University of the West of Scotland

University of the West of Scotland

Oilthigh na h-Alba an Iar
Coat of Arms of the University of the West of Scotland
Former names	University of Paisley Bell College
Motto	Latin: Doctrina Prosperitas
Motto in English	Learning is success
Type	Public university
Established	1897 (as Paisley College of Technology) 1992 (granted university status) 2007 (renamed to UWS)
Chancellor	Yekemi Otaru
Principal	Professor James A Miller FRSE
Chairman of the Court	Kate Allum
Administrative staff	1,300
Students	19,555 (2022/23)[1]
Undergraduates	12,950 (2022/23)[1]
Postgraduates	6,605 (2022/23)[1]
Location	4 in Scotland Paisley, Hamilton, Dumfries and Ayr 1 in England London
Colours
Affiliations	Million+ Scottish Universities Physics Alliance Universities UK EUA
Website	uws.ac.uk

The University of the West of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Oilthigh na h-Alba an Iar), formerly the University of Paisley, is a public university with four campuses in south-western Scotland, in the towns of Paisley, Blantyre, Dumfries and Ayr, as well as a campus in London, England. The present institution dates from August 2007, following the merger of the University of Paisley with Bell College, Hamilton. It can trace its roots to the late 19th century, and has undergone numerous name changes and mergers over the last century, reflecting its gradual expansion throughout the west of Scotland region.^[2]

The university currently has 16,105 students, with approximately 1300 staff, spread across four schools of learning. The Crichton Campus in Dumfries is maintained in partnership with a number of other institutions, including the University of Glasgow.^[3]