The History of The University of St Andrews’ Tartan

It goes without saying that tartan plays an incredibly important role in the history of Scotland. From its roots as traditional cloth found in Scotland as early as the third century to its place on our battlefields, there is nothing more recognisably Scottish. Today, there are over 7,000 named tartans, with many families and clans claiming their own designs that enable them to proudly represent their history. At St Andrews, our tartan was created to tell the story of our town and university. 

Our tartan was designed by Kinloch Anderson, a leading supplier of Scottish traditional dress since 1868, with the design created in 2004 by alumna Deirdre Kinloch Anderson OBE (MA 1961), who is a Director at the company.

Sarah Frankland, Associate Director of Development at the University at the time, said, “We decided it was high time that Scotland’s oldest university had its own tartan and the fact that Deirdre and Douglas Kinloch Anderson are graduates meant that we knew we were getting the best.”

The design draws inspiration from the environment around St Andrews, as well as significant tartans closely linked with the area’s history. Firstly, the Kennedy tartan, featuring three evenly spaced black parallel lines, was incorporated to honour Bishop James Kennedy, who founded St Salvator’s College in 1450 and was a principal benefactor of the university. Secondly, the Earl of St Andrews tartan was woven in, using the distinctly spaced double line pattern of the official district tartan for the town, acknowledging the local area and its ties to the local nobility.

To complement these patterns, a colour palette evocative of the local area was added. This included a rich green to represent the Old Course, the world-renowned golf course known as the Home of Golf; deep blue to represent the North Sea, which has shaped the maritime history of the area; and a note of gold to symbolise the stunning rugged coastline and West Sands.

This iconic design successfully weaves together elements of the town’s academic, religious, and cultural past, ensuring that our heritage continues to be celebrated in fabric and fashion. It can now be seen across our campus, from the stage in Younger Hall, where our graduations take place, to the tartan clothing our students wear. We’re incredibly proud to have this piece of rich history and heritage available to our students, alumni, and families alike.