University prizes, awards and medals

The University encourages students to participate in extracurricular activities that enrich the life of the University, contribute to the broader community, and foster personal and professional growth.

Prizes

The University recognises academic and non-academic achievements with various prizes, including:

• Principal’s Medal: for exceptional endeavour and achievement
• Miller Prize: for the most distinguished student in the Arts and Science faculties
• Bell Prize: for the runner-up to the Miller Prize in the Faculty of Arts
• McEuen Drama Rose Bowl Prize: for outstanding contributions to student drama
• Malcolm Edwards Prize: for excellence in design, stage management, or production in drama
• Cedric Thorpe Davie Memorial Award: for outstanding contributions to musical drama
• Chaplaincy Prize: for exceptional creative work on themes of faith and spirituality

Deans’ List award

The Deans’ List, promoted by the Deans of the University, is given every year to students in recognition of academic excellence.

This prestigious award:

• highlights the outstanding achievements of students
• is a mark of distinction on the University student transcript, valued by employers and educational institutions worldwide
• celebrates the excellence and ambition of the University’s highest achievers

Students are encouraged to strive for this honour, which will be officially recorded on their transcript. Selection is final, with no right of appeal.

The Deans’ List is awarded after module results are reported in January, June, August and September of each academic year. If a module result is reported outside these periods, the award will be deferred to the next reporting cycle.

Students selected for the Deans’ List will receive a formal letter from the Dean of their Faculty:

• Arts or Divinity, or both
• Medicine
• Science

Deans’ List eligibility and criteria

To be considered for the Deans’ List, all students must:

• achieve a credit-weighted mean grade of 16.5 or above in an academic year (S-coded results can be excluded from the grade calculation)
• meet specific conditions depending on their level of study

Undergraduate students must:

• be studying full-time, part-time, or visiting on graduating or non-graduating courses, except foundation, pre-sessional programmes, summer schools and living languages programmes
• have obtained credits in the Faculties of St Andrews or through approved Study Abroad or Industrial Placement schemes. Credits earned through Work and Industrial Year Abroad (WIYA) or Collaborative Degree Programmes are not eligible
• complete a minimum of 20 credits in the academic year

Taught postgraduate students must:

• be enrolled in full-time or part-time taught postgraduate programmes (for example, Graduate Diploma, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma and Taught Masters) or research programmes with at least 120 taught credits (for example, Master of Philosophy and Master of Fine Arts)
• complete a minimum of 20 credits in the academic year

Postgraduate Research students must:

• be enrolled in full-time or part-time research programmes with at least 120 taught credits (for example, Master of Philosophy and Master of Fine Arts)
• successfully complete their intended degree or a higher award

Students completing a lower (exit) award are not eligible.

Disqualification

Undergraduate, postgraduate taught and research students will be disqualified when they:

• obtain a grade of ‘0 XC’
• fail any module, unless the failure is S-coded (special circumstances)

Department and School prizes and awards

University Schools and Departments offer a variety of academic and non-academic prizes each year. These awards are often competitive and based on specific eligibility criteria.

The student’s prizes and achievements will appear in the following student documents:

• Online student record card
• Official transcript
• Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) – this may include all prizes which are gained by merit and can be verified

This ensures that a student’s academic and extracurricular successes are effectively recorded and visible to future employers or educational institutions.

Class medals

Class medals are awarded to students for outstanding academic achievements.

Final-year students

The Graduation Office orders the medals after confirming the students’ eligibility, before graduation.

Medals are sent by post (special delivery). Typically, students receive their medals a few weeks after graduation.

First, second and third-year students

The Graduation Office orders the medals in August and will notify students when their medals are ready for collection from reception at College Gate on North Street.