This is a list of universities in the United Kingdom (alphabetical by substantive name). Below that are lists of university colleges and other recognised bodies (institutions with degree awarding powers), followed by a list of defunct institutions.
This list follows the list of recognised bodies on the UK government website. [1] All the institutions on this list are recognised bodies with university status, indicated either by their use of university title in their name on the recognised bodies list or by reference to the Office for Students database [2] for the few universities that do not use the title in their name. Member institutions of the University of London are listed here if they hold university status.
Arms | University | Established | University status | Total students | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
University of Aberdeen | 1495 | 1495 | 15,185 | King's College and Marischal College merged in 1860. | |
Abertay University | 1888 | 1994 | 4,280 | Dundee | |
Aberystwyth University | 1872 | 2007 | 7,720 | ||
Anglia Ruskin University | 1858 | 1992 | 26,715 | Campuses in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Peterborough, and London. | |
– | Arden University | 1990 | 2015 | 6,245 | Private, distance learning & blended learning, London, Birmingham, Manchester, Berlin |
Aston University | 1895 | 1966 | 15,385 | Birmingham | |
Bangor University | 1884 | 2007 | 9,945 | ||
University of Bath | 1886 | 1966 | 18,560 | ||
– | Bath Spa University | 1852 | 2005 | 8,450 | |
– | University of Bedfordshire | 1882 | 2006 | 16,725 | Campuses in Luton and Bedford. |
– | BIMM University | 2001 | 2022 | 5,295 | Private university with campuses at Brighton, London, Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Essex, Dublin, Berlin |
University of Birmingham | 1825 | 1900 | 35,760 | ||
Birmingham City University | 1843 | 1992 | 26,930 | ||
Birmingham Newman University | 1973 | 2012 | 2,795 | ||
University College Birmingham | 1957 | 2012 | 4,930 | Despite its name, University College Birmingham holds full university status. [3] | |
Bishop Grosseteste University | 1862 | 2012 | 2,280 | ||
University of Bolton | 1824 | 2004 | 8,175 | ||
– | Arts University Bournemouth | 1880 | 2012 | 3,445 | |
Bournemouth University | 1900s | 1992 | 17,390 | ||
– | BPP University | 1992 | 2013 | 12,160 | Private, 6 London centres, 12 across rest of England, and 2 in Channel Islands. |
University of Bradford | 1832 | 1966 | 9,770 | ||
– | University of Brighton | 1858 | 1992 | 18,985 | |
University of Bristol | 1595 | 1909 | 27,375 | ||
Brunel University of London | 1798 | 1966 | 15,520 | Campuses at Uxbridge and London | |
University of Buckingham | 1973 | 1983 | 3,100 | First private university in the UK | |
Buckinghamshire New University | 1891 | 2007 | 14,075 | High Wycombe | |
University of Cambridge | 1209 | 1209–1226 | 21,340 | Collegiate university. Established by migration from Oxford in 1209; organised under a chancellor by 1226 [4] | |
Canterbury Christ Church University | 1962 | 2005 | 13,340 | ||
Cardiff Metropolitan University | 1865 | 2011 | 10,920 | Formerly University of Wales Institute Cardiff | |
Cardiff University | 1893 | 2005 | 33,260 | ||
University of Chester | 1839 | 2005 | 13,545 | Campuses at Chester and Warrington | |
University of Chichester | 1977 | 2005 | 5,545 | ||
Coventry University | 1970 | 1992 | 38,430 | Includes CU Coventry, CU Scarborough and CU London | |
Cranfield University | 1946 | 1993 | 4,825 | ||
University for the Creative Arts | 1856 | 2008 | 6,765 | Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester | |
University of Cumbria | 1890 | 2007 | 7,945 | Main campus at Carlisle, with campuses at London, Lancaster, Penrith and Ambleside | |
De Montfort University | 1870 | 1992 | 29,000 | Leicester | |
University of Derby | 1851 | 1992 | 19,685 | ||
University of Dundee | 1881 | 1967 | 16,270 | ||
Durham University | 1832 | 1832 | 19,520 | Collegiate university | |
