Nottingham Trent to open London branch campus

Nottingham Trent University is to become the latest UK higher education institution to open a London branch campus.

The outpost, billed as being “dedicated to delivering pioneering creative education aligned to the entertainment industries”, will be created out of an expansion of the Whitechapel base of the Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies. The institute, which also has a centre in Nottingham, was acquired by Nottingham Trent in 2015.

When the first intake of students arrive next September Nottingham Trent will join more than a dozen universities with a presence in the capital, many of which have sought to exploit London’s popularity with students, particularly the potentially lucrative applicants from overseas.

Data from admissions service Ucas have indicated that more than half of international students apply to at least one provider in London, compared with about a quarter of domestic learners.

Another study conducted for the now defunct Higher Education Funding Council for England confirmed that the income benefits of running a London campus outweighed the increased costs of operating in the capital, although academic research has indicated that such outposts tend to offer teaching from less-qualified teachers and poorer facilities than universities’ main campuses.

Nottingham Trent said that its campus would offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses in areas such as event management, the music industry and emerging technologies such as esports.

The site will also host courses provided by independent training provider Access Creative College, which will relocate from its existing base in Shoreditch.

Edward Peck, Nottingham Trent’s vice-chancellor, said that the new campus would “offer easy access for students in London and the south-east to the opportunities to transform their futures that have been available to those in the east Midlands for 25 years”.

“We look forward to working with local communities and businesses in preparing for our new students in 2023,” Professor Peck said.

chris.havergal@timeshighereducation.com