Annual Report and Accounts

Senior Lay Member of Court's introduction

Janet Legrand shares her observations on the University's finances.

University of Edinburgh staff, students and alumni have responded to many of society’s most important issues this year, including the war in Ukraine, sustainability and equality. Reflecting on the last 12 months, I am confident we have learned from challenges and increased our resilience and I am proud of the many achievements our community has accomplished.

The University continues to be a world-leading institution, ranked at number 22 in the QS World University rankings. Our commitment to sustainability was also recognised; we were ranked as the top institution for sustainability in the UK and Europe in the same survey. This is the first year that the QS rankings specifically measured sustainability and the University place an impressive fourth overall globally out of 700 higher education institutions listed in the world rankings. Our vision for Strategy 2030 is to be a place of excellence and social responsibility, and these results confirm we are on track to deliver our vision.

Another key component of Strategy 2030 is to be diverse, inclusive and accessible to all. We continue to demonstrate our commitment to widening participation, once again meeting the Commission for Widening Access target of 10 per cent of our intake coming from the 20 per cent most deprived areas in Scotland. Our intake for 2022/23 represents 13.4 per cent of Scotland domiciled undergraduates, up from 10.2 per cent in 2021/22.

Our Corporate Parent Plan, introduced in 2022, adds greater depth to our widening access activities, outlining how the University will support care-experienced young people up until age 26. Developed with care-experienced and estranged students, we will deliver enhanced financial support, accommodation and other resources as part of our corporate parent duties.

Our vision for Strategy 2030 is to be a place of excellence and social responsibility, and these results confirm we are on track to deliver our vision.

Janet LegrandSenior Lay Member of Court

Despite the important progress made in these areas, I must acknowledge that industrial action by the University and College Union (UCU) affected many students, particularly the marking and assessment boycott. The University supported local and national negotiations and we are pleased that many students have now received their hard-earned results.

Elsewhere, the City Region Deal has brought innovation and investment to Edinburgh and its surrounding areas, building on its already considerable contributions to the region. It has attracted government funding well beyond targets and created employment and research opportunities in sectors such as medicine and artificial intelligence. Our integral role in the City Region Deal is a key component of the delivery of our civic responsibility, working with partners, attracting investment, fuelling entrepreneurship and delivering inclusive growth.

At a local level, our community grants scheme has also strengthened our relationship with the city region. This year, our community grants helped fund 24 projects with organisations across the Edinburgh area.

On the global stage, our partnerships with businesses and institutions are growing too, strengthening our distinctive internationalism. We have welcomed Masters students from sister institution Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, giving them a safe place to conduct research despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. We also hosted the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Times Higher Education Conference and the Universities of Sanctuary National Conference, providing a forum for important conversations about asylum and education.

We are also developing our relationship with African scholars and colleagues through our partnership with the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and our exciting new African Partnership Fund which will explore education opportunities and build research partnerships across the continent.

Reflecting on the year, we can be proud of the University’s many achievements, which demonstrate our strong values and international reputation. Looking to the future, we are in an excellent position to build on these and bring even more benefit to our city and the world as a whole.