New universities (United Kingdom)

For the new universities of France, see Universités nouvelles.

The term new universities has been used informally to refer to several different waves of new universities created or renamed as such in the United Kingdom. Currently, the term is synonymous with post-1992 universities and sometimes modern universities, referring to any of the former polytechnics, central institutions or colleges of higher education that were given university status by John Major's government in 1992 (through the Further and Higher Education Act 1992) – as well as colleges that have been granted university status since then. Though referred to as new or modern, some were founded without university status as Polytechnics in the early to mid 19th century, an example of which is Royal London Polytechnic Institution which was established in 1838.

In the past the term was used to describe the then-new civic universities as early as 1928, such as Bristol University and the other red brick universities. It later came to be used to refer to any of the universities founded in the 1960s after the Robbins Report on higher education. These institutions are now known as plate glass universities.

Post-1992 universities that trace their roots to former polytechnics

• Anglia Ruskin University – formerly Anglia Higher Education College, Anglia Polytechnic then Anglia Polytechnic University
• Birmingham City University – formerly the University of Central England in Birmingham and before that, Birmingham Polytechnic
• University of Brighton – formerly Brighton Polytechnic
• Bournemouth University – formerly Bournemouth Municipal College, Bournemouth College of Technology, Dorset Institute of Higher Education then Bournemouth Polytechnic
• University of Central Lancashire – formerly Lancashire Polytechnic
• Coventry University – formerly Lanchester Polytechnic then Coventry Polytechnic
• De Montfort University – formerly Leicester School of Art and later City of Leicester Polytechnic
• University of East London – formerly the West Ham College of Technology then North East London Polytechnic
• University of South Wales – formed in April 2013 from the merger of the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport. Formerly Glamorgan Polytechnic then The Polytechnic of Wales
• University of Greenwich – formerly Thames Polytechnic
• University of Hertfordshire – formerly Hatfield Technical College then Hatfield Polytechnic
• University of Huddersfield – formerly Huddersfield Polytechnic
• Kingston University – formerly the Kingston Technical Institute then Kingston Polytechnic
• Leeds Beckett University – formerly Leeds Polytechnic, then Leeds Metropolitan
• University of Lincoln – formerly University of Humberside and then University of Lincolnshire and Humberside
• Liverpool John Moores University – formerly Liverpool Polytechnic
• London Metropolitan University – merger of London Guildhall University, formerly the City of London Polytechnic, and University of North London, formerly the Polytechnic of North London
• London South Bank University – formerly South Bank Polytechnic
• Manchester Metropolitan University – formerly Manchester Polytechnic
• Middlesex University – formerly Middlesex Polytechnic
• Northumbria University – formerly Newcastle Polytechnic, formed from the merger of Rutherford College of Technology, the College of Art & Industrial Design and the Municipal College of Commerce
• Nottingham Trent University – formerly Trent Polytechnic then Nottingham Polytechnic
• Oxford Brookes University – formerly Oxford School of Art then Oxford Polytechnic
• University of Plymouth – formerly Polytechnic South West, formed from Plymouth Polytechnic, Exeter College of Art and Design, Rolle College, Seale-Hayne College and Plymouth School of Maritime Studies
• University of Portsmouth – formerly Portsmouth Polytechnic
• Sheffield Hallam University – formerly Sheffield Polytechnic then Sheffield City Polytechnic
• Staffordshire University – formerly Staffordshire Polytechnic (originally North Staffordshire Polytechnic) and previously the separate Staffordshire College of Technology, the Stoke-on-Trent College of Art and the North Staffordshire College of Technology
• University of Sunderland – formerly Sunderland Technical College then Sunderland Polytechnic
• Teesside University – formerly Teesside Polytechnic
• University of the West of England – formerly Bristol Polytechnic
• University of West London – formerly Thames Valley University, previously the Polytechnic of West London
• University of Westminster – formerly the Polytechnic of Central London, founded as the Royal Polytechnic Institution (1838)
• University of Wolverhampton – formerly Wolverhampton Polytechnic

In addition, the New University of Ulster absorbed Ulster Polytechnic (in Jordanstown) in 1984, the university re-branded twice and is a plate glass university called Ulster University.

