women's Day 2019: The first women in the Library – Special Collections blog|url=https://special-collections.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/2019/03/08/international-womens-day-2019-the-first-women-in-the-library/|access-date=31 July 2023|website=special-collections.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk|archive-date=31 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230731234253/https://special-collections.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/2019/03/08/international-womens-day-2019-the-first-women-in-the-library/|url-status=live}}</ref> In response to the increasing number of female students attending the university, the first women's [[hall of residence]] was founded in 1896 by [[Louisa Lumsden|Dame Louisa Lumsden]], the first principal of [[St Leonards School]], which adjoined the university. The residence was named [[University Hall (University of St Andrews)|University Hall]].<ref name="Literate Ladies – A fifty year experiment">{{Cite web|url=http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/media/special-collections/documents/Literate%20Ladies%20Alumnus%20Chronicle%20vol%2059%20June%201968.pdf|title=Literate Ladies – A fifty year experiment|access-date=2 January 2013|archive-date=19 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819225951/https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/media/special-collections/documents/Literate%20Ladies%20Alumnus%20Chronicle%20vol%2059%20June%201968.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Fifeshire Journal Fife, Scotland |url=https://www.genesreunited.com.au/searchbna/results?memberlastsubclass=none&searchhistorykey=0&keywords=ladies%20school%20university%20garret%20anderson&county=fife%2c%20scotland&from=1892&to=1896 |access-date=19 February 2022 |publisher=Fifeshire Journal Fife, Scotland |date=15 Sep 1892 |quote=...lately taken the lead in opening its classes to ladies ...St Andrews hails a ladies' school second to none in the land, and probably second to few in England conducted... |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405231718/https://www.genesreunited.com.au/searchbna/results?memberlastsubclass=none&searchhistorykey=0&keywords=ladies%20school%20university%20garret%20anderson&county=fife,%20scotland&from=1892&to=1896 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Dundee====
Until the start of the 20th century, St Andrews offered a traditional education based on classical languages, divinity and philosophical studies, and was slow to embrace more practical fields such as science and medicine that were becoming more popular at other universities. In response to the need for modernisation and in order to increase student numbers and alleviate financial problems, the university had, by 1883, established a university college in [[University College, Dundee|Dundee]] which formally merged with St Andrews in 1897.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Prof. E. Waymouth Reid, F.R.S|first=P. T.|last=Herring|date=11 April 1948|journal=Nature|volume=161|issue=4094|pages=591–592|doi=10.1038/161591a0|bibcode=1948Natur.161..591H|doi-access=free}}</ref> From its inception, the Dundee college had a focus on scientific, and professional subjects; the college's [[co-education|mixed sexes]] read [[Classics]] and  English at St Andrews. The union was fraught with difficulties; in 1894, ''The Educational Times'' reported in the article ''The Quarrel between St Andrews and Dundee'' that University College, Dundee was "forbidden" to give such instruction in the Arts "as he [the Dundeen student] might require".<ref>{{cite news |title=Times Education |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rJtAAQAAMAAJ&dq=dundee+university+of+St+andrews+fine+arts&pg=PA30 |access-date=13 January 2021 |publisher=Times Education |page=30 |date=1 January 1894 |archive-date=12 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412145037/https://books.google.com/books?id=rJtAAQAAMAAJ&dq=dundee+university+of+St+andrews+fine+arts&pg=PA30 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Records of University College, Dundee, being the University of St Andrews in Dundee. |date=1871–1953 |publisher=University of St Andrews |url=https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/f3a74f1f-988d-33c6-bcd9-4e0870d6e511 |access-date=13 January 2021 |quote=The Commission of 1878 recommended a college be established in Dundee to teach mathematical and physical and natural sciences and medicine, '''leaving the literary part of the Arts faculty to St Andrews'''. The deed of an endowment provided for the erection of a comprehensive 'University College', providing courses for both sexes in a wide variety of subjects except divinity (forbidden by the non-conformist founder) and medicine (which would follow). After 1 October 1897 the college became subject to the academic control of the senate and its teaching staff was appointed by the St Andrews University Court. In an effort to avoid duplication the two Arts chairs (Classics and English) in University College lapsed into lectureships after the professors left in 1895 and 1901 respectively. The other Dundee chairs at this date were Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, Natural History, Anatomy and Physiology. A chair in Botany in the University replaced the College chair and teaching was in both Dundee and St Andrews. In 1898 the Conjoint School of Medicine was established at Dundee. |archive-date=8 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508144040/https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/f3a74f1f-988d-33c6-bcd9-4e0870d6e511 |url-status=live }}</ref> After the incorporation of University College Dundee, St Andrews' various problems generally receded. For example, it was able to offer medical degrees. Until 1967, many students who obtained a degree from the University of St Andrews had in fact spent most, and sometimes all, of their undergraduate career based in Dundee.

