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 the former polytechnics and central institutions given university status by John Major's government through the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, as well as the higher education college and other institutions granted university status since then under the Act (although not those institutions, such as Imperial College London and Cardiff University, granted university status since 1992 by royal charter). Though referred to as "new" or "modern", some of these universities have significant histories, having been founded under other titles from the early to mid 19th century (e.g. the University of Westminster, founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, or the University of Winchester, established in 1840 as the Winchester Diocesan Training School).
For many centuries the only universities in England or Wales were Oxford and Cambridge (Scotland's tradition was quite different, with several mediaeval universities). Thus the term "new universities" was used in the mid 19th century to refer to the universities of Durham and London, as distinct from the "old universities" of Oxford and Cambridge. Following this, the term was applied to the civic universities of the early 20th centuries, such as Bristol University and others, afterwards known as the red brick universities. It later came to be used to refer to any of the universities founded in the 1960s: the Colleges of Advanced Technology that were converted to universities following the 1963 Robbins Report on higher education, and the plate glass universities, which were in the process of being established prior to the Robbins Report.
Following the 1992 act, 33 polytechnics in England, the Derbyshire College of Higher Education, the Polytechnic of Wales and three Scottish central institutions converted to universities immediately, with another trip central institutions following by 1994. The Polytechnic of Ulster, in Northern Ireland, had previously merged with the New University of Ulster (founded in 1968) to form the University of Ulster in 1984.
All the categories of university award their own academic degrees, but universities created in England and Wales since 2004 may only have the power to award taught degrees, the UK Government having removed holding research degree awarding powers from the criteria for university title. The Cheltenham & Gloucester College of Higher Education, which became the University of Gloucestershire in 2001, was the only institute to become a university in England between the polytechnics in 1992 and the relaxation of the criteria in 2004. Two new universities have subsequently been established in Scotland, where the old criteria still apply: Queen Margaret University, another former central institution, (2007) and the University of the Highlands and Islands (2011).
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
Bournemouth University – formerly Bournemouth Municipal College, Bournemouth College of Technology, Dorset Institute of Higher Education then Bournemouth Polytechnic
University of Brighton – formerly Brighton 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 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
University of South Wales – formed in April 2013 from the merger of the University of Glamorgan, formerly Glamorgan Polytechnic then the Polytechnic of Wales, and the University of Wales, Newport, formerly Gwent College of Higher Education then University of Wales College, Newport
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
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
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)
Arden University - formerly RDI
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
University College Birmingham - kept its name on gaming university status
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, and earlier the South Glamorgan 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
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
University of Law - formerly the College of Law
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 Northampton – formerly Northampton Technical College, Nene College then University College Northampton
Norwich University of the Arts – formerly Norwich University College of the Arts
Queen Margaret University – formerly Queen Margaret College then Queen Margaret University College
University of Roehampton – formerly Roehampton Institute, then University of Surrey Roehampton (as part of the federal University of Surrey)
Regent's University London - formerly Regent's College
Royal Agricultural University – formerly the Royal Agricultural College
Southampton Solent University – formerly Southampton Institute of Higher Education
University of St Mark & St John - formerly University College Plymouth St Mark & St John
St Mary's University, Twickenham – formerly St Mary's University College, Twickenham
University of Suffolk - formerly University Campus Suffolk
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