University of East Anglia | 1963 | 1963 | 18,035 | Norwich | |
University of East London | 1898 | 1992 | 15,355 | ||
Edge Hill University | 1885 | 2006 | 13,560 | Ormskirk, Lancashire | |
University of Edinburgh | 1583 | 1583 | 35,375 | ||
Edinburgh Napier University | 1964 | 1992 | 13,930 | ||
University of Essex | 1964 | 1965 | 16,530 | Campuses at Colchester and Southend-on-Sea | |
University of Exeter | 1838 | 1955 | 26,935 | ||
Falmouth University | 1902 | 2012 | 6,245 | ||
University of Glasgow | 1451 | 1451 | 32,465 | ||
Glasgow Caledonian University | 1875 | 1993 | 17,540 | Formed by the merger of The Queen's College, Glasgow and Glasgow Polytechnic. | |
University of Gloucestershire | 1834 | 2001 | 7,915 | Campuses at Cheltenham, Gloucester, and London. | |
University of Greenwich | 1890 | 1992 | 19,825 | ||
Harper Adams University | 1901 | 2012 | 4,680 | Newport, Shropshire | |
Hartpury University | 1947 | 2018 | 1,995 | Gloucestershire | |
Heriot-Watt University | 1821 | 1966 | 11,155 | Campuses at Edinburgh and Galashiels | |
University of Hertfordshire | 1952 | 1992 | 25,520 | Hatfield | |
University of the Highlands and Islands | 1992 | 2011 | 9,905 | Federal university with a main campus at Inverness, and colleges at Elgin, Perth & across north and western Scotland | |
University of Huddersfield | 1825 | 1992 | 17,305 | Campuses at Huddersfield and Barnsley | |
University of Hull | 1927 | 1954 | 14,255 | ||
Imperial College London | 1907 | 2007 | 19,400 | Despite its name, Imperial College holds full university status. [5] | |
Keele University | 1949 | 1962 | 10,880 | Staffordshire | |
University of Kent | 1965 | 1965 | 18,710 | Campuses at Canterbury and Medway. Collegiate university | |
Kingston University | 1899 | 1992 | 18,070 | ||
University of Central Lancashire | 1828 | 1992 | 24,715 | Campuses at Preston and Burnley | |
Lancaster University | 1964 | 1964 | 15,665 | Collegiate university | |
University of Leeds | 1831 | 1904 | 36,330 | Formerly part of the federal Victoria University | |
– | Leeds Arts University [6] | 1846 | 2017 | 2,145 | |
– | Leeds Beckett University | 1824 | 1992 | 23,290 | |
Leeds Trinity University | 1966 | 2012 | 4,985 | ||
University of Leicester | 1921 | 1957 | 16,180 | ||
University of Lincoln | 1861 | 1992 | 16,425 | Campuses at Lincoln, Riseholme, and Holbeach | |
University of Liverpool | 1881 | 1903 | 29,600 | Formerly part of the federal Victoria University | |
Liverpool Hope University | 1844 | 2005 | 4,985 | ||
Liverpool John Moores University | 1823 | 1992 | 25,050 | ||
University of London | 1836 | 1836 | 205,400 [7] | Federal university | |
London Metropolitan University | 1848 | 2002 | 10,390 | Formed by merger of London Guildhall University and the University of North London | |
London School of Economics | 1895 | 2022 | 12,050 | Member institution of the University of London; since 2022 a university in its own right. | |
London South Bank University | 1892 | 1992 | 16,840 | ||
Loughborough University | 1909 | 1966 | 18,295 | ||
University of Manchester | 1824 | 2004 | 40,485 | Formed by merger of the Victoria University of Manchester (itself formed by the merger of Owens College and the Victoria University) and UMIST in 2004 | |
Manchester Metropolitan University | 1824 | 1992 | 33,420 | ||
Middlesex University | 1878 | 1992 | 20,175 | London | |
Newcastle University | 1834 | 1963 | 28,070 | ||
University of Northampton | 1924 | 2005 | 12,060 | ||
– | Northeastern University – London [8] | 2010 | 2022 | 215 | Subsidiary of Northeastern University in the US. Formerly the New College of the Humanities. |
Northumbria University | 1877 | 1992 | 28,325 | ||
– | Norwich University of the Arts | 1843 | 2013 | 2,360 | |
University of Nottingham | 1798 | 1948 | 34,840 | ||
Nottingham Trent University | 1843 | 1992 | 35,785 | ||
Open University | 1969 | 1969 | 129,420 | Milton Keynes (an open-access distance learning university) | |