In 1967, the union with Queen's College Dundee (formerly University College Dundee) ended, when it became an independent institution under the name of the [[University of Dundee]]. As a result of this, St Andrews lost its capacity to provide degrees in many areas such as Medicine, Dentistry, Law, Accountancy, and Engineering. As well as losing the right to confer the undergraduate medical degree [[MBChB]], it was also deprived of the right to confer the postgraduate degree MD. St Andrews was eventually able to continue to offer the opportunity to study medicine through a new arrangement with the [[University of Manchester]] in England.

In 1974, the College of St Leonard was reconstituted as a postgraduate institute.<ref name="St leonards college">{{Cite web|title=St leonards college|url=http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/pgstudents/stleonards/|access-date=3 January 2013|archive-date=13 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213151127/http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/pgstudents/stleonards/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Links with the United States===
[[File:+ 908 wurde St Andrews bereits Bischohfssitz. 10.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|St Salvator's Quadrangle from the cloisters]]
[[File:The Scores, St Andrews - geograph.org.uk - 139944.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|The Scores]]
St Andrews' historical links with the United States predate the country's independence. [[James Wilson (Founding Father)|James Wilson]], a signer of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], attended (but did not graduate from) St Andrews. Wilson was one of six original justices appointed by [[George Washington]] to the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] and was a founder of the [[University of Pennsylvania Law School]]. Other prominent American figures associated with St Andrews include Scottish American industrialist [[Andrew Carnegie]], who was elected [[Rector of the University of St Andrews|Rector]] in 1901 and whose name is given to the prestigious [[Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland|Carnegie Scholarship]], and [[Edward Harkness]], an American philanthropist who in 1930 provided for the construction of [[St Salvator's Hall]]. American [[Bobby Jones (golfer)|Bobby Jones]], co-founder of the [[Augusta National Golf Club]] and the [[Masters Tournament]], was named a [[Freedom of the City|Freeman of the City]] of St Andrews in 1958, becoming only the second American to be so honoured, the other being Benjamin Franklin in 1759.<ref name="Citizen Jones">{{Cite news|title=Citizen Jones|url=http://www.golfdigest.com/magazine/bobbyjones|access-date=11 August 2014|archive-date=12 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112225249/http://www.golfdigest.com/magazine/bobbyjones|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1976, a reciprocal scholarship programme named in honour of Jones was established between St Andrews and [[Emory University]] in Georgia, where Jones studied for his law degree.<ref>{{cite news |title=University of St. Andrews awards 2024 Bobby Jones scholarships |url=https://www.golfdom.com/university-of-st-andrews-awards-2024-bobby-jones-scholarships/ |work=Golfdom |date=6 March 2024}}</ref>

Links with the United States have been maintained into the present day and continue to grow. In 2009, [[Louise Richardson]], an Irish-American political scientist specialising in the study of terrorism, was drawn from Harvard to serve as the first female [[Principal (academia)|Principal]] and [[Chancellor (education)|Vice Chancellor]] of St Andrews.<ref name="The Catholic coup at St Andrews">{{Cite news|title=The Catholic coup at St Andrews|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/the-catholic-coup-at-st-andrews-1668258.html|access-date=2 January 2013|location=London|work=The Independent|date=14 April 2009|archive-date=13 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413170950/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/the-catholic-coup-at-st-andrews-1668258.html|url-status=live}}</ref> She later went on to her next appointment as the vice chancellor to the [[University of Oxford]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ox.ac.uk/about/organisation/university-officers/vice-chancellor?wssl=1|title=Vice-Chancellor&nbsp;— University of Oxford|website=www.ox.ac.uk|access-date=9 May 2016|archive-date=28 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528070737/https://www.ox.ac.uk/about/organisation/university-officers/vice-chancellor?wssl=1|url-status=live}}</ref>

