THE prestigious position of rector at Scotland's ancient universities is under threat, students have warned.

The universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews all have elected rectors who represent the student body.

Rectors, who are often celebrities or notable public figures, also chair meetings of the powerful Courts which run universities.

However, students from St Andrews fear the historic post will be swept away under new Scottish Government legislation to reform university governance.

Under the plans all chairs of Court will be elected in future, but the role of students in selecting candidates and voting could be drastically diminished.

A petition to the Scottish Parliament from St Andrews students opposing the move has already attracted more than 2,000 signatures.

The petition states: "Under the new legislation, if the rector retains their power at all, their process for election would be replaced by an undefined panel which would pre-screen, interview, and shortlist candidates before even a single student vote could be cast.

"It is odd to invoke the autonomy of our university while committing clear ministerial interference, but stranger still to invoke democracy while destroying the democratic process.

"Further still, should the rector be sidelined on the university Court, it will impact their capacity to effect change in other areas of the university. Diminishing their stature will only diminish their ability to serve students."

Patrick Mathewson, president of the St Andrews students' association, added: "We support the unencumbered right of students to select and elect their rector as chair of the university Court.

"Democracy after shortlisting and interview is not democracy at all, and undermines the principles at the heart of the rectorship. Students and alumni from the four corners of the world have come together to protect this unique Scottish tradition, and it is a testament to the impact the rector has had on generations of students."

The move comes just weeks after former graduates St Andrews, Scotland’s oldest university, were invited to protest over "threats to the autonomy" of the institution.

The influential General Council of St Andrews University, an independent body that represents all the institution's graduates, appealed to alumni to oppose the new governance legislation.

The current St Andrews rector is MEP Catherine Stihler who follows in the footsteps of Peter Pan author J M Barrie, Jungle Book creator Rudyard Kipling and comedian John Cleese.