Roehampton University
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The University of Roehampton, London, formerly Roehampton Institute of Higher Education, is a
public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...
in the United Kingdom, situated on three major sites in
Roehampton Roehampton is an area in southwest London, sharing its SW15 postcode with neighbouring Putney and Kingston Vale, and takes up a far western strip, running north to south, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large counc ...
, in the
London Borough of Wandsworth Wandsworth () is a London boroughs, London borough in South West (London sub region), South West London, England. It forms part of Inner London and has an estimated population of 329,677 inhabitants. Its main communities are Battersea, Balham, P ...
. The University traces its roots to four institutions founded in the 19th century, which today make up the university's constituent colleges, around which student accommodation is centred: Digby Stuart College, Froebel College, Southlands College and
Whitelands College Whitelands College is the oldest of the four constituent colleges of the University of Roehampton. History Whitelands College is one of the oldest higher education institutions in England (predating every university except University of Oxford, ...
. Between 2000 and 2004, Roehampton, together with the
University of Surrey The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its Royal Charter, royal charter in 1966, along with a Plate glass university, number of other institutions following recommendations ...
, partnered as the Federal University of Surrey. In 2004, Roehampton became an independent university, and in 2011, it was renamed the University of Roehampton. The university is one of the post-1992 universities. Roehampton is a member of the
European University Association The European University Association (EUA) represents more than 800 institutions of higher education in 48 countries, providing them with a forum for cooperation and the exchange of information on higher education and research policies. Members of ...
and
Universities UK Universities UK (UUK) is an advocacy organisation for universities in the United Kingdom. It began life in the early 20th century through informal meetings of vice-chancellors of a number of universities and principals of university colleges and ...
. Roehampton's academic faculties include the Faculty of Business and Law, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Life and Health Sciences and Faculty of Psychology. The University achieved a Silver rating in the 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework and it has also received positive results in recent student satisfaction surveys and national research assessments.


History

Roehampton still operates through a collegiate system comprising four historic colleges, each originally established as teacher training institutions in the 19th century as women's teacher training colleges: *
Whitelands College Whitelands College is the oldest of the four constituent colleges of the University of Roehampton. History Whitelands College is one of the oldest higher education institutions in England (predating every university except University of Oxford, ...
– Founded in 1841, the college is one of the five oldest institutions for training educators in England. It was one of the first higher education institutions in the UK to admit women and was established by the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
, it was the first college of higher education in the UK to admit women. It occupies a 14-acre site overlooking
Richmond Park Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is the largest of Royal Parks of London, London's Royal Parks and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I of England, Cha ...
. * Southlands College – Established in by the
Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
in 1872, originally in
Battersea Battersea is a large district in southwest London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and also extends along the south bank of the Thames Tideway. It includes the Battersea Park. Hist ...
, as a teacher training college for women, becoming coeducational in 1965. Today it is the location of the University's Business School. * Digby Stuart College – Established in 1874 as a teacher training college for
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
women. The college owes its existence to the Society of the Sacred Heart, whose members continue to support the college and the university. * Froebel College – Founded in 1892, the secular college (non religious) was established to further the values of
Friedrich Fröbel Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel or Froebel (; 21 April 1782 – 21 June 1852) was a German pedagogue, a student of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, who laid the foundation for modern education based on the recognition that children have unique nee ...
, the German educationalist who pioneered a holistic view of child development. It is one of the UK's major centres for initial teacher training All four colleges were founded to address the need to educate poor and disadvantaged children. In 1976, the four colleges joined to form the Roehampton Institute of Higher Education. Its first Rector was Kevin Keohane, the former Professor of Science Education at
Chelsea College of Science and Technology Chelsea College of Science and Technology was established as a College of Advanced Technology (United Kingdom), College of Advanced Technology on a single site on the corner of Manresa Road and King's Road, Chelsea, London, Chelsea, London SW ...
. Since 2011, the university has been branded the University of Roehampton. However, its legal name remains Roehampton University. In 2012, Whitelands College was legally merged with the university, bringing all the colleges into a common management structure.


