The Pearl of Knowledge

The University of Glasgow was founded by Pope Nicholas V on 7 January 1451. Writing to the city’s Bishop, he desired that “by assiduous study “the pearl of knowledge would show the city the way to “live well and happily”. In its earliest years, the University was a small community of four teachers and just ten to twenty students, some as young as ten years old.

Education was limited to a select elite who studied in and spoke Latin, the shared language of scholarship across Europe. University life was also deeply religious, with scripture reading and prayer at its heart. Teachers and students would attend church together twice every Sunday and eat together at a ‘common table’, reinforcing a close-knit academic and spiritual community. 

The Vig’rous Youth Commence

From 1560 to 1690 the University underwent major change. Fundraising for new accommodation took place amid religious and political turmoil, and state-of-the-art facilities in a quadrangle layout were completed in 1690. By 1702, the “Old College” (as the University on the High Street became known) housed 400 students, with live-in accommodation for 40 and others boarding nearby. 

Official records rarely show individual students’ perspectives. Our understanding of University life comes largely from sources left by professors, which reveal their views on how a Glasgow student should live and learn. Discipline records show which activities were discouraged: snowballing, acting in public theatre and gambling all appear in Old College prohibitions. 

Reading, fencing, debating and drawing, however, were viewed as acceptable pursuits for the young gentlemen who made up the student body before 1870. The records also show differences in how students of the landed and merchant classes were treated. For example, those from wealthy families enjoyed additional privileges, such as keys to the College Garden.

A New and Splendid Edifice

Nineteenth-century Glasgow was the self-confident “second city of the Empire”, with a vibrant economic and cultural life. New educational approaches emerged to meet the challenges of the industrial age. The professors sold the Old College site to make way for the growing railway network and to fund campus expansion. They chose the fresh air of Gilmorehill in the west end to escape the city centre pollution, which had impacted University life for decades. Sir George Gilbert Scott’s “new and splendid edifice”, as it was described, was still being constructed when teaching began in 1870. In his 1927 memoir, David Murray reflected on the differences between the old and new campuses.

In the Old College era, “few students [walked] less than from four to six miles…., and in all weathers.” Murray observed that with easier access to motorised transport, many students on Gilmorehill had found new outlets for their energy in games and athletics. A new gymnasium was the first investment in the social infrastructure to meet the needs of a new generation of student.

On the High Street campus, societies dedicated to academic, social and political pursuits were well established, meeting in the many taverns and venues in the city centre. The move to Gilmorehill transformed this arrangement. New university spaces now had to accommodate teaching, meetings, public lectures and ceremonial events, leaving student societies to compete for room within an increasingly complex campus timetable. In 1885, students and alumni gathered in the Bute Hall to find a way forward. 

To Promote Social and Academic Unity

Glasgow University Students’ Representative Council first met on 9 March 1886. Its foundational aims were “to represent the Students in such matters as affect their interests, to afford a recognised means of communications between Students and the University authorities and to promote social and academic unity among the Students.”

As the University expanded, the SRC became an increasingly important voice for the student community. It organised the election of the Rector, championed student interests within the University and beyond, and steadily broadened its role to provide support services and opportunities for personal development. Both the Union and SRC were originally housed together in what is now the McIntyre Building. Its construction was supported by a sum of £5,000 gifted anonymously by Dr John McIntyre in memory of his wife, Anne.

The student community raised an additional £14,000 for improved facilities, their efforts culminating in a “Glorious Bazaar” in December 1889. In 2026, the SRC marks 140 years of student representation. Its priorities today – representation, wellbeing and opportunity – reflect the changing needs of students in a modern university. But at its heart, the SRC continues to do what it has always done: ensure that students shape the University they belong to.

Glasgow University Union: Conquering by degrees

The first members of the Glasgow University Union were enrolled in January 1890. Within a year, 653 members had joined, the majority through their societies. Members chose the Latin motto, Gradatim Vincemus: “We will Conquer by Degrees.” Upon the Union’s opening, Glasgow University Magazine noted that students expected to “have some jolly times there.” With few options for accommodation near campus, most early students travelled to Gilmorehill.

The Union quickly became essential to the student experience, offering shelter, food and a social space. It has evolved to fulfil these same functions for today’s students through its popular kitchen and bars, varied events programme and the HIVE nightclub.

In 1931, the McIntyre Building was refurbished for the Queen Margaret Union, while the “Men’s Union” moved to its present site at the foot of University Avenue.

