Sport

• Student sports clubs

  Student-led sports clubs are at the core of Saints Sport. Whilst providing a variety of levels of competition within university and national league championships, these clubs also offer recreational and social activities and welcome members of all abilities. With such a diverse range of clubs, the University of St Andrews provides opportunities to play almost any sport you can imagine.

  You can find a full list of all the University of St Andrews sports clubs.

  All of the activity within our student sports clubs is student-led, but supported by professional staff and coaches. Saints Sport offers a strong programme of training and support for student volunteers who help run sports clubs, developing skills in coaching, officiating and administration.

• Fitness

  Saints Sport offers a bustling and diverse exercise class programme led by a team of professional instructors and trainers. This programme is open to all and offers a wide variety of classes to suit all levels and abilities. Classes include Zumba, spin, kettlebells, HIIT, and yoga.

  You can find a list of the Saints Fitness classes currently running on the class timetable page.

  A team of fitness professionals provide a range of services to suit all of your health, fitness, and sporting needs, including:

  • fitness consultations, for fitness advice and help planning your exercise routine
  • personal exercise plans, which are tailor-made to suit your needs
  • personal training sessions, which can be either one-to-one or in a small group (discounts are available for block bookings)
  • strength and conditioning, to improve sports performance.

  For more information about the services offered by the Saints Fitness professionals, take a look at the fitness services page.

• Sporting excellence

  The University is committed to the pursuit of academic and sporting excellence. We identify 10 sports in particular as performance sports, each of which is supported by a full or part-time director or head coach with coaching support provided at all levels across all clubs.

  Our performance sports also benefit from a range of other support services: strength and conditioning, performance analysis, sports medicine, funding and other resources. This support provides an environment in which individual athletes and teams can fulfil their sporting aspirations through Scottish Student Sport (SSS), British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS), and other national and international competitions.

• Scholarships and bursaries

  The University supports talented individual student athletes studying at St Andrews and competing on the international stage, allowing them to excel in both their academic and sporting endeavours. Students can apply for funding to support their expenses for competition, travel and training, and get free access to the University sports facilities, strength and conditioning advice and coaching support.

  See Sports scholarships and awards for more information.

  Golf development programme
  The University also receives an annual grant from the R&A to part-fund a golf development programme for talented golfers, which sees our golfers travelling all over the world to compete. The programme is open to any matriculated student who reaches the required standard.

• Academic flexibility

  Academic flexibility provides the opportunity for students to excel both in their chosen sport and more importantly in their academic studies. It provides a context for the University to make an informed decision on whether flexibility should be granted to allow student participation in significant sporting events.

  Eligibility criteria

  As well as meeting the criteria outlined below, students have to be seen to be excellent students who have a good relationship with their relevant School; have an excellent attendance record for classes, labs and tutorials; meet deadlines and provide a quality of work that reflects their capabilities throughout the academic year.

  Students who meet one or more of the following criteria are eligible to apply for academic flexibility:

  • representing your country at an international, national or national age grade level
  • representing the University in British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Premier League or Tier 1A league programme
  • representing the University in a BUCS Championship or Trophy knockout fixture
  • representing the University in a BUCS, Scottish Student Sport (SSS) or equivalent national championship
  • being a member of a University sports club first team squad
  • representing the University in a BUCS or SSS fixture that has a significant impact on promotion or relegation
  • a Saints Sport supported athlete
  • a Saints Sport Golf Bursar or Scholar.

• Volunteering

  Saints Sport prides itself on the vast array of volunteering opportunities available to students at St Andrews. The University is such a big part of the town that all of our sports clubs are tasked with undertaking outreach activities and giving something back to the local community.

  We also offer students the opportunity to volunteer on activities within Saints Sport. Volunteer opportunities include:

  • working with pre-school and primary school-aged children on the Junior Saints programme
  • working with the Youth Sport Trust to learn how to run and facilitate a national conference for sports leaders
  • spending six to eight weeks during the summer coaching children from schools and townships in Zambia and South Africa.

  Find out about volunteering in Zambia.