Organisation

;Academic departments *Faculty of Business and Law (including Roehampton University Business School and Roehampton University Law School) *School of Arts (including Computing) *School of Education (rated as an outstanding provider by OFSTED) *School of Humanities and Social Sciences *School of Life and Health Sciences (including Nursing) *School of Psychology *Sustainable Engineering and Technology Education Centre *Croydon University College - In 2020 the University of Roehampton announced a partnership with Croydon College (Croydon University Centre). The Centre delivers Nursing programmes and a range of undergraduate programmes in Croydon town centre.


Academic profile


Research

Roehampton's research spans five key areas: Creative exchange, Health and wellbeing, Social justice and inclusivity, Faith in society, and Economic Sustainability and Environmental Conservation.Roehampton supports several research centres across its academic disciplines: # Centre for Practical Philosophy, Theology and Religion: Engaging in research emphasising the significance of Philosophy, Theology, and Religion in modern societies, this centre explores the intersections of faith, religious practice, and race. # Centre for Research in Psychological Wellbeing: Works to improve our understanding of factors that influence health, mental health, and wellbeing. The Centre for Research in Psychological Wellbeing focuses on applied research in counselling and psychotherapy. # Centre for Integrated Research in Life and Health Sciences: Promoting factors supporting healthy living, this centre tackles health inequalities through an interdisciplinary approach. It integrates life and health sciences to address critical health challenges, aiming to enhance quality of life. The centre receives funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC). # Centre for Equality, Justice and Social Change: Explores and promotes social justice in relation to inequalities, prejudice, and social trends in diverse societies. # Centre for Research in Arts and Creative Exchange: Emphasising the value of creativity and the arts for social and political change, this centre provides a space for collaborative inquiry and practice. # Research Centre for Literature and Inclusion: Focuses on equitable cultural representation, access, and inclusion, working with communities and organisations across various sectors. # Research Centre in History and Classics: Uses insights from the past to inform public understanding and address present societal challenges. # Centre for Sustainability and Responsible Management: focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It aims to develop sustainable and ethical practices in organisations and enterprises, addressing contemporary challenges like climate change and societal equity # Centre for Learning, Teaching and Human Development: Enhances educational outcomes for effective lifelong learning, leading to creative, inclusive, and healthier societies.


Reputation and rankings

The university was recognised (jointly) as the best UK modern university for research in the REF 2021, for which 218 staff were submitted in 12 areas and were graded 3*-4* overall. Overall 77% of the research submitted was ranked as 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent', an increase of 11% since REF2014. In the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings (2024), Roehampton was ranked 164 of 1,172. In the 2014
Research Excellence Framework The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a research impact evaluation of British Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). It is the successor to the Research Assessment Exercise and it was first used in 2014 to assess the period 2008–2013. REF is ...
(REF), the university was already ranked as the most research-intensive post-1992 university in the UK. Roehampton submitted work by more than two-thirds of its academic staff, in 13 subject areas. This is the highest proportion of any post-1992 university. Dance was the top performing subject, with 94% of research rated 4* and 3* – making it the highest-rated department in its subject area in the UK. Roehampton was also ranked 3rd in London for research quality in Education, and 4th for English. Roehampton was ranked highly in London in these subject areas. Overall, 66 per cent Roehampton's research was judged either world-leading or internationally excellent. In the 2008
Research Assessment Exercise The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) was an exercise undertaken approximately every five years on behalf of the four UK higher education funding councils ( HEFCE, SHEFC, HEFCW, DELNI) to evaluate the quality of research undertaken by British ...
(RAE), Roehampton University was ranked first in the country for Dance and
Biological Anthropology Biological anthropology, also known as physical anthropology, is a natural science discipline concerned with the biological and behavioral aspects of human beings, their extinct hominin ancestors, and related non-human primates, particularly fro ...
. Ten out of the fifteen subjects that submitted work included at least some proportion of research judged to be world-leading in terms of its originality and significance. 78% of all research undertaken at the university was of an international standard. Roehampton is ranked 38th in the UK for the impact of its research. The University works with local businesses, arts organisations, the third sector, and higher education across the UK and internationally.