University of Oxford | 1096 | 1200–1214 | 25,910 | Collegiate university. Teaching as early as 1096; schools organised into a university from c. 1200, with statutes given by a legatine charter in 1214. [9] | |
– | Oxford Brookes University | 1865 | 1992 | 16,900 | |
Plymouth Marjon University | 1993 | 2013 | 2,750 | Formerly the University of St. Mark & St. John | |
– | Arts University Plymouth | 1856 | 2022 | 1,305 | |
University of Plymouth | 1862 | 1992 | 18,410 | ||
University of Portsmouth | 1870 | 1992 | 26,775 | ||
Queen Margaret University | 1875 | 2007 | 5,130 | Edinburgh | |
Queen's University Belfast | 1810 | 1908 | 24,915 | ||
– | Ravensbourne University London | 1962 | 2018 | 2,535 | London |
University of Reading | 1892 | 1926 | 18,735 | ||
– | Regent's University London | 1984 | 2013 | 2,171 | Private university [10] |
Richmond American University London | 1972 | 2019 | 1,600 | Private university | |
Robert Gordon University | 1750 | 1992 | 12,660 | Aberdeen | |
– | University of Roehampton | 1975 | 2004 | 12,495 | Collegiate university with four colleges |
Royal Agricultural University | 1845 | 2013 | 1,125 | Cirencester | |
Royal Holloway, University of London [11] | 1879 | 2022 | 11,530 | Member institution of the University of London; since 2022 a university in its own right. | |
University of Salford | 1850 | 1967 | 21,500 | ||
University of Sheffield | 1897 | 1905 | 30,055 | ||
Sheffield Hallam University | 1843 | 1992 | 30,960 | ||
University of South Wales | 1841 | 2013 | 23,090 | Merger of University of Wales, Newport and University of Glamorgan | |
University of Southampton | 1862 | 1952 | 22,665 | ||
Southampton Solent University | 1984 | 2005 | 10,510 | Southampton | |
University of St Andrews | 1413 | 1413 | 10,535 | ||
– | St George's, University of London [12] | 1733 | 2022 | 4,330 | Member Institution of the University of London; since 2022 a university in its own right |
St Mary's University, Twickenham | 1850 | 2014 | 5,520 | ||
University of Staffordshire | 1906 | 1992 | 15,675 | Campuses at Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford, and Lichfield | |
University of Stirling | 1967 | 1967 | 12,540 | Bridge of Allan | |
University of Strathclyde | 1796 | 1964 | 24,330 | Glasgow | |
– | University of Suffolk | 2007 | 2016 | 9,565 | Campuses at Ipswich, Bury St. Edmunds, Great Yarmouth, and Lowestoft |
– | University of Sunderland | 1901 | 1992 | 15,740 | |
– | University of Surrey | 1891 | 1966 | 16,990 | Guildford |
University of Sussex | 1959 | 1961 | 19,395 | Brighton | |
Swansea University | 1920 | 2007 | 20,375 | ||
– | Teesside University | 1930 | 1992 | 19,290 | Campuses at Middlesbrough and Darlington |
– | University College London | 1826 | 2023 | 46,830 | Member institution of the University of London; since 2023 a university in its own right. |
– | University of the Arts London | 1986 | 2003 | 19,965 | |
Ulster University | 1865 | 1984 | 27,680 | Formed by merger of the New University of Ulster and Ulster Polytechnic | |
University of Law | 1865 | 2012 | 8,000 | Private university | |
University of Wales | 1893 | 1893 | Functionally merged with UWTSD in 2017 but still constitutionally separate [13] | ||
University of Wales Trinity Saint David | 1822 | 2010 | 12,700 | UWTSD. Formed by merger of the University of Wales, Lampeter, Trinity College, Carmarthen and Swansea Metropolitan University. Campuses at Lampeter, Carmarthen and Swansea. | |
University of Warwick | 1965 | 1965 | 26,825 | Coventry | |
– | University of the West of England | 1595 | 1992 | 30,680 | Bristol |
University of the West of Scotland | 1897 | 1992 | 16,105 | Campuses at Paisley, Hamilton, Ayr, and Dumfries | |
– | University of West London | 1860 | 1993 | 11,985 | Campuses at Ealing and Brentford |
University of Westminster | 1838 | 1992 | 19,470 | ||
– | University of Winchester | 1840 | 2005 | 8,000 | |
University of Wolverhampton | 1899 | 1992 | 18,875 | ||
