University History

Resources for researchers investigating the history of the University of Edinburgh, including historic alumni.

Our History

Our History is a growing online history of the University, drawing particularly on information held in our collections. This should be the first port of call for research into the University's history.

This includes a growing bibliography of published sources, some of which are available online.

UncoverED - A collaborative decolonial research project.

UncoverEd is a collaborative and decolonising research project, funded by Edinburgh Global, which aims to situate the ‘global’ status of the University of Edinburgh in its rightful imperial and colonial context. Led by PhD candidates Henry Dee and Tom Cunningham, the team of eight student researchers are creating a database of students from Africa, the Caribbean, Asia and the Americas from as early as 1700, and writing social histories of the marginalised student experience. The aim was to produce at least one biography each of a ‘notable’ alumnus, leading up to a website and exhibition in January 2019. The project encourages the University of Edinburgh’s community to reflect on its imperial past and how it played a part in Edinburgh’s status as a ‘global’ university.

Alumni - Databases

Alumni database A searchable list of students attending the University, New College and the Dick Veterinary College. Please note it is not comprehensive - the webpage provides details of subjects and years covered.

Honorary graduates database  

Famous Alumni

Alumni - Research Guides

These Research Guides provide some contextual information on the history of the University of Edinburgh. They list the Centre for Research Collection (CRC)’s main archival sources for researching historical alumni and outlines their access conditions.

Early Library Records

This Research Guide looks at the early catalogues and acquisition records, explaining content, inter-connection and some basic analysis, as well as giving some background context to them

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