The universities of Oxford and Cambridge have since 1603 returned two members each to parliament; the university of Dublin has the same privilege; while London. university elects one.
The universities of Scotland, mostly founded in the 15th c., approached much more nearly to the type of Germany and the Low Countries than of England. The teaching as. well as governing body were the professors; and the college was a building for the ac commodation not of the students or fellows, but of the professors, as public lecturers. Though nearly all the students were Scotchmen, they were nevertheless divided, accord ing to continental usage, into four nations, named from the parts of Scotland to which they belonged. In St. Andrews, there were from the first the separate faculties of divinity, arts, and canon law. A pmdagoginin was erected in 1430 for the faculty of arts. In 1450, Kennedy, bishop of St. Andrews, established and endowed the college of St. Salvator, to which pope Paul II. accorded the privilege of conferring degrees in theology and the arts, constituting it to that effect a separate university. St. Leonard's college was founded in 1512, and St. Mary's in 1537, with power of conferring degrees. After the reformation, St. Mary's was restricted to the study of theology; and in 1747, St_ Salvator and St. Leonard were united. Glasgow had its lecturers in canon and civil law, and theology, from the beginning. The faculty of arts, however, alone received a definite shape and constitution; it had, as at St. Andrews, a ptedagogium; and prior to. the reformation, had nearly absorbed the university. During the reformation period, Glasgow university was nearly annihilated; but it was restored by the exertions of queen. Mary and James VI. "The university of Aberdeen, as now constituted, derives its origin from two different foundations—one, the university and King's college of Aber deen, founded in 1494 by William Elphinstone, bishop of Aberdeen, under the author ity of a papal bull obtained at the instance of king James IV. ; the other, Marischal college and university of Aberdeen, founded in 1593 by George Keith, earl 3larischal, a charter ratified by act of parliament" (Aberdeen University Calendar). By the univer sities (Scotland) act, 1858, King's and Marischal college have been incorporated into one university and college, as the university of Aberdeen—King's college being reserved for the faculties of arts and divinity, and Marischal college for law and medicine. The uni versity of Edinburgh, founded after the reformation, had bit little of the ancient uni versity character, being a professorial seminary on a royal foundation, rather than a society of graduates or students. James VI.'s charter of foundation placed it in the bands of the magistrates of the city, who remained its patrons till 1858. Besides a large number of small bursaries, there are now a few more considerable scholarships at the Scotch universities; but the endowments of this kind are still inconsiderable compared with those of the universities of England.
The Scotch universities have been much modified in various respects by a statute passed in 1858. For some time previous, there had been a growing conviction that they were not keeping pace with the intelligence of the country. The absence of sufficient preparation on the part of the students obliged the professors of languages and mathe matics to discharge inefficiently the functions of school-masters rather than their proper duties. Scholarship had declined, and a Scottish degree in arts had fallen into disre pute. These evils were sought to be cured by establishing an entrance examination, by grafting a certain amount of the tutorial on the professorial element, and by raising the standard of examination for degrees, so as to make them objects of ambition. The act. of 1858 placed the Scottish universities under the superintendence of a board of com missioners for the space of four years, who had power to carry the statutory provisions into effect. A uniform constitution was given to all the universities. each of which has
now three governing bodies, the senatus academicus, the university court, and the general council; the chief officers being the chancellor, the vice-chancellor, and the rector. The senatus academicus, composed of the principal and professors, superintends the teaching and discipline, and administers the property and revenues of the nniversily, one-third being a quorum, and the deliberations being subject to the control of the uni versity court. The principal presides, and has both a deliberative and a casting vote. The university court consists of the rector, the principal, and assessors named by the chancellor, rector, general council, and senatus academicus (in Edinburgh, the lord pro vost and an assessor elected by the town-council, are also members of the court). The rector is president, with a deliberative as well as a casting vote. The rector, and the assessor nominated by him, continue in office for 3 years; the other assessors for 4 years. The functions of this body include the reviewing of the decisions of the senatus, the regulation of the internal arrangements of the university, in conjunction with the senatus, the chancellor, and the university court; and the exercise of patronage to the chairs whose patronage was formerly in the senatus. The general council consists of the chancellor, the members of the university court, the professors, masters of arts, doctors of medicine who have attended four sessions, and all persons who, prior to Aug., 1861, produced evidence of attendance for four complete sessions, two of them being in the faculty of arts. The council meets twice a year, the chancellor, whom failing, the rector or principal, or senior professor present presiding, with a deliberative and casting vote. The duties of the council are not lenislative, but only deliberative; it may entertain any question affecting the university, and make representations regard ing them to the university court. The chancellor is elected by the general council,. and holds office for life; he appoints a vice-chancellor, who may act for him in confer ring degrees, which is his principal function. The rector is elected by the matriculated students, and holds office for 3 years. At Edinburgh the patronage of those chairs were in the gift of the town-council has been transferred to seven curators, three of them nominated by the university court, and four by the town-council. Entrance examinations have been instituted in all the universities, and assistants appointed to several of the professors, with functions somewhat analogous to those of tutors in Eng land. The degrees now conferred iu the Scotch universities are master of arts, bachelor -of divinity, bachelor of laws, bachelor of medicine, master in surgery, and doctor of medicine; besides doctor of divinity and doctor of laws, which are purely honorary. Edinburgh grants, iu addition, the degrees of bachelor of science and doctor of science, and Glasgow that of bachelor of science. The degree of bachelor of arts is not now given iu any of the universities of Scotland.
The universities of Edinburgh and St. Andrews, and the universities of Glasgow and Aberdeen, form two constituencies, each represented by one member of parliament.
See Savigny, des Romischen Rechts ire Jlittelaltcr; Bulteus, Historia Univer sitatis Parisiensis; Crevier, Histoire de l'Universite de Paris; Malden, History of Univer sities and Academical Degrees; Kirkpatrick, Historically Received Conception of a University; Huber, History of English. Universities; Wood, History and Antiquities of Oxford; Dyer; History of the University of Cambridge; Reports of Royal Cr inutissions concerning the Uni -rersities of Scotland: Report of Commissioners on. Oxford and Cambridge Universities.