Heriot-Watt University
Coat of Arms | |
| Motto | Leaders in ideas and solutions |
|---|---|
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1821 – School of Arts of Edinburgh 1852 – Watt Institution and School of Arts 1885 – Heriot-Watt College 1966 – university by Royal Charter |
| Endowment | £12.2 million (2023) |
| Budget | £259.5 million (2022/23) |
| Chancellor | Vacant |
| Principal | Richard Williams |
Academic staff | 925 Scotland based (2023) |
Administrative staff | 1,737 |
| Students | Global: 31,000 Edinburgh: 10,665 (2023/24) |
| Undergraduates | Edinburgh: 7,150 (2023/24) |
| Postgraduates | Edinburgh: 3,515 (2023/24) |
| Location | , Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Other campus locations | Scottish Borders Orkney Dubai Malaysia |
| Affiliations | Association of Commonwealth Universities Universities Scotland Universities UK |
| Website | www |
Heriot-Watt University (Scottish Gaelic: Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and was subsequently granted university status by royal charter in 1966. It is the eighth-oldest higher education institution in the United Kingdom. The name Heriot-Watt was taken from Scottish inventor James Watt and Scottish philanthropist and goldsmith George Heriot.
The annual income of the institution for 2022–23 was £259.5 million of which £33 million was from research grants and contracts, with an expenditure of £266.7 million. Known for its focus on science as well as engineering, it is one of the 23 colleges that were granted university status in the 1960s, and it is sometimes considered a plate glass university, like Lancaster and Warwick.
The university has three campuses in Scotland and one each in the UAE and Malaysia.