The University of Edinburgh has a distinguished 400 year history. It has a world-wide reputation for excellence in research and teaching in a very wide range of traditional, high-tech and professional disciplines. In the context of the international jobs market, it offers one of the widest ranges of foreign language courses in the UK, including all the official EC languages. It also has a renowned medical faculty.

Heriot-Watt University is renowned for its science and engineering faculties, particularly in the fields of offshore and petroleum engineering, physics and information technology. The University also has a strong business school and awards degrees in art and design, environmental studies and textiles in association with Edinburgh College of Art and the Scottish College of Textiles.

Napier University has particular expertise in business information technology, computer-aided engineering, industrial design, polymer engineering and transportation engineering.

Queen Margaret College is another university-sector institution which offers a wide range of health care professional courses and is a major provider of theatre arts, business management and courses of special relevance to the food, hospitality and retail industries.