The
ancient universities of Scotland are
medieval and renaissance universities which continue to exist in the present day. The majority of the
ancient universities of the
British Isles are located within
Scotland, and have a number of distinctive features in common, being governed by a series of measures laid down in the
Universities (Scotland) Acts 1858–1966. The
Universities (Scotland) Act 1966 uses the term 'older universities' to refer to St Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. The same act provided for the independence from St Andrews of Dundee, which was then granted a similar form of governance under its
royal charter.