The University of Glasgow is a public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in 1451, it is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Along with the universities of Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and St Andrews, the university was part of the Scottish Enlightenment during the 18th century. In common with universities of the pre-modern era, Glasgow originally educated students primarily from wealthy backgrounds; however, it became a pioneer in British higher education in the 19th century by also providing for the needs of students from the growing urban and commercial middle class. Glasgow University served all of these students by preparing them for professions: law, medicine, civil service, teaching, and the church. It also trained smaller but growing numbers for careers in science and engineering.

There are currently four Colleges, each containing a number of Schools. They are:

• College of Arts
• ArtsLab Glasgow
• Graduate School of the College of Arts
• School of Critical Studies
• School of Culture and Creative Arts
• School of Humanities
• School of Modern Languages and Cultures
• College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences
• School of Life Sciences
• School of Medicine (including Dentistry)
• School of Veterinary Medicine
• College of Science and Engineering
• School of Chemistry
• School of Computing Science
• James Watt School of Engineering
• School of Geographical and Earth Sciences
• School of Mathematics and Statistics
• School of Physics and Astronomy
• School of Psychology
• College of Social Sciences
• Adam Smith Business School
• School of Education
• School of Interdisciplinary Studies 
• School of Law
• School of Social and Political Sciences

The university generates a total income of over £450 million per year, amongst the top 10 in the UK. The university is a member of the Russell Group of research-led British universities and was a founding member of the organisation, Universitas 21, an international grouping of universities dedicated to setting worldwide standards for higher education. The university currently has fifteen Regius Professorships, more than in any other UK university. Unlike other universities in Scotland, Glasgow does not have a single students' association; instead, there exist a number of bodies concerned with the representation, welfare, and entertainment of its students. Due to the university's retention of its separate male and female students' unions, which since 1980 have admitted both sexes as full members, there are two independent students' unions, as well as a sports association and the students' representative council. None of these are affiliated to the National Union of Students: membership has been rejected on a number of occasions, most recently in November 2006, on both economic and political grounds. A student-run "No to NUS" campaign won a campuswide referendum with more than 90% of the vote.