Active recruitment of students from North America first began in 1984, and Americans made up around 1 in 6 of the student population in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How Scotland's University of St. Andrews Became a Top American School|date=24 July 2017|url=http://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/a10274881/st-andrews-scotland/|publisher=[[Town & Country (magazine)|Town & Country]]|access-date=24 July 2017|archive-date=27 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170727214632/http://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/a10274881/st-andrews-scotland/|url-status=live}}</ref> Students from almost every state in the United States and province in Canada are represented.<ref name="International">{{Cite news|title=International|url=http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/study/international/|access-date=12 August 2014|archive-date=8 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808233518/http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/study/international/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/st-andrews/international |title=University of St Andrews&nbsp;— International |work=The Complete University Guide |access-date=1 May 2015 |archive-date=10 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510165418/http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/st-andrews/international |url-status=live }}</ref> This is the highest proportion and absolute number of American students amongst all British universities.<ref name="Americans at St Andrews">{{Cite news|title=Americans at St Andrews|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/may/20/internationalstudents.educationguardian2|access-date=3 January 2013|location=London|work=The Guardian|first=Jackie|last=Kemp|date=20 May 2008|archive-date=28 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228181919/http://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/may/20/internationalstudents.educationguardian2|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="US undergraduates choosing UK for their studies">{{Cite news|title=US undergraduates choosing UK for their studies|url=http://www.britishcouncil.org/organisation/press/us-undergraduates-choosing-uk-their-studies|access-date=27 May 2014|location=London|work=The British Council|date=27 January 2014|archive-date=4 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140604055859/http://www.britishcouncil.org/organisation/press/us-undergraduates-choosing-uk-their-studies|url-status=dead}}</ref> Media reports indicate growing numbers of American students are attracted to the university's academics, traditions, prestige, internationalism, and comparatively low [[tuition fees]].<ref name="Will and Kate (and Uncle Sam) Studied Here">{{Cite news|title=Will and Kate (and Uncle Sam) Studied Here|website=[[The New York Times]]|date=18 April 2014|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/20/fashion/st-andrews-will-and-kate-and-uncle-sam-studied-here.html|access-date=12 August 2014|last1=Conlin|first1=Jennifer|archive-date=12 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812214036/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/20/fashion/st-andrews-will-and-kate-and-uncle-sam-studied-here.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Going Off to College for Less NYT">{{Cite news|title=Going Off to College for Less (Passport Required)|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/education/01scotland.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|access-date=3 January 2013|work=The New York Times|first=Tamar|last=Lewin|date=30 November 2008|archive-date=21 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521124356/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/education/01scotland.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Royal College Bargain">{{Cite web|title=Royal College Bargain|website=[[Forbes]]|url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0808/investing-international-education-prince-will-kate-royal-bargain.html|access-date=12 August 2014|archive-date=12 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812205023/http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0808/investing-international-education-prince-will-kate-royal-bargain.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Who Needs Harvard Or Yale?">{{Cite news|title=Who Needs Harvard Or Yale?|newspaper=Bloomberg.com |date=25 September 2006 |url=http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2006-09-24/who-needs-harvard-or-yale|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806123356/http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2006-09-24/who-needs-harvard-or-yale|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 August 2012|access-date=12 August 2014}}</ref> The university also regularly features as one of the few non-North American universities in the [[Fiske Guide to Colleges]], an American college guide, as a 'Best Buy'.<ref>{{Cite web|title=St Andrews named Best Buy|url=https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/news/archive/2017/title,1431651,en.php|publisher=University of St Andrews}}{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Trinity College Dublin a 'Best Buy' in Fiske Guide to Colleges 2016|url=https://www.tcd.ie/globalrelations/news/20150721FiskeBestBuy.php|publisher=Trinity College Dublin|access-date=29 July 2017|archive-date=20 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820002343/https://www.tcd.ie/globalrelations/news/20150721FiskeBestBuy.php|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2025, British media dubbed St Andrews as a "mini-Nantucket" due to the concentration of wealthy American students from the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] at the university.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Frain-Bell |first1=Tilly |title=Uh oh, America’s East Coast elite have taken over sleepy St Andrews |url=https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/celebrity/article/university-st-andrews-students-americans-americanisation-rn2m3cxc5 |work=The Times |date=18 May 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Jureidini |first1=Ben |title=From Raisin Weekend to weddings: how St Andrews became the university of choice for royals |url=https://www.tatler.com/article/st-andrews-royals-kate-middleton-prince-william-lady-louise-windsor |work=Tatler |date=19 May 2025}}</ref> 

