Willetts gives green light for 10 new universities

By John Morgan. David Willetts is to recommend that 10 small specialist colleges be granted university title, in what he describes as "the biggest creation of universities since 1992". The universities and science minister will recommend to the Privy Council that the institutions have met the criteria to be awarded the title. It follows the government's decision to lower the threshold for university title from 4,000 full-time higher education students to 1,000 students.
The applicants being put forward to the Privy Council for formal approval are: Arts University College at Bournemouth; Bishop Grosseteste University College Lincoln; Harper Adams University College; Leeds Trinity University College; Newman University College, Birmingham; Norwich University College of the Arts; Royal Agricultural College; University College Birmingham; University College Falmouth and University College Plymouth St Mark & St John. More...