‘It’s like the Scottish Upper East Side’: Shame and snobbery as US students blame St Andrews for classism | University of St Andrews

WWhen Sophie Rose Jenkins announced she would not be returning to the University of St Andrews this academic year due to her experiences of classism on campus, she didn’t expect much of a response. But in the two weeks since he posted his story on LinkedIn, it resonated with hundreds of others.

“Working-class students were made to feel ashamed of their home lives in college,” the former comparative literature and classical studies major wrote in a lengthy article. “Coming into a university ranked number one in the UK at the time and coming from a background like mine, I thought I was doing everything right.

“I don’t want this to be a sad story but an explanation. I recognize the privilege of access to higher education, but I am also brutally aware of the hidden privilege of having barrier-free access to degree study. There is a deep divide between the two, and it is never addressed.”

For many who responded, his comments spoke of growing tension at St Andrews, driven by the funding model of Scotland’s cash-strapped universities. Places reserved for Scottish students, who study for free, are capped by the Scottish Government and make up around 30% of students at St Andrews. Maintenance loans and grants cover basic costs, but people from low-income families often find themselves with less disposable income than their contemporaries – including wealthy international students who pay much higher tuition fees.

St Andrews, ranked second in the Guardian university rankings for 2026, is home to one of the UK’s highest percentages of privately educated students. The British aristocracy have long loved the medieval town’s cobbled streets, windswept beach and grand stone buildings: Prince William and Princess of Wales met there.

But the recent influx of wealthy American students has changed the dynamic on campus, students say. Americans make up around a fifth of undergraduates at St Andrews, the highest proportion in the UK, with each paying £33,250 for this academic year, more than three times what British students pay.

“My parents were worried about me coming here. They didn’t want me to be left out,” said a Scottish student on a scholarship to study classics. “Most of the people I’ve met are international students. I didn’t grow up with a lot of money. Maybe they’re a little ignorant about how much things cost.”

Another said: “There’s a Pret here. You have to wonder why it’s in such a small town.”

Some students say that certain aspects of fraternity and sorority culture have begun to blend into the upper-class British university experience. Regular black-tie dinners and balls now face competition from fashion shows and exclusive companies. Just a few steps from the student union bar, an interior design boutique offers luxury bedding for students, while a popular cafe sells designer clothing and candles as well as specialty matchas.

“I completely understand his (Jenkins’) point of view,” said a private student from Edinburgh, returning from hockey practice with friends. “It can be quite segregated: the English hang out with the English, the Americans with the Americans. We already knew a lot of people from hockey so it’s easy to feel excluded if you’re not from that background.

“American culture is coming and it’s influencing everything a lot right now. They’re competing with each other. If you look at the way they dress, people are coming to classes like they’re going out at night.”

One student referred to a well-known student newspaper article published last year about how St Andrews had become Scotland’s Upper East Side, which said: “Our beloved Scottish town is being transformed by the day into a microcosm of the elite world of Manhattan; with intrigues, privileges and secrets spreading like wildfire. »

Underscoring this point, an American student walks past the student union and loudly explains to a friend: “Everyone will think you’re rich if you have a Ralph Lauren bag. But that doesn’t make you rich.”

St Andrews said she reached out to Jenkins to better understand her experience, but she decided not to engage at this time. He said he has a robust system for reporting student complaints, and that only a handful of complaints have been filed in the past five years.

“Yes, some students arrive here at St Andrews, as at every other university, with immature, offensive and classist views. But they tend not to leave with them,” said deputy principal Niall Scott.

“This is not a St Andrews problem, it is a societal problem. Classism starts at home or at school, not at university. Universities like St Andrews have a crucial role to play in challenging these attitudes by bringing together people from different backgrounds, cultures and perspectives, encouraging understanding, respect and inclusion.”

The debate around classism in Scottish universities is not new. In 2024, the University of Edinburgh offered advice on how students should treat each other after allegations of discrimination and classism rose. “Don’t be a snob!” » read the advice given to students. At St Andrews, some students said the issue of classism was not just about the increase in American student numbers.

“It’s usually a question of attitude. There’s an idea that working-class students can’t talk about issues happening elsewhere in the world because they don’t travel much,” said one science student. “In St Andrews, even for the moderately wealthy, it feels like there’s a level of old money above which you can’t even speak.”

Rasmus, a Danish student, said he was perplexed by the social dynamics at the university.

“It took me two weeks to meet a Scot. They are surrounded by people here who have money to pay international tuition fees, which is quite limited. I imagine it’s quite a difficult experience,” he said.