Our History

The University is founded by William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen and Chancellor of Scotland, with the ambition “...to found a university, which would be open to all and dedicated to the pursuit of truth in the service of others”. King's College becomes the UK's fifth university, welcoming its first students in 1505.

Marischal College is founded. Its original medieval buildings are mostly replaced in the 1830s, and in 1906 the construction of its iconic façade make it the second-largest granite building in the world. While teaching stops there in the early years of the 21st century, it remains one of Aberdeen's most iconic buildings.

Construction begins on the building now known as the Cromwell Tower. Situated in the northeast corner of the King's College quad, the building is initially used as student accommodation before being converted for teaching. In 1826 it becomes the home of a notable dedicated astronomical observatory. In the 1860s an electrical clock regulated by the stars is housed here, bringing accurate time to Aberdeen. Until 1947 it is also a key station for the national meteorological network.

King's College and Marischal College merge to form the University of Aberdeen. Initially, arts and divinity are taught at King's and law and medicine at Marischal.

Anne Cruickshank gifts 11 acres of land in Old Aberdeen to the University for the establishment of a botanic garden in memory of her brother, Dr Alexander Cruickshank. Today, the Cruickshank Botanic Garden is home to several thousand types of plants and trees, and is still used for research, teaching and relaxation. Garden highlights include an alpine lawn, rock garden, arboretum, water gardens, sunken garden, herbaceous borders, a rose garden and shrub borders.

The New King's building opens, becoming the first of Old Aberdeen's academic buildings to be constructed outwith King's College and signifying the beginning of the University's exponential expansion in the 20th Century. The requirement for expanded teaching space is partly a result of the University opening all Faculties to women in 1894.

The construction of Elphinstone Hall in 1930 completes the University's second quad, enclosing Elphinstone Lawn, to this day an attractive and popular place for students to sit and enjoy the sunshine on brighter days.

The University of Aberdeen Medical School begins operations at Foresterhill, completing the core of the integrated teaching and hospital campus. Foresterhill goes on to become one of the largest hospital sites in Europe.

In 1980, the world's first full-body MRI scan takes place there in the University's Biomedical Physics laboratory; the pioneering Mark 1 MRI scanner can still be viewed in the Suttie Arts Space at the hospital today.

The University opens its dedicated Chemistry Building, later renamed the Meston Building after Baron Meston of Agra and Dunnottar. It is significantly extended in 1968. Alongside the Natural Philosophy Building constructed exactly opposite in 1963, later renamed in honour of University Principal Fraser Noble, and the Zoology Building, opened in 1970, this represents a major expansion of the University's science teaching and research capacity.

The Institute of Medical Sciences at the Foresterhill campus is completed. The custom-built Institute provides state-of-the-art facilities for medical researchers and their students. Six years on, the Suttie Centre, the new training centre at the heart of the academic and hospital campus opens for the modern teaching of anatomy linked to other medically-related sciences.

The University's first class sports and leisure facilities are further boosted by the opening of the newly developed Aberdeen Sports Village, a £28 million Olympic standard sports centre highlighting the University's commitment to sustaining sporting excellence.

Later, in 2014, the adjacent Aquatics Centre opens. The centre provides a first class training and competition venue for elite athletes and offers a community facility that encourages participation in water-based activities at all ages and abilities. The world-class facility includes a 50-metre, 10 lane Olympic-standard swimming pool, an international-standard diving pool with moveable floor, and a health suite.

The University's brand new £57 million Sir Duncan Rice Library opens to students and the wider community. The library wins several prestigious architecture and design awards and is established as a major intellectual and cultural learning centre for students in the 21st century.

The University of Aberdeen proudly becomes the first UK University to operate on a dedicated campus in Doha, Qatar. AFG (Al Faleh Group) College with the University of Aberdeen is a unique partnership between Al Faleh Educational Holding and the University of Aberdeen and opens its doors in September 2017.

The University of Aberdeen's new £35 million Science Teaching Hub is officially opened by renowned scientist and broadcaster Professor Chris Jackson.

The 73,194 sq ft facility provides teaching and laboratory space over three floors and a central atrium which has been designed to inspire collaboration between the chemistry, medical sciences, biological sciences and geosciences students who study there.

The University of Aberdeen makes an admissions call to all aspiring students in India to its new branch campus in Mumbai after Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Edwards sign a Joint Venture agreement with a leading India-based education provider in the country on Tuesday 13 January 2026.