Post-1992 universities that are not former polytechnics

• University of the Arts London – formerly London Institute
• The Arts University Bournemouth – formerly The Arts University College at Bournemouth and before that The Arts Institute at Bournemouth
• Bath Spa University – formerly Bath College of Higher Education
• University of Bedfordshire – formerly University of Luton, created by the merger of the University of Luton and De Montfort University's Bedford campus
• Bishop Grosseteste University – formerly Bishop Grosseteste College, and Bishop Grosseteste University College
• University of Bolton – formerly Bolton Institute of Higher Education
• BPP University – formerly BPP University College, and before that BPP College, and earlier BPP Law School
• Buckinghamshire New University – formerly Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, and before that Buckinghamshire College of Higher Education, and earlier the High Wycombe College of Art and Technology
• Canterbury Christ Church University – formerly Christ Church College
• Cardiff Metropolitan University – formerly University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC), and before that Cardiff Institute of Higher Education
• University of Chester – formerly Chester College of Higher Education
• University of Chichester – formerly Chichester Institute of Higher Education then University College Chichester
• Cranfield University – formerly College of Aeronautics formed 1946, later Cranfield Institute of Technology, currently all-postgraduate university (Silsoe and Shrivenham campuses were partly undergraduate till 2007)
• University for the Creative Arts – formerly Kent Institute of Art & Design and Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College
• University of Cumbria – formed in January 2007 from the merger of St Martin's College, the Cumbria Institute of the Arts (CIA) and the Cumbrian campuses of the University of Central Lancashire
• University of Derby – formerly the Derbyshire College of Higher Education
• Edge Hill University – formerly Edge Hill College
• Falmouth University – formerly Falmouth College of Arts
• University of Gloucestershire – formerly Cheltenham & Gloucester College of Higher Education
• Glyndŵr University – formerly the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education
• Harper Adams University – formerly Harper Adams University College
• University of the Highlands and Islands
• Leeds Trinity University – formerly Leeds Trinity University College
• Liverpool Hope University – formerly a fully accredited institution of the University of Liverpool, then Liverpool Hope University College
• Newman University – formerly Newman College of Higher Education, then Newman University College
• University of South Wales – formed in April 2013 from the merger of the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport. Formerly Gwent College of Higher Education then University of Wales College, Newport
• University of Northampton – formerly Northampton Technical College, Nene College then University College Northampton
• Norwich University of the Arts – formerly Norwich University College of the Arts
• University of Roehampton – formerly Roehampton Institute, then University of Surrey Roehampton (as part of the federal University of Surrey)
• Royal Agricultural University – formerly the Royal Agricultural College
• Southampton Solent University – formerly Southampton Institute of Higher Education
• St Mary's University, Twickenham – formerly St Mary's University College, Twickenham
• Swansea Metropolitan University – formerly Swansea Institute of Higher Education
• University of Winchester – formerly Winchester Diocesan Training School, renamed King Alfred's College then University College Winchester
• University of Worcester – formerly part of the University of Birmingham Department of Education then Worcester College of Higher Education
• York St John University – formerly the College of Ripon and York St John then York St John College

Post-1992 universities that trace their roots to former Central Institutions

• University of Abertay Dundee – formerly Dundee Institute of Technology
• Edinburgh Napier University – formerly Napier Technical College, Napier College of Commerce and Technology then Napier Polytechnic
• Glasgow Caledonian University – formed from the merger of Glasgow Polytechnic and The Queen's College, Glasgow
• Queen Margaret University – formerly Queen Margaret College then Queen Margaret University College
• The Robert Gordon University – based in Aberdeen, formerly Robert Gordon's Technical College then The Robert Gordon Institute of Technology
• University of the West of Scotland – formerly University of Paisley (itself formerly Paisley College of Technology)

All the categories of university award academic degrees, having received university status when the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 came into effect or in the years thereafter, although some of the newest universities may not have the power to award research degrees – the UK Government having separated research degrees from university title criteria.

See also

• Red brick university
• Plate glass university