List of UK universities by date of foundation

This is a list of Universities in the United Kingdom by the date of their foundation.

In many cases the supposed date of establishment is open to debate. The date in which an institution officially achieved royal charter is therefore provided first, with any unofficial date in parenthesis.

Contents

Ancient universities

Main article: Ancient university

Until the nineteenth century there were only two university establishments in England and five in Scotland (including two in Aberdeen, see below).

Name Country Date of foundation Motto Notes
University of Oxford England Before 1167 Dominus illuminatio mea
University of Cambridge England 1209 Hinc lucem et pocula sacra
University of St Andrews Scotland Between 1410 and 1413 ΑΙΕΝ ΑΡΙΣΤΕΥΕΙΝ
University of Glasgow Scotland 1451 Via, Veritas, Vita
University of Aberdeen Scotland 1495 Initium sapientiae timor domini For centuries, Aberdeen had two universities. King's College (1495) and Marischal College (1593) merged to form the University of Aberdeen in 1860[1]
University of Edinburgh Scotland 1582 Nec temere, nec timide

Nineteenth century universities

No new universities were founded in the United Kingdom after Edinburgh until the eighteenth century with the establishment of a number of the London colleges, for example St George's (1733), The London Hospital Medical College (1785) and the Royal Veterinary College (1791). These later became part of the University of London.

A number of universities lay claim to being the third oldest university in England, including University College London, King's College London and Durham University.

Name Date of foundation Motto
The University of Durham 1832 Fundamenta eius super montibus sanctis
King's College London 1829 Sancte et sapienter
University College London 1836 (1826) Cuncti adsint meritaeque expectent praemia palmae
University of London 1836
Queen's University Belfast 1845
University College Wales, now Aberystwyth University 1872 Nid Byd, Byd Heb Wybodaeth (A world without knowledge, is no world at all)
Royal Holloway 1879 Esse quam videri: To be, rather than to seem
University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, now Cardiff University 1884 Truth Unity and Harmony
University College of North Wales, now Bangor University 1884 Gorau Dawn Deall (The best gift is knowledge)
Queen Mary, University of London 1885, (With roots, through medical school, to 1123) Coniunctis Viribus
London School of Economics 1895 rerum cognoscere causas

The civic universities

These universities were distinguished by being non-collegiate institutions that admitted men without reference to religion or background and concentrated on imparting to their students "real-world" skills, often linked to engineering.

Red brick universities

Main article: Red brick university

The large civic 'red brick' universities all gained official university status before the First World War. The term was first coined by a professor at the University of Liverpool to describe these universities, inspired by the university's Victoria Building which is built from a distinctive red pressed brick.[2] All of the red brick institutions have origins dating back to older medical or engineering colleges.

Name Date of foundation Motto Notes
Victoria University 1880 Arduus ad solem Succeeded Owen's College (founded 1851), later Victoria University of Manchester
University of Birmingham 1900 Per Ardua Ad Alta
University of Liverpool 1903 Haec otia studia fovent
University of Leeds 1904 et augebitur scientia
University of Sheffield 1905 Rerum cognoscere causas
University of Bristol 1909 Vim promovet insitam

Second wave of civic universities

Name Date of foundation Motto
University College of Swansea, now Swansea University 1920 Gweddw crefft heb ei dawn
University of Reading 1926
University of Nottingham 1948 Sapientia urbs conditur
University of Southampton 1952 Strenuis Ardua Cedunt
University of Hull 1954 Lampada ferens
University of Exeter 1955 Lucem sequimur
University of Leicester 1957 Ut Vitam Habeant

Plate glass universities

Main article: Plateglass university

Universities founded during the 1960s are called this because of their architectural style. This was the era of the Robbins Report. The number of UK universities more than doubled from 20 to 43.

Name Date of foundation Motto
University of Sussex 1961 Be still and know
Keele University 1962 Thanke God for All
University of East Anglia 1963 Do Different
University of York 1963 In limine sapientiae
Newcastle University 1963
University of Strathclyde 1964 The place of useful learning
Lancaster University 1964 Patet omnibus veritas
University of Kent 1965 Cui servire regnare est
University of Essex 1965 Thought the harder, heart the keener
University of Warwick 1965 Mens agitat molem
Loughborough University 1966 Veritate, Scientia, Labore
Aston University 1966 Forward
Brunel University 1966
University of Surrey 1966
University of Bath 1966 Generatim discite cultus
University of Bradford 1966 Make Knowledge Work
City University, London 1966 To serve mankind
Heriot-Watt University 1966
University of Salford 1967 Altiora Petamus
University of Dundee 1967 Magnificat anima mea dominum
University of Stirling 1967
Royal College of Art 1967
Cranfield University 1969 Post Nubes Lux

Intermediate era

Only three universities were founded between 1969 and 1992 and they were all the "odd-one-out" in some way: The Open University is the UK's only distance learning university; the University of Buckingham is the only private university; and the University of Ulster was formed from the merger of a plate glass university with a polytechnic.

