Feature
Celebrating 150 years of university classes in Dundee
2025 marks the 150th anniversary of the first university classes in Dundee - the first stage in the eventual foundation of University College.
Published on 20 November 2025
The Albert Institute, later McManus Museum and Galleries, where the Principal of St Andrews delivered an address in 1875.
Early steps towards university education in Dundee
In the 19th century, Dundee was a booming city. It had grown rapidly thanks to the jute industry, and by the 1870s, the city's leaders were increasingly vocal about the need for an institution of higher education. Since at least the time of the British Association's Annual Meeting in 1867, held in Dundee's Albert Institute, there had been a feeling that the city should have its own university-level institution. One of the strongest advocates was Dr John Boyd Baxter, who would ultimately co-found University College, Dundee.
Several ideas were floated, including an Institute of Adult Education managed by the University of St Andrews and a University School of Medicine. At the same time St Andrews itself was struggling, and some suggested it should relocate to Dundee or at least move some of its classes to Dundee. This was resisted by many in St Andrews and by some in Dundee who argued that any Dundee institution should be independent.
A first outline proposal for a Dundee college appeared in 1874 and the appetite for higher learning was tested through a series of St Andrews "university extension" lectures delivered in Dundee during 1875–76.
The first university classes in Dundee
The Dundee Courier and Argus showed great interest in these developments from the start, announcing with pleasure on 26 October 1875 that a scheme for university classes in Dundee, which had "been so long in the air" was at last to be realised. The classes, taught by professors from St Andrews, were to include geology and physical geography (Dr Alleyne Nicholson), chemistry (Dr Heddle), physiology (Dr Pettigrew), and Saturday lectures on literature and philosophy (Principals Tulloch and Shairp).
These classes were taught in the High School of Dundee, and attracted a significant number of women, several of whom achieved the highest marks in the exams. Their success may have been a factor in the determination a few years later that, unlike St Andrews and other Scottish universities at the time, University College, Dundee was to admit students of both sexes on the same terms.
Arbroath Guide, published 18 December 1875
How we became the University of Dundee
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Meeting of the British Association in Dundee's Albert Institute (now the McManus Museum and Galleries)
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A first outline proposal for a Dundee college
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St Andrews University delivered "extension" lectures in Dundee.
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Mary Ann Baxter and John Boyd Baxter donate £140,000 to establish a college in Dundee.
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William Peterson becomes the first Principal of University College Dundee.
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Ordinances affiliate University College Dundee with the University of St Andrews and establish a Faculty of Medicine.
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Relations between St Andrews and UCD become increasingly strained.
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The Tedder Royal Commission proposes a single university with two colleges
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Queen’s College is created as part of the University of St Andrews.
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Expansion of subjects, buildings, and student numbers at Queen’s College.
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Robbins Report recommends expansion of higher education for all who qualify.
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Principal Sir Malcolm Knox proposes Queen’s College should become an independent university.
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The University of Dundee is formally established by Royal Charter and HM The Queen Mother becomes the first Chancellor.