– | University of Worcester | 1946 | 2005 | 10,180 | |
Wrexham University | 1887 | 2008 | 6,045 | ||
University of York | 1963 | 1963 | 19,790 | ||
York St John University | 1841 | 2006 | 7,000 | ||
Health Sciences University | 1965 | 2024 |
Arms | University | Established | University college status | Total students | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
- | University College of Estate Management | 1919 | 2013 | 4,000 | Reading |
All member institutions of the University of London are recognised bodies as institutions that have the right to grant University of London degrees. Some also hold their own degree awarding powers and, since the passing of the University of London Act 2018, can apply for university status in their own right without leaving the federal university. [14] Member institutions that are also universities in their own right are listed both here and in the list of universities above. The university was an examining board until 1900, when it became a federal university and admitted colleges as "Schools of the University". [15]
Arms | University | Established | Joined University of London | Total students | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Birkbeck, University of London | 1823 | 1920 | 11,425 | Since 2023 a university in its own right. | |
Brunel University of London | 1798 | 2024 | 18,370 | University from 1966 | |
City St George's, University of London | 2024 | 2024 | 26,065 | Formed in 2024 by merger of City, University of London and St George's, University of London. City was founded in 1894, became as an independent university in 1966, surrendered university status in 2016 to join the University of London, [16] and became a university in its own right again in 2023. St George's was founded in 1733, became an original school of the university in 1900, [15] and became a university in its own right in 2022. [17] | |
None | Royal Central School of Speech and Drama | 1906 | 2005 | 1,100 | |
None | Courtauld Institute of Art | 1932 | 2002 | 545 | |
Goldsmiths, University of London | 1891 | 1905 | 10,090 | Became an institution owned by the university in 1905 [15] and a school of the university in 1988. [18] | |
None | Institute of Cancer Research | 1909 | 2003 | 280 | |
King's College London | 1829 | 1900 | 10,090 | Along with University College London, one of the two colleges named in the 1836 charter as having the right to submit students for examination and an original school of the university in 1900. [15] Since 2023 a university in its own right. | |
London Business School | 1964 | 1964 | 2,390 | ||
London School of Economics | 1895 | 1900 | 12,975 | Original school of the university in 1900. [15] Since 2023 a university in its own right. | |
- | London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine | 1899 | 1900 | 12,975 | Original school of the university in 1900. [15] |
Queen Mary University of London | 1785 | 1907 | 26,045 | ||
Royal Academy of Music | 1822 | 1999 | 860 | ||
Royal Holloway, University of London | 1879 | 1900 | 11,530 | Original school of the university in 1900. [15] Since 2022 a university in its own right. [19] | |
- | Royal Veterinary College | 1791 | 1949 | 2,510 | |
- | SOAS University of London | 1916 | 1916 | 6,295 | Since 2023 a university in its own right. |
None | University College London | 1826 | 1900 | 46,830 | Along with King's College London, one of the two colleges named in the 1836 charter as having the right to submit students for examination and an original school of the university in 1900. [15] Since 2023 a university in its own right. |
This section lists other education institutions that hold their own degree awarding powers but are neither universities (or colleges of the University of London) nor university colleges. [1]
These institutions are recognised bodies with foundation degree awarding powers only. [1]
This section lists defunct universities, university colleges, polytechnics and colleges of federal universities.