St Andrews has developed a sizable alumni presence in the United States, with over 8,000 alumni spread across all 50 states.<ref name="US Alumni">{{Cite web|title=US Alumni|url=http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/alumni/americanfoundation/|access-date=12 August 2014|archive-date=8 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808101023/http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/alumni/americanfoundation/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Most major cities host alumni clubs, the largest of which is in New York.<ref name="NY Alumni Club">{{Cite web|title=NY Alumni Club|url=http://www.alumniclubny.com/|access-date=12 August 2014|archive-date=12 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112225300/http://www.alumniclubny.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> Both London and New York also host the [[St Andrews Angels]], an alumni-led angel investment network, which centres upon the wider university communities in both the United Kingdom and United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://scotlandb2b.co.uk/2016/11/24/angel-investment-network-launches-in-nyc-to-facilitate-scottish-deals/|title=Angel investment group launches in NYC to facilitate Scottish deals|last=Parker|first=Lynda Hamilton|date=24 November 2016|website=Scotland B2B Magazine|access-date=6 December 2016|archive-date=20 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220075452/http://scotlandb2b.co.uk/2016/11/24/angel-investment-network-launches-in-nyc-to-facilitate-scottish-deals/|url-status=live}}</ref> St Andrews has also established relationships with other university alumni clubs and private membership clubs in the United States to provide alumni with social and networking opportunities. For example, alumni are eligible for membership at the [[Princeton Club of New York]], the [[Penn Club of New York City]] and the [[Algonquin Club]] in Boston.<ref name="Algonquin Club">{{Cite web|title=Algonquin Club|url=http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/alumni/relations/alumniclubs/privatemembers/algonquin/|access-date=24 January 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222203611/http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/alumni/relations/alumniclubs/privatemembers/algonquin/|archive-date=22 February 2014}}</ref><ref name="Princeton club – St Andrews">{{Cite web|title=Princeton club – St Andrews|url=http://www.princetonclub.com/standrews|access-date=3 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513144331/http://www.princetonclub.com/standrews|archive-date=13 May 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Penn Club of NYC&nbsp;— Affiliate Schools">{{Cite web|title=Affiliate Schools / Organizations|url=https://www.pennclub.org/membership/types/schools-organizations|access-date=8 October 2018|archive-date=9 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181009052758/https://www.pennclub.org/membership/types/schools-organizations|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2013, [[Hillary Clinton]], former United States Secretary of State, took part in the academic celebration marking the 600th anniversary of the founding of the University of St Andrews.<ref name="Hillary Rodham Clinton to address academic leaders in St Andrews">{{Cite news|title=Hillary Rodham Clinton to address academic leaders in St Andrews|url=http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/news/archive/2013/title,224659,en.php|access-date=13 August 2014|archive-date=3 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140803171850/http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/news/archive/2013/title,224659,en.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> Clinton received an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws and provided the graduation address, in which she said,
{{Blockquote|I do take comfort from knowing there is a long tradition of Americans being warmly welcomed here at St Andrews. Every year I learn you educate more than one thousand American students, exposing them to new ideas and perspectives as well as providing them with a first-class education. I've been proud and fortunate to hire a few St Andrews alumni over the years and I thank you for training them so well.<ref name="Graduation address&nbsp;— Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton">{{Cite news|title=Graduation address&nbsp;— Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton|url=http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/news/archive/2013/title,227124,en.php|access-date=13 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813213819/http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/news/archive/2013/title,227124,en.php|archive-date=13 August 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>}}