Solent University (formerly Southampton Solent University) is a public university based in Southampton, United Kingdom. It has approximately 11,000 students. Its main campus is located on East Park Terrace near the city centre and the maritime hub of Southampton.
Solent University delivers a range of undergraduate degrees at central locations in London, Birmingham, and Manchester. These programs also include teaching options for the evening and weekend, allowing students to study in addition to existing commitments. It has the 'Most Improved student experience' as published Times Higher Education in 2015. 93.9% Of Solent graduates are in work or further study after graduating as per the statistics from DLHE, 2016/17.
The university's origins can be traced back to a private School of Art founded in 1856, which eventually became the Southampton College of Art. Mergers with the Southampton College of Technology, and later the College of Nautical Studies at Warsash, led to the establishment of the Southampton Institute of Higher Education in 1984.
Southampton Institute became a university on 12 July 2005, adopting the name Southampton Solent University on 15 August 2005. Prior to 2005, Southampton Institute provided assistance to Nottingham Trent University in its provision of business focused degrees, relating to accountancy, finance and professional ACCA qualifications. Some Nottingham Trent University certificates included Southampton Institute/Solent University stamps to indicate this agreement. In 2015 the University came to an agreement with New College of the Humanities, London whereby it will validate some of their degrees. In November 2017, the Privy Council approved the change of name of Southampton Solent University to Solent University, with effect from 2018.
Solent University has three primary locations: City, Warsash and Timsbury Lake. The City campus is in the centre of Southampton, on the east side of East Park. This campus broadly includes the Sir James