Queen Margaret Union: “Measure life by mind, not years”

The Queen Margaret College Students’ Union was formed in 1890. Its first home was a basement in North Park House, just north of Great Western Road. Two years later, the College merged with the University to become the Women’s Department of the University of Glasgow. Its early members chose the Latin motto, Mente non Annis Numerate Vitam: “Measure Life by Mind, not Years.”

QMU membership was reserved for women until 1979. The Union created a supportive and empowering environment for women, offering opportunities for involvement in university life that were often harder to access in mixed settings. As membership increased and more courses on Gilmorehill became co-educational, new social spaces were developed.

The QMU moved several times before settling into its purpose-built home on University Gardens in 1968. From there, it went on to become a legendary music venue, famously hosting Nirvana, Queen and many other acts, both established and emerging. 

"A medium of communication for students”

Since 1889, Glasgow’s student-led media have documented campus life, shaped student culture and nurtured creative talent. Across generations, students have embraced new platforms – from print, radio and television to digital and now social media – as opportunities to communicate our stories.

Glasgow University Magazine (GUM), launched in February 1889 as “a medium of communication for students”, is the oldest student magazine in Scotland. It was joined by the Gilmorehill Globe newspaper (forerunner of the Glasgow Guardian) in 1932. Together, these publications have offered students’ perspectives on current affairs, arts and culture ever since.

Glasgow University Student Television launched in 1964, making it the world’s oldest student-run television station, and volunteer-run radio station Subcity Radio first broadcast in 1995. Today, Glasgow’s student media organisations remain independent and student-led, continuing a long tradition of student communication at the heart of campus life. 

“All forms of Athletic Exercise”

While active pursuits have always been part of university life, Glasgow University Sports Association (GUSA) has its formal origins as Glasgow University Athletic Club. Formed in 1881 with the foundational aim of promoting “all forms of Athletic Exercise”, it is the oldest of the student bodies. 

The Athletics, Boat Club, Cycling, Fives, Football, Golf and Tennis sections were established in the early years. Many more have been added in the 145 years since its formation.

Queen Margaret College Women’s Section was formally adopted in 1903. Today, the student-led approach aims to provide access to sports for everyone. There are over 50 options for all abilities to enjoy a favourite sport for physical, mental and social wellbeing. 

“To open and enlarge our minds”

Student clubs and societies have appeared, disappeared and reinvented themselves over the centuries. Some can be traced regularly, though not continuously, back to the eighteenth century. There is, for example, evidence of a Dialectic Society in 1776 and a Historical and Critical Society in 1787. 

In his autobiography, Rev. Alexander Carlyle reflects on the value of belonging to two literary clubs while studying in Glasgow between 1743 and 1745. “These societies contributed much to our improvement; and as moderation and early hours were inviolable rules of both institutions, they served to open and enlarge our minds.” 

When the SRC was formed in 1886, only 12 clubs were affiliated. Today, it has more than 300 affiliated clubs, representing a huge range of interests – from A Cappella to Zoology – with something for everyone. Explore these on the SRC website

Exhibition Videos

Student representatives reflect on the past, present and future of their organisations and the University community as a whole.

Duncan Calvert, SRC President 25/26: watch video
Students’ Representative Council President 25/26, Duncan Calvert, reflects on the SRC’s history of amplifying student voices and highlights the ways it is evolving to support the needs of today’s student community. Part of the exhibition Glasgow Makes People, University of Glasgow Library, 2026.

Angus Macdonald, GUU President 25/26: watch video
Glasgow University Union President 25/26, Angus Macdonald reflects on the words of former President Charles Kennedy: “the University gives you your degree but the Union gives you your education.” Part of the exhibition Glasgow Makes People, University of Glasgow Library, 2026.

Lucy Stobie, QMU President 25/26: watch video
Queen Margaret Union President 25/26, Lucy Stobie, reflects on the QMU’s long tradition of activism and engagement with societal issues, and the part it continues to play in Glasgow’s vibrant music scene. Part of the exhibition Glasgow Makes People, University of Glasgow Library, 2026.

Karl Kirkpatrick, GUSA president 25/26: watch video
Glasgow University Sports Association President 25/26, Karl Kirkpatrick, discusses the vital role sport plays in both physical and mental wellbeing, and his pride in the sense of community GUSA helps to foster. Part of the exhibition Glasgow Makes People, University of Glasgow Library, 2026.