While based in the UK, these are not considered UK universities and are not recognised as UK degree-awarding bodies by the British government unless separately listed in one of the categories above. Many are 'study abroad' centres for non-UK universities, offering a year or a semester in the UK for students enrolled at the foreign university, rather than campuses offering their own courses.
As of 1 November 2023, [update] there are 29 "Overseas Higher Education Institutions" that have been approved for student visa purposes by the UK Government as offering "an overseas course of degree level study that's equal to a UK higher education course". [24] [25] There is also one branch of an overseas university that is a "listed body", offering courses leading to a UK degree from a "registered body". [26] The following are approved overseas higher education institutions and foreign universities that are listed bodies in the UK, with their UK locations:
Universities in British Overseas Territories are not considered UK Universities and are not recognised as UK degree-awarding bodies by the British government. [32]
See list of universities in the Isle of Man for university institutions on the Isle of Man. There are currently no universities in the Channel Islands; in 2013 [34] [35] the States of Guernsey gave approval for the opening of a university there but, as of February 2017, no progress has been made on the project. [36]
The University of London is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree-awarding examination board for students holding certificates from University College London, King's College London and "other such institutions, corporate or unincorporated, as shall be established for the purpose of Education, whether within the Metropolis or elsewhere within our United Kingdom". It is one of three institutions to have advertised themselves as the third-oldest university in England. It moved to a federal structure with constituent colleges in 1900. It is now incorporated by its fourth (1863) royal charter and governed by the University of London Act 2018.
Universities in the United Kingdom have generally been instituted by royal charter, papal bull, Act of Parliament, or an instrument of government under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 or the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. Degree awarding powers and the 'university' title are protected by law, although the precise arrangements for gaining these vary between the constituent countries of the United Kingdom.
A red brick university was originally one of the nine civic universities founded in the major industrial cities of England in the 19th century.
The ancient universities are British and Irish medieval universities and early modern universities founded before the year 1600. Four of these are located in Scotland, two in England, and one in Ireland. The ancient universities in Great Britain and Ireland are amongst the oldest extant universities in the world. The ancient universities in Britain are part of twenty-seven culturally significant institutions recognised by the British monarchy as privileged bodies of the United Kingdom.
The University of Wales is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff – the university was the first university established in Wales, one of the four countries in the United Kingdom. The university was, prior to the break up of the federation, the second largest university in the UK.
Cardiff University is a public research university in Cardiff, Wales. It was established in 1883 as the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire and became a founding college of the University of Wales in 1893. It was renamed University College, Cardiff in 1972 and merged with the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology in 1988 to become University of Wales College, Cardiff and then University of Wales, Cardiff in 1996. In 1997 it received degree-awarding powers, but held them in abeyance. It adopted the operating name of Cardiff University in 1999; this became its legal name in 2005, when it became an independent university awarding its own degrees.
In the United Kingdom (UK), a post-1992 university, synonymous with new university or modern university, is a former polytechnic or central institution that was given university status through the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, or an institution that has been granted university status since 1992 without receiving a royal charter. This is used in contrast to "pre-1992" universities.
