Facts and Figures

See below for some quick facts and figures about Queen Margaret University. From this page, you can also access our Statement of Accounts and our Strategic Plan.

Rankings

National Student Survey 2024

Results from the National Student Survey (NSS) 2024, one of the largest student surveys in the world, showed that 72.66% of students at QMU are satisfied overall with the quality of their course, with several courses achieving 100% or very high overall satisfaction. In the same survey, Queen Margaret University's Students' Union (QMUSU) is ranked top in Scotland for its representation of students’ academic interests.

There is 100% overall satisfaction with our undergraduate Master of Nursing course.
There is 93.8% overall satisfaction with our BA (Hons) Drama
There is 91.4% overall satisfaction with our BSc (Hons) Nursing
There is 90% overall satisfaction with our BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy
There is 90% overall satisfaction with our undergraduate Master of Diagnostic Radiography

Other rankings

We were one of the top five highest climbers in the Guardian University Guide 2024. Within that league table, we are:

1^st amongst UK and Scottish higher education institutions for Paramedic Science
1st in Scotland and 9^th in the UK for Drama
In the top 3 of Scottish higher education institutions and 6th in the UK for Nursing
In the top 3 of Scottish higher education institutions for Nutrition & Food Science
In the top 4 of Scottish higher education institutions for Hospitality, Event Management & Tourism
In the top 6 of Scottish higher education institutions for Media
In the top 10 of Scottish higher education institutions for Business & Management

In the Daily Mail University Guide, published in 2023, we are ranked as:

In the top 2 of Scottish higher education institutions for first generation students
8th top small university in the UK

In the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024, we are:

Ranked in the top 5 universities in the UK for social inclusion
In the top 20 in the UK for entry standards (UCAS points)
In the top 40 in the UK for satisfaction with teaching quality
In the top 50 in the UK for the wider undergraduate experience
In the top 50 in the UK for first/2:1s
2^nd top in the UK and 2^nd top in Scotland for Radiography
5^th top in the UK for Physiotherapy
8^th in Scotland for Business
17^th in the UK for Nursing

In the Complete University Guide 2025, we are ranked:

1^st of UK universities for graduate prospects in Nursing and Midwifery
1^st of UK universities for graduate prospects in Physiotherapy, and 2^nd in the UK for student satisfaction in that subject
in the top 3 of Scottish universities for student satisfaction in Business and Management Studies
in the top 5 of UK universities for Complementary Medicine
in the top 6 of UK universities for Counselling, Psychotherapy and Occupational Therapy and 1^st for graduate prospects in this subject area

In the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2024 (WUSCA) we are ranked top in Scotland for Career Prospects; 2nd in Student Support and for our University Halls, and third for our Students' Union.

Student Statistics (22/23 academic year)

10198 students (including 3636 studying via our partners overseas)
45.6% are from Scotland;
6.6% are from the UK outside of Scotland;
35.2% are from the EU;
12.6% are international (non EU).

Graduate Employability

We are in top 5 of Scottish universities for the number of graduates in full-time employment 15 months after they have graduated. (Graduate Outcome Statistics 2021/2 published by HESA in 2024).

Research Excellence

REF 2021 (the system of assessing, through peer review, the quality of research in UK higher education institutions) showed that:

QMU has world-leading or internationally excellent research in every one of the seven REF 2021 ‘units of assessment’ to which we submitted research.
100% of our research impact in Communications, Cultural and Media Studies was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent
100% of our research impact in Nursing and the Allied Health Professions was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent.
75% of our research impact in Speech and Language Science was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent.
75% of our research impact in Global Health and Development was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent.
50% of our research impact in Business and Management Studies was as rated internationally excellent.
50% of our research impact in Psychology was rated as world-leading.

Fostering Innovation

We have hosted 100 graduate start-ups in our on-campus Business Innovation Zone

We are the 1st Scottish university to host a Business Gateway on campus

Staff and Financial Statistics

QMU staff (as of December 2023)

334 Academic
263 Professional Services
69% Female
31% Male
8.5% have an ethnic minority background

Income (2021-22)

Total income: £48.3m

Sources of income (2021-22)

Scottish Funding Council: £21.6m (44.7%)
Student tuition fees: £17.1m (35.4%)
Research grants and contracts: £2.8m (5.8%)
Other income: £6.8m (14.1%)

Other Interesting Facts

We were established in 1875. Throughout our history, we have focused on serving the community and improving the quality of life through education and research which is relevant to society’s needs.
We offer the broadest range of allied health professional degrees in Scotland including nursing, dietetics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry, radiography, audiology, art psychotherapy, music therapy, and speech and language therapy.
We have won the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for our work in speech science.
Through collaborative agreements, students are studying for our degrees in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Greece, Egypt and other countries.

Some of our Alumni

Ashley Jensen, actor (US hit TV series ‘Ugly Betty’)
Edith Bowman, Scottish music critic, radio DJ and TV presenter (BBC Radio 1)
Kevin McKidd, actor (‘Trainspotting’, TV hit series ‘Rome’, Grey’s Anatomy’)
Michael Matheson, MSP
Shirley-Anne Somerville, MSP and Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice in the Scottish Government
Matt Baker, TV presenter (formerly ‘Blue Peter’, currently ‘The One Show’ and ‘Countryfile’)
Dame Louise Martin, (Immediate) Past President of the Commonwealth Games Federation
Dr James Robson MBE, former Team Doctor and Chief Medical Officer for the Scotland national rugby team

Read our alumni (and current student) case studies

Economic Impact

According to research by the University of Strathclyde, QMU is worth £77 million to the economy (2009)
Employment attributable to the University represents 3% of all East Lothian employment
Students from outside Scotland who come to study at QMU generate an estimated £11 of economic output each year

Our Strategic Plan

Our Strategic Plan 2020-2025 demonstrates how we will contribute to society’s recovery and recalibration following COVID-19. It sets out how we will help create a better society through teaching, learning and innovation. It shows how we will nurture our distinctive person-centred approach to learning, and how we will build on our unique academic portfolio. Promoting creativity, agility, resilience and collaboration, the strategy holds true to the ethos of social justice on which this institution was founded.

Find out more about our strategy in our Strategic Plan

Annual Accounts

Find our Annual Accounts in the Finance section of our website