British universities

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British universities and the British higher education system are sometimes very different from those of continental European countries.

The oldest institutions are Cambridge University, founded in the 13th century, and St Andrews University in Scotland, founded in the 14th century . No other universities were founded in England until the 19th century. The list of Ancient Universities therefore mainly includes Scottish universities:

The college system is characteristic of the English universities : You are primarily a member of a college, and thus a member of the university.

The Scottish universities (St Andrews, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh) are ecclesiastical foundations ( exception : Edinburgh, municipal foundations), there is no college system in them, although some colleges are incorporated and these have a special character (examples: St Mary's in St Andrews and New College in Edinburgh (both faculties of theology ). While there were only two universities in England until the 19th century, Scotland already had four universities where access to degrees was open to all men.

The University of London , founded in 1836, is a structure of its own: On the one hand, it comprises colleges (Listed Bodies) that prepare for a degree from the University of London, on the other hand, institutions with their own examination rights (Recognized Bodies), including world-famous ones such as the London School of Economics and Political Science . The impetus for founding the University of London was, among other things, the insistence of Oxford and Cambridge on a theological examination, which until 1875 was a requirement for graduation to the Master of Arts and which de facto excluded Jews and dissenters from higher studies.

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