The University of Bolton (formerly Bolton Institute of Higher Education, Bolton Institute of Technology or simply Bolton Institute) is a public university in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It has approximately 6,000 students and 700 academic and professional staff. Around 70% of its students come from Bolton and the North West region.
The university is a member of the North West Universities Association, Universities UK and Million+.
The University of Bolton traces its origins back to 1825 with the founding of Bolton Mechanics' Institute. In 1887 the Committee of the Mechanics' Institute decided that the town's apprentices required technical instruction for the rapidly expanding engineering advances being made at the turn of the nineteenth century. This resulted in the creation of the new Technical School with student numbers rising to more than 1,500.
In 1926 Bolton Technical School became a college. Fifteen years later a new building was opened offering a wide range of technical education choices, with engineering the most popular. Numbers rose to 5,750 students attending more than 1,000 classes. In 1964 Bolton Technical College and Bolton Institute of Technology were divided into two separate organisations. A J Jenkinson was Principal of the Technical College, Bolton College of Education (Technical) and then the first Principal of Bolton Institute of Technology.
Bolton Institute of Higher Education was formed in 1982 by the merger of the Bolton Institute of Technology (or simply Bolton Institute) and Bolton College of Education (Technical). The first principal of BIHE was John McKenzie who was succeeded by Bob Oxtoby who began the campaign for university status.
An £8.3 million extension project began in 1991 with the purchase of the former Eagle Factory. Bolton Institute was awarded the right to award taught degrees in 1992, with the powers to award research degrees in 1995. In 1998 Mollie Temple became the third principal and successfully led the institution to achieve university status in 2004.
Choosing which University to go to in the UK is not an easy decision and should not be rushed. Every University in the UK is different and will have various appeals. We have a range of programmes to suit different student needs and interests; you can improve your English with one of our Pre-Sessional English programmes, or our International Foundation Programmes which start in January each year.
We have Foundation Programmes, Bachelor’s, Pre-Masters Semesters, Master’s and MPhil/PhD courses. The main intakes for Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes are January and September. Here at Bolton, we have something to benefit every type of student, below are the reasons that make the University of Bolton an excellent place for you to study.
As well as offering research opportunities, Masters and PhD degrees, it is known for its vocationally focused and industry-relevant taught degree programmes. Its courses include Business and Media programmes. The Times states: "The university is not research-driven, but engineering, architecture and the built environment, social work and social policy all contained some 'world-leading' research in the 2008 assessments". The Times made this statement despite the University ranking so low.
In November 2014, it became the first University in the North West to become a Living Wage employer.
On 17 February 2016, it was announced that the University of Bolton would become the principal shirt sponsors of the Manchester Giants basketball team for the 2016 season. On 2 April 2016, the University of Bolton became again the sponsors of the Bolton Wanderers, in an agreement which was initially planned to last until Summer 2016.
