Battersea Polytechnic Institute

The forerunner of the University, the Battersea Polytechnic Institute was founded in 1891 and began concentrating on science and technology from around 1920, teaching day and evening students for degrees of the University of London.

Its academic reputation steadily grew to the point where, in 1956, it was one of the first institutions to be designated a ‘college of advanced technology’. It was renamed Battersea College of Technology in 1957.

The move to Guildford

By the beginning of the 1960s, the College had outgrown its main building in Battersea Park Road and in 1962 it was decided to move the institution to Guildford.

Shortly afterwards, in 1963, the Robbins Report proposed that Battersea College should expand and become a university awarding its own degrees.

Surrey Research Park

One of the most significant site developments by the University has been the Surrey Research Park, which was opened by HRH The Duke of Kent in 1985.

The Park currently accommodates more than 100 companies, which employ 2,500 staff engaged in research and development activities – many of which relate closely to the work of the University’s own faculties.

Developing Manor Park

Given the space constraints on Surrey’s main Stag Hill campus, in the 2000s the University expanded to a new campus at Manor Park.

A little over a mile from Stag Hill and connected to it by a network of footpaths and cycle paths, Manor Park is now home to a large area of student accommodation, as well as Surrey Sports Park and the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Strengthening connections at home and abroad

In 2006, Surrey International Institute-DUFE (SII-DUFE) was established as a joint academic partnership institution between the University of Surrey and Dongbei University of Finance and Economics in Dalian, China.

SII-DUFE offers top-quality programmes in subjects aligned with Business Management and Tourism Management, combining high academic standards and employment success in a pleasant coastal city in the north-east of the country.

Our long-standing relationship with the Guildford School of Acting (GSA) became even closer in 2009, as the conservatoire – which specialises in acting and musical theatre – signed a merger agreement with the University.

£400m in campus investment

Since 2000, our estate has been transformed through a £400 million building development and improvement programme – including £130 million on student accommodation, £36 million on Surrey Sports Park, £16 million on the Library and Learning Centre and £4.5 million on the Ivy Arts Centre.

On top of this has come further investment in the form of a new £45 million School of Veterinary Medicine and £70 million support for the 5G Innovation Centre, one of the world’s first research centres dedicated to mobile communications and future internet technologies.

125 years of shaping the future

In 2016, Surrey celebrated the 125th anniversary of its foundation. While the institution has evolved significantly in that time, our commitment to first-rate academic activity and real-world solutions has remained constant.

With our growing expertise in fields such as sustainable energy, telecommunications, space, disease control and health, we are passionate about turning the new knowledge we generate into practical innovations that improve people’s lives.

University of the Year 2016

We were delighted to have been named University of the Year in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2016. Read more.