The University of Stirling was founded by Royal Charter in 1967. This was the first new university in Scotland since the University of Edinburgh was founded in 1582.
In 1964 Stirling Town Council submitted a proposal (available to view at Stirling Council Archives) to the University Grants Committee (UGC) recommending “the establishment of a University in and adjacent to the Royal Burgh of Stirling”. The Town Council had previously made unsuccessful bids in both 1946 and 1960. However, in 1963 the Robbins Report, commissioned by the Government, recommended the creation of new Universities throughout Britain and that at least one of these should be in Scotland.
Stirling entered the race along with Dumfries, Inverness, Ayr, Falkirk, Perth and Cumbernauld, proposing the Airthrey Estate as the potential site. A final decision was quickly reached by the Government who approved Stirling’s proposal on 17 Jul 1964. The Town Council minutes, held in the Archives, report the Government’s decision.
The University opened its doors on 18 September 1967 with an initial intake of 164 undergraduate and 31 postgraduate students. Today the University’s intake exceeds 11,000 students and now has additional campuses in Inverness and Stornaway.
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