A-Z OF UNIVERSITIES: Edinburgh

Age: 414. Address: Bang in the middle of one of northern Europe's most handsome cities, with a modern science and engineering campus two miles to the south.

Ambience: Great place for students and academics because it seethes with history and culture - mansions, abbeys, cathedral, museums, cinemas, theatres and watering holes, as well as the Edinburgh Festival and a socking great castle. The main residential campus is 20 minutes' walk from university precincts.

Vital statistics: Scotland's leading university, and one of the unofficial Ivy League of UK institutions. A powerhouse for research, particularly in the sciences. Famous for medicine and for taking high achievers/posh students, many of whom hail from south of the Border. A big centre for what is known as "informatics", with one of Europe's best campus-based computer networks and its most powerful supercomputer. All 17,000 students have their own e-mail address.

Easy to get into? Nope. AAAAB at Highers (AAB at A level) for medicine. Similar high grades required for English. But many arts subjects accept entrants with BBBB at Highers (BBB at A level) and grades for science/engineering are lower still: BBBC at Highers (CCD at A level).

Added value: Good student services, including part-time jobs for students. Firbush Point field centre on Loch Tayside for mountain and water sports. Easy access to the Scottish countryside and coast, rolling hills, mountains and islands.

Glittering alumni: Gordon Brown, our new prudent Chancellor of the Exchequer; Robin Cook, new Foreign Secretary, who is said not to see eye to eye with prudent Gordon; Malcolm Rifkind, former foreign secretary, who lost his seat in the election; Kirsty Wark of BBC's Newsnight programme; Sheila McKechnie, director of the Consumers Association; Stella Rimington, former head of MI5; Sir David Steel; David Hume, philosopher; Peter Roget, of Thesaurus fame; Sir Walter Scott; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Transport links: A hub for main-line rail and coach services. Good national and international links via Edinburgh airport, which is eight miles away.

Who's the boss? Aberdonian former vice-chancellor of the University of London, Sir Stewart Sutherland. He also used to occupy the hot seat of chief inspector of schools for England and Wales, where he was more popular than the present incumbent.

Teaching ratings: Almost without exception, excellent or highly satisfactory.

Research: Came 12th, tied with Sussex, in the research assessment exercise. Achieved top grade 5 in hospital-based clinical subjects, biological sciences, agriculture, chemistry, physics, earth sciences, pure maths, computer science, sociology, accounting, economic and social history and theology. Went one better in electrical and electronic engineering and geography, where it scored a 5*.

Financial health: Claims to be sound after restructuring in the early Nineties.

Night-life: Great range of pubs, plus rock nights and the biggest disco light rig in Scotland, held in the union houses.

Cheap to live in? Not the cheapest.

Buzz word: pished (Scottish for drunk).

Next week: Essex.