Novelist Iain Banks, poet Jackie Kay and food critic Grace Dent are among the best known graduates of University of Stirling.
Though it’s one of the new kids on the block in Scottish university terms, Stirling has seen a great many remarkable people walk through its doors to study since its establishment in 1967.
They might not all be household names, but these alumni have gone on to do extraordinary things.
Here are some notable former Stirling University students you might not (but should) know about.
Kirsty Wark
Believe it or not, Scottish journalist and presenter Kirsty Wark began studying fine art at the University of Stirling in 1972, when she was 17 years old.
In 1997, she told The Independent the Queen came to campus during the same year and student protests took place because “there had been rent increases for students but a lot of money had been spent on the Queen’s visit”.
Kirsty changed her university and course a year later, moving to Edinburgh to undertake an Honours degree in Scottish studies.
Jonathon Fletcher
Long before Google, Jonathon Fletcher invented the world’s first online search engine, in a computer lab on Stirling University campus.
He had already graduated the year before, 1992, with a BSc in computing science.
Though his early project didn’t work out, it paved the way for the search engines that came after.
He is now often acknowledged as the father of the web search engine.
Greg McHugh
Perhaps better known to some as Gary: Tank Commander, Greg McHugh began acting as a teenager but says he was advised to go to university before properly starting his career.
His original plan was to do sport studies at Stirling University, but he didn’t enjoy the course as much as he expected and switched to business studies.
In 2016, he told The Scotsman that his degree course helped him to sharpen his comedy scriptwriting skills.
He said: “In business reports you’re summarising and in sitcom you’re trying to be funny in the shortest amount of words. So they’re both about structure.”
In the past, the comedian has also suggested the unforgettable character of Gary may have been based on “a guy who sold pizzas” at Stirling Uni, though he says he took inspiration from lots of people.
Fiona McIntyre
Now managing director at the Scottish Women’s Premier League, Fiona McIntyre studied sports studies and media between 2001 and 2005 at the University of Stirling, graduating with a BA (Hons).
Working with a small team, she is responsible for running the domestic competitions for the top 20 women’s football clubs in Scotland.
Hamish Hamilton
Double-BAFTA Award winning British director has masterminded the filming of huge live events such as the MTV Video Music Awards, as well as concerts from the likes of The Rolling Stones, Beyoncé, Madonna and Peter Gabriel.
In 2012, he directed the televised opening and closing ceremonies for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London.
He thought he would become an accountant, graduating with a BA (Hons) in accountancy from the University of Stirling in 1989, but ended up beginning his media career with the BBC in Scotland.
Alan Bissett
Author, playwright and screenwriter Alan Bissett graduated from Stirling in 1998 with a first class honours degree in English literature and education.
A few years later, he returned to the university to undertake a masters degree in English, and published his 2001 debut novel, Boyracers, during that time.
He has gone on to publish four more fiction and non-fiction books, as well as contribute to several anthologies and perform his own work on stage.
Catriona Matthew
Golfer Catriona Matthew studied accountancy as part of a golf scholarship at the University of Stirling, and graduated in 1992.
She has racked up 11 professional wins at major competitions across the globe during her career.
Appointed an MBE in 2010 and an OBE 2020 for services to golf, Catriona primarily plays on the US-based LPGA Tour, and is also a member of the Ladies European Tour.
Tommy Sheridan
Politician and activist Tommy Sheridan was a student at Stirling in the early 1980s, undertaking a BA (Hons) in economics and politics.
He became well known in Scotland for campaigning against the poll tax, and later became a Glasgow city councillor and then an MSP.
It was while attending the university that Tommy became a member of Militant, a Trotskyist Labour Party group.
He was expelled from Labour in 1989 for “bringing the party into disrepute”, after it was decided Militant contravened Labour’s constitution.
Niall Farrell
Dubbed “Scotland’s poker king of Las Vegas“, top professional poker player Niall Farrell graduated in 2012 with a BA in business law from Stirling University.
He began playing the card game while studying, with friends as well as online.
By the time he finished his uni course, he felt confident enough to give poker a try professionally.
After a shaky start, a big win of $33,000 set him on the right path towards success, and he hasn’t looked back.
Cameron McKinley
Stirling Albion footballer Cameron McKinley is the newest graduate on this list – he only walked across the stage in November.
The 24-year-old centre-forward studied MSc sport management, and was signed to Stirling’s home team during summer 2024.
Heather Woodbridge
Another bright young thing – earlier this year, at the age of 29, Heather Woodbridge became Orkney Council’s first female leader.
She is also the youngest chief in the council’s history, not to mention the youngest council leader overall in Scotland.
Heather studied a BSc (Hons) in ecology at the University of Stirling, graduating in 2017.
Mark Cousins
Filmmaker Mark Cousins has been making documentaries since the 1990s, adding up to more than 50 films.
A 2011 documentary lasting 15 hours called The Story of Film: An Odyssey is one of his most famous works.
Mark studied a degree in film, television and art at the University of Stirling during the 1980s.
Richie Ramsay
Golfer Richie Ramsay got serious about the sport after graduating in 2007 with a BA (Hons) in marketing and sports studies from Stirling University.
Even before going pro, he became the first British-born winner of the US Amateur Championship in a century.
Richie now plays in the European Tour and has several impressive professional wins under his belt.
Doug Allan
Fans of Blue Planet might know Doug Allan as the wildlife cinematographer responsible for some of the BBC’s most breath-taking nature documentaries.
He has been involved in the making of more than 65 films, and has won eight Emmys and four BAFTAs, as well as many other awards.
Doug is also a scientific research diver and biologist.
He graduated with a BSc in marine biology from the University of Stirling in 1973.
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