Academic Index Last updated: June 23, 2026

18 Best Universities in Scotland for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

If you are looking to study Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in Scotland, our index highlights the top 18 domain-leading institutions. To determine these leaders, we isolated 395.4K specialized research publications which collectively generated 12.35M citations. This targeted approach bypasses general university reputation, directly revealing the strongest programs.

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1

Edinburgh

University of Edinburgh

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#4 in United Kingdom #5 in Europe

51% Acceptance

24,409 Enrollment

1583 Founded

2

Glasgow

University of Glasgow

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#14 in United Kingdom #22 in Europe

48% Acceptance

28,693 Enrollment

1451 Founded

3

Aberdeen

University of Aberdeen

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#28 in United Kingdom #82 in Europe

38% Acceptance

24,409 Enrollment

1495 Founded

4

St Andrews

University of St Andrews

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#31 in United Kingdom #101 in Europe

33% Acceptance

10,425 Enrollment

1413 Founded

5

Glasgow

University of Strathclyde

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#38 in United Kingdom #166 in Europe

47% Acceptance

18,857 Enrollment

1964 Founded

6

Stirling

University of Stirling

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#44 in United Kingdom #181 in Europe

11% Acceptance

14,000 Enrollment

1967 Founded

7

Dundee

University of Dundee

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#46 in United Kingdom #185 in Europe

49% Acceptance

28,693 Enrollment

1967 Founded

8

Edinburgh

Heriot-Watt University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#79 in United Kingdom #354 in Europe

51% Acceptance

19,449 Enrollment

1966 Founded

9

Glasgow

Glasgow Caledonian University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#81 in United Kingdom #384 in Europe

70% Acceptance

19,290 Enrollment

1993 Founded

10

Edinburgh

Edinburgh Napier University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#90 in United Kingdom #439 in Europe

60% Acceptance

15,555 Enrollment

1992 Founded

11

Paisley

University of the West of Scotland

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#94 in United Kingdom #498 in Europe

78% Acceptance

15,555 Enrollment

1897 Founded

12

Aberdeen

Robert Gordon University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#98 in United Kingdom #525 in Europe

73% Acceptance

15,555 Enrollment

1992 Founded

13

Edinburgh

Queen Margaret University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#105 in United Kingdom #615 in Europe

73% Acceptance

10,798 Enrollment

2007 Founded

14

Dundee

Abertay University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#118 in United Kingdom #781 in Europe

70% Acceptance

15,555 Enrollment

1994 Founded

15

Edinburgh

Scotland’s Rural College

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#124 in United Kingdom #864 in Europe

79% Acceptance

6,000 Enrollment

2012 Founded

16

Inverness

University of the Highlands and Islands

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#127 in United Kingdom #920 in Europe

86% Acceptance

14,000 Enrollment

2011 Founded

17

Glasgow

Glasgow School of Art

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#138 in United Kingdom #1148 in Europe

11% Acceptance

1,500 Enrollment

1845 Founded

18

Glasgow

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#146 in United Kingdom #1361 in Europe

31% Acceptance

1,000 Enrollment

1993 Founded