Name Date of foundation Motto
The Open University 1969 Live and Learn
University of Buckingham 1976 Flying on our own Wings
University of Ulster 1984

New universities

Main article: Post-1992 universities

1992 universities

The passage of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 allowed all polytechnics to become universities. 38 took up the offer immediately, nearly doubling the number universities again from 46 to 84.

Name University status Motto Notes
Napier University June 1992 Nisi sapientia frustra founded as Napier Technical College 1964
Anglia Ruskin University 1992 A Creative Constellation founded as Cambridge School of Art 1858; polytechnic 1991
Birmingham City University 16 June 1992 founded as City of Birmingham Polytechnic 1971
Bournemouth University 27 November 1992 Discere Mutari Est
University of Brighton 1992 founded as Brighton Polytechnic 1968
University of Central Lancashire 1992 Ex Solo ad Solem formerly Preston Polytechnic 1973
De Montfort University 1992 founded as Leicester Polytechnic 1969
Coventry University 1992 founded as Lanchester Polytechnic 1970
University of Derby 1992 Experientia Docet formerly Derbyshire College of Higher Education
University of East London 1992 founded as North East London Polytechnic 1970
University of Glamorgan 1992 Success Through Endeavour
University of Greenwich 1992 To learn, to do, to achieve
University of Hertfordshire 1992 Seek Knowledge Throughout Life
University of Huddersfield 1992
Kingston University 1992
Leeds Metropolitan University 1992
University of Lincoln 1992 Excellence through study formerly Humberside Polytechnic (located in Kingston upon Hull); moved to Lincoln in 2001
Liverpool John Moores University 1992 Audentes Fortuna Juvat Founded as Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts in 1823; became Liverpool Polytechnic
London South Bank University 1992 With Thy Might (Borough Polytechnic) founded as the Borough Polytechnic Institute in 1892
Manchester Metropolitan University 1992 Many Arts, Many Skills
Middlesex University 1992
Northumbria University 1992
Nottingham Trent University 1992 Shaping futures Founded as the Nottingham Government School of Design in 1843. The institution became Trent Polytechnic in 1970.
Oxford Brookes University 1992 Excellence in diversity Founded as the Oxford School of Art in 1865; became Oxford Polytechnic in 1970.
University of the West of Scotland 1992
University of Plymouth 1992 Indagate Fingite Invenite
University of Portsmouth 1992 Lucem Sequamur
Robert Gordon University 1992 Omni Nunc Arte Magistra
Sheffield Hallam University 1992 Learn and Serve
Staffordshire University 1992 Create the difference
University of Sunderland 1992 Scientiam Dulce Hauriens
University of Teesside 1992 Facta Non Verba founded as Constantine Technical College 1930; polytechnic 1970
Thames Valley University 1992
University of Westminster 1992 Educating for professional life The first polytechnic university - founded as the Royal Polytechnic Institution 1838
University of the West of England 1992 Light Liberty Learning
University of Wolverhampton 1992 Innovation and Opportunity
Glasgow Caledonian University 1 April 1993 For the common weal
University of Abertay Dundee 1994

Second wave of new universities

Main article: New universities

After a seven-year hiatus, a great number of polytechnics, university colleges and higher education institutes began to apply for university status. This was also the era of the break-up of the federal University of Wales and the accreditation of its constituent colleges as individual universities. So far, 31 new universities have been created bringing the total number to 115.