A collegiate university is a university where functions are divided between a central administration and a number of constituent colleges. Historically, the first collegiate university was the University of Paris and its first college was the Collège des Dix-Huit. The two principal forms are residential college universities, where the central university is responsible for teaching and colleges may deliver some teaching but are primarily residential communities, and federal universities where the central university has an administrative role and the colleges may be residential but are primarily teaching institutions. The larger colleges or campuses of federal universities, such as University College London and University of California, Berkeley, are effectively universities in their own right and often have their own student unions.
Cardiff Metropolitan University, formerly the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff and commonly referred to as Cardiff Met, is a university located in the city of Cardiff.
An affiliated school is an educational institution that operates independently, but also has a formal collaborative agreement with another, usually larger institution that may have some level of control or influence over its academic policies, standards or programs.
The Licentiate in Theology or Licence in Theology is a non-degree qualification in theology awarded by the Anglican institutions in Canada and previously awarded in other Commonwealth countries. The qualification was introduced in the first half of the 19th century for candidates to the Anglican priesthood in the United Kingdom and has primarily been offered by Anglican theological colleges and universities.
Colleges within universities in the United Kingdom can be divided into two broad categories: those in federal universities such as the University of London, which are primarily teaching institutions joined in a federation, and residential colleges in universities following the traditional collegiate pattern of Oxford and Cambridge, which may have academic responsibilities but are primarily residential and social. The legal status of colleges varies widely, both with regard to their corporate status and their status as educational bodies. London colleges are all considered 'recognised bodies' with the power to confer University of London degrees and, in many cases, their own degrees. Colleges of Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) are 'listed bodies', as "bodies that appear to the Secretary of State to be constituent colleges, schools, halls or other institutions of a university". Colleges of the plate glass universities of Kent, Lancaster and York, along with those of the University of Roehampton and the University of the Arts London do not have this legal recognition. Colleges of Oxford, Cambridge, London, and UHI, and the "recognised colleges" and "licensed halls" of Durham, are separate corporations, while the colleges of other universities, the "maintained colleges" of Durham, and the "societies of the university" at Oxford are parts of their parent universities and do not have independent corporate existence.
The Master of Pharmacy is a postgraduate degree in pharmacy, awarded upon the completion of postgraduate coursework or an integrated undergraduate-postgraduate curriculum. Typically, this program lasts for four to five years.
A university charter is a charter issued by an authority to create or recognize a university. The earliest universities – Bologna, Paris and Oxford – arose organically from concentrations of schools in those cities rather than being created by charters. The first university charters were issued in Europe in the 13th century, with the University of Naples, created by a charter of Emperor Frederick II in 1224, being widely considered the first deliberately-created university ; King Alfonso VIII of Castille issued a charter in 1208 to create the University of Palencia but the status of that institution is doubtful. The first papal creation was the University of Toulouse in 1229, via a papal bull of Pope Gregory IX. Through the 13th century, most university foundations continued to be organic, often by migrations of scholars from other universities, but by the start of the 14th century either a papal bull or an imperial charter was considered necessary.
The third-oldest university in England debate has been carried out since the mid-19th century, with rival claims being made originally by Durham University as the third-oldest officially recognised university (1832) and the third to confer degrees (1837) and the University of London as the third university to be granted a royal charter (1836). These have been joined more recently by University College London as it was founded as London University (1826) and was the third-oldest university institution to start teaching (1828) and by King's College London. Most historians identify Durham as the third-oldest, following standard practice in how a university is defined and how this is applied historically, although the popular press is more divided.
A polytechnic was a tertiary education teaching institution in England, Wales and Northern Ireland offering higher diplomas, undergraduate degree and postgraduate education that was governed and administered at the national level by the Council for National Academic Awards. At the outset, the focus of polytechnics was on STEM subjects, with a special emphasis on engineering. After the passage of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 they became independent universities, which meant they could award their own degrees. The comparable institutions in Scotland were collectively referred to as Central Institutions.
There were schools in operation in Oxford from at least as early as the middle of the twelfth century; an embryonic university organization was in existence from 1200, even before the first papal statutes (1214), which were complemented by royal charters, had established its first institutions