Merger will boost number of students in Bradford

Plans being drawn up for Bradford's radical new institution, created by merging the city's university and college, aim to raise student numbers in the city by at least 20 per cent.

A draft feasibility report proposes new courses in popular subjects to boost declining numbers from the combined total of 10,000.

Student growth is regarded as fundamental to the success of the venture, which will be the first to attempt full integration of sub-degree and degree-level courses in the same institution. At present many potential students leave the city after completing programmes at Bradford College. The report says that courses often duplicate each other and compete, creating barriers to progression.

The merger would change the way academics work and the study acknowledges the concerns of university staff worried about the impact on research and funding.

All academic staff would be expected to undertake scholarly activity and new staffing policies would be required so the merged institution would be better placed to deliver government objectives.

The merged institution could be called the New University of Bradford but the report stresses it would be a "larger, better-resourced and more financially secure institution reversing years of decline".

There would be a new governance structure, a revitalised campus and "applied" research creating centres of excellence.