Name University status Motto Notes
University of Gloucestershire 2001 In animo et veritate
University of Wales, Newport 2002
London Metropolitan University August 2002 Merger of London Guildhall University (est.1848) and the University of North London (est.1896).
University of Bolton April 2004
University of the Arts London 2004 The collegiate body was first introduced as the London Institute in 1986, and acquired university status in 2004 as the University of the Arts London. The six colleges of art, design, fashion and media have origins dating back to the mid 19th Century.
Cardiff University 1 August 2004 Gwirionedd Undod A Chytgord Established 1883 as the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire before becoming University of Wales, Cardiff and breaking from the University of Wales federation in 2004.
Roehampton University 1 August 2004 Earliest constituent college (Whitelands College) founded in 1841.
University of Manchester 1 October 2004 Cognitio, sapientia, humanitas formed in 2004 by the dissolution of the Victoria University of Manchester (which was commonly known as the University of Manchester) and UMIST (University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology) and the immediate formation of a single institution (inaugurated on 1 October)
Bath Spa University August 2005 founded as Bath College of Higher Education 1975; university college 1992
Canterbury Christ Church University 2005 Veritas liberabit vos
University of Chester 2005 Qui docet in doctrina founded as Chester Diocesan Training College in 1839; degrees awarded by University of Liverpool 1910; university college 2003
University of Chichester 2005 Docendo discimus founded as West Sussex Institute of Higher Education 1977; university college 1999; established as a provider of higher education in 1839
University of Winchester June 2005 Wisdom ond lar (from old English) Modern English translation: Wisdom and Knowledge founded in 1840 as Winchester Diocesan Training School. In 1847 it became Winchester Training College and was renamed King Alfred's College in 1928; degree awarding powers in 2003 and became University College Winchester in 2004. In 2008 Winchester University was awarded Research awarding powers.
Liverpool Hope University July 2005 In Faith, Hope and Love Originally three teacher training institutions, Christs College, Notre Dame and St Catherines which merged in the late 1970s to become Trinity College and then later Hope University
Southampton Solent University July 2005
University of Worcester September 2005 Ad Inspirandum Aspiramus founded as a teacher training college in 1946, absorbing the Herefordshire and Worcester College of Midwife training. Gained full university status in 2005 and became the University of Worcester
University of Northampton 2005 Transforming lives, inspiring change
University of Bedfordshire 2006
Edge Hill University 18 May 2006 In Scientia Opportunitas
York St John University 10 July 2006
Queen Margaret University January 2007
Buckinghamshire New University 2007 Arte et Industria formerly Buckinghamshire College of Higher Education until 1995, then Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College
Imperial College London 8 July 2007 Scientia imperii decus et tutamen founded 1907 as constituent college of University of London
University Campus Suffolk 1 August 2007
University of Cumbria 1 August 2007 merger of St Martin's College, Cumbria Institute of the Arts and part of University of Central Lancashire
Aberystwyth University 1 September 2007 Nid Byd, Byd Heb Wybodaeth founded as University College Wales 1872; founder member of University of Wales 1893
Bangor University 1 September 2007 Gorau Dawn Deall founded as University College of North Wales 1884; founder member of University of Wales 1893
University of Wales, Lampeter 1 September 2007 Gair Duw Goreu Dysg founded as St David's College 1828; merged with University of Wales 1971
Swansea University 1 September 2007 Gweddw crefft heb ei dawn Broke away from the University of Wales, which it joined as a constituent college in 1920, to begin awarding own degrees.
Trinity University College 1 September 2007 founded as Trinity College, Carmarthen 1848
Cardiff Metropolitan University 1 September 2007 The most valuable possession is knowledge Named University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC) until October 2011
Swansea Metropolitan University January 2008 founded as Swansea Institute of Higher Education 1992
Glyndŵr University July 2008 founded as Wrexham School of Science and Art 1887
University of Wales, Trinity Saint David 2010 Merger between University of Wales, Lampeter (1828) and Trinity University College
University of the Highlands and Islands 2011 The "UHI Millenium institute", a collegiate partnership of 13 colleges and research institutions scattered throughout the highlands and islands, Moray, and Perthshire and providing in excess of 50 additional learning centres in the same areas gained full university status as The University of the Highlands and Islands (Oilthigh na Gàidhealtachd agus nan Eilean) in 2011; it had been a Higher Education Institute since 2001, and acquired the power to grant its own degrees from 2008, prior to which its degrees were authenticated by Open University Validation Service, the University of Strathclyde, and the University of Aberdeen

Former universities

This table contains universities that were given a Royal Charter and awarded degrees but were dissolved either by merging, splitting or just closing down.

Name University status Motto Dissolved Reason
Victoria University 20 April 1880 1 October 1904 Leeds and Liverpool left; surviving college became Victoria University of Manchester
Victoria University of Manchester 1 October 1904 Arduus Ad Solem 1 October 2004 merged with UMIST to form the University of Manchester
New University of Ulster 1968 1984 merged with Ulster Polytechnic to form University of Ulster
St Martin's College 2006 1 August 2007 merged with Cumbria Institute of the Arts and part of University of Central Lancashire to form University of Cumbria
University of Wales, Lampeter 1828 Gair Duw Goreu Dysg 2010 merged with Trinity University College to form University of Wales, Trinity Saint David
Trinity University College 1 September 2007 2010 merged with University of Wales, Lampeter to form University of Wales, Trinity Saint David

See also

Notes

  1. ^ http://www.abdn.ac.uk/about/history.php
  2. ^ Peers, Edgar Allison (1943). Redbrick University.