A public research university in south-west London. Gained university status in 1992, with roots in the Kingston Technical Institute (1899). Strong in art and design, fashion, and nursing.
Address: River House, 53–57 High Street, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1LQ, Surrey, United Kingdom
Art and Design, Fashion, Business
Domains taught:
- Aerospace, Civil Engineering, Data Analytics, Engineering, Industrial Design, Life Sciences, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
- Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
- Public
Partnerships:
Links with creative industries, local businesses, and public sector organisations. Focus on enterprise, practical skills, and employability through initiatives like ‘Future Skills’.
Research:
Practice-based research in art and design (e.g. illustration animation), humanities, business, and health & social care. Growing focus on sustainability.
Famous Alumnis:
Eric Clapton (attended predecessor art college), Fiona Banner, Glenda Bailey, Ben Barnes
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
2100
Current students***:
19500
Foreign students***:
25%
Cumulative former students***:
135000
Pros
Strong reputation in art and design, diverse student body, good transport links to central London, emphasis on practical skills and graduate outcomes.
Cons
Multiple campuses, research profile varies by subject, some facilities are older.
Best For
Students with a creative focus, particularly in art, design, and fashion, or those seeking vocational business, engineering and technology courses with a practical slant.
Most Similar Schools Locally
- In terms of fields, Teesside University is the nearest neighbour, with industrial design, life sciences and data analytics again at the core; it has almost the same size, at about 19,000 students, and is also a public institution.
- Another national school that puts life sciences, data analytics and software engineering at the centre is University of Bedfordshire, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
- London Metropolitan University works in much the same fields, chiefly industrial design, life sciences and data analytics, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
- Manchester Metropolitan University follows much the same lines as this institution, with industrial design, life sciences and data analytics as common ground, and it is larger, enrolling about 39,000 students against roughly 19,500 here, and is also a public institution.
- Oxford Brookes University offers a comparable education in industrial design, civil engineering and life sciences: it has almost the same size, at about 18,500 students, and is also a public institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
- Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong) works on the same fields as this institution, chiefly industrial design, civil engineering and life sciences; it is also a public institution and also offers mba programmes.
- The closest overseas parallel on industrial design, civil engineering and life sciences is National Cheng Kung University, located in Taiwan; it is slightly larger, at about 22,404 students against roughly 19,500 here, and is also a public institution.
- Students considering a move abroad can look at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, where industrial design, civil engineering and life sciences also form the core, and it is larger, enrolling about 52,073 students against roughly 19,500 here, and is also a public institution.
- In the United States, University of Colorado Denver teaches much the same core subjects, civil engineering, life sciences and data analytics, and it covers finance and mathematics as well, and is slightly smaller, at about 13,853 students against roughly 19,500 here.
- On content, RMIT University in Australia and this university are close, as both teach aerospace, industrial design and civil engineering; it is also a public institution and also offers mba programmes.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
- Creativity, Design for Sustainability, Design Thinking, Innovation, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Practices, User-Centered Design
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
- known locally
- known locally and internationally
- is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
- is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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