Facilities


Library

The university opened a new library in 2017, designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. The library houses the Jewish Resource Centre Collection, the Centre for Marian Studies, a collection of resources covering all matters regarding the Virgin Mary, the Queen's Archive, featuring material on authority and governance within the Roman Catholic Church in the UK and the Richmal Crompton Collection of books and archive material accumulated during the lifetime of the author
Richmal Crompton Richmal Crompton Lamburn (15 November 1890 – 11 January 1969) was a popular English writer, best known for her ''Just William (book series), Just William'' series of books, humorous short stories, and to a lesser extent adult fiction books. L ...
(1890–1969).


Biomedical research facilities

The university has a biomechanics laboratory, which is based at Whitelands College. The lab is equipped with advanced optical motion analysis systems, Kistler force plates, Biometrics
Electromyography Electromyography (EMG) is a technique for evaluating and recording the electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles. EMG is performed using an instrument called an electromyograph to produce a record called an electromyogram. An electromyo ...
equipment, Goniometers and 3D Accelerometers, Motion Tracking Sensors, and Physiological assessment equipment.


E-sports

The university has an
e-sports Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...
arena, with 20 PCs and facilities for
live streaming Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming media, streaming of video or Digital audio, audio in real-time communication, real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature ...
and video editing. The University of Roehampton was the first university in the UK to offer e-sports scholarships.


Mary Seacole Health Innovation Centre

The Centre was unveiled in a ceremony on 28 September by Sir David Warren, the Chair of the Nursing and Midwifery Council. It cost £3.2m to construct and was made possible by a capital grant from the Office for Students (OfS) to support the development of a new Healthcare Hub. The Centre has been supported by several external partners, including Croydon Health Services, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals, St George's University Hospitals, Kingston Hospital, Sutton Health and Care, Your Healthcare, Central London Community Health, Southwest London and St George's Mental Health, Surrey and Borders Partnership and CCGs. The Centre is named after Mary Seacole, a British-Jamaican nurse known for her role in supporting British soldiers during the Crimean War. The facility bears a mural, painted by Alban Low, which portrays her likeness alongside images of her caring for British soldiers and the medals she received for doing so.


Accommodation

Digby Stuart College * Bede House * Elm Grove Hall *Lee House *Newman House *Shaw House Froebel College * Aspen House * Chadwick Hall - Shortlisted for the
Stirling Prize The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is a British prize for excellence in architecture. It is named after the architect James Stirling, organised and awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The ...
for excellence in architecture in 2018. * Garden Court * Lawrence * Linden House * Mount Clare * New Court * Old Court *Willow House Southlands College * Aldersgate and Epworth Court * Wesley Hall Whitelands College * Beverley and Cheltenham * Durham and Gilesgate * Kings and Melrose * Sutherland and Walpole


Student life


Roehampton Students' Union (RSU)

The RSU is the main organisation of student representation at the university. It is led by student officers elected by the student body and aims to promote the interests and welfare of all those studying at Roehampton. It also organises events and represents students at the university level. The RSU also organises nights out in London, some of these consist of the Clapham grand once a month, fez club Putney on Wednesday nights and the union's special event the Bop hosted at the union bar. The Union itself has 12 different bars, cafes and restaurants spread around the campus. In September 2013 Roehampton Students' Union was awarded £226,900 from NUS Students' Green Fund for a sustainability initiative with a focus on urban food growing. The project is now called Growhampton. Growhampton runs a cafe, the Hive, alongside a regular market day, where food produced by students and small local organisations is sold. Growhampton is a sustainability project focused on food education and urban agriculture. It has received support from local councils and student-led funding initiatives. The Union runs Fresh Network for student media.


Third Row Dance Company

The Third Row Dance Company is a company for undergraduate dance students, led by students. Founded in 2008, the company is made up of dancers selected through an audition process. It commissions professional
choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...
s to create works, in order for the dancers to gain experience of the professional dance world, which are performed to other students both within the university and outside. Guest choreographers have included Australian dancer and choreographer Daniel Riley, formerly of
Bangarra Dance Theatre Bangarra Dance Theatre is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance company focused on contemporary dance. It was founded by African American dancer and choreographer Carole Y. Johnson, Gumbaynggirr man Rob Bryant, and South African-bor ...
and since late 2021 artistic director of the Australian Dance Theatre.


People associated with Roehampton University


Notable alumni

Amongst the alumni of the University of Roehampton, and other institutions that fall under that banner are: * Niki and Sammy Albon, YouTubers * Toby Anstis, radio DJ * Mike Bailey, actor * Lyn Brown, politician * Jack Garratt, singer * Jon Gilbert, bibliographer * Jon Goodman, footballer * Matt Henry, actor and singer * Rachel John, actress and singer * Allyson Jule, professor/author * Daniel Kitson, comedian * Samira Makhmalbaf, filmmaker * Helen Metcalf, educator/politician * Alize Mounter, former Miss England * Beverly Naya, actress * Brody Neuenschwander, artist and calligrapher * Danielle Perez, former Miss Gibraltar * Rita Ramnani, actress and dancer * Chris Robshaw, Harlequins and England rugby captain * David Rossdale, Bishop of
Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...
* Djoumin Sangaré, footballerYork City F.C. matchday programme. 3 October 2009. p. 21. *
Darren Shan Darren O'Shaughnessy (; born 2 July 1972) is an Irish writer and novelist. He is best known for his young adult fiction series '' The Saga of Darren Shan'', '' The Demonata'', and '' Zom-B'', published under the pseudonym Darren Shan. The forme ...
, author * Joe Tillen, footballer *
Deepak Tripathi Deepak Tripathi, (born 1951) is a British historian of Indian origin with particular reference to South Asia, the Middle East, the Cold War, and the United States in the post-Soviet world. Life and career Tripathi's grandfather, Pandit Vishw ...
, historian * Lamorna Watts, actress * Tim Woolcock, painter


Chancellors and vice-chancellors

Sandip Verma, Baroness Verma was appointed the Chancellor in 2022., after Jacqueline Wilson retired from the role in 2020. Dame Jacqueline Wilson was appointed Chancellor of the university in August 2014, she succeeded the first Chancellor John Simpson (2004–2014). The Vice-Chancellor of the university is Jean-Noël Ezingeard, who succeeded Paul O'Prey in May 2019. Former Vice-Chancellor O'Prey was appointed
Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(CBE) in the Queen's 90th Birthday Honours list for his services to higher education and the literary history of the First World War.


See also

* Armorial of UK universities *
College of Education In the United States and Canada, a school of education (or college of education; ed school) is a division within a university that is devoted to scholarship in the field of education, which is an interdisciplinary branch of the social sciences e ...
* List of universities in the UK


References


External links

* *
Roehampton University Students' Union
{{coord, 51.4566, -0.2431, type:edu_region:GB-WND, display=title 1975 establishments in England Universities and colleges established in 1975 Education in the London Borough of Wandsworth Roehampton
Roehampton Roehampton is an area in southwest London, sharing its SW15 postcode with neighbouring Putney and Kingston Vale, and takes up a far western strip, running north to south, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large counc ...
Roehampton Roehampton is an area in southwest London, sharing its SW15 postcode with neighbouring Putney and Kingston Vale, and takes up a far western strip, running north to south, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large counc ...