Its founding was a result of the poverty and declining status of St John's College, also known as the Pedagogy.

The first Provost of St Leonard's was the Dominican John Annand, a pupil of Jan Standonck and a determined reformer of the clergy.

Famous alumni of St Leonard's College include Alexander Ales (Alesius), John Knox, George Buchanan,[1] Patrick Adamson and James Melville.

The old college site was visited by Samuel Johnson and James Boswell in August 1773.

[5] When it was re-established in 1974 it did not own any property, but since then it has accumulated several buildings including Deans Court and the Martyrs Kirk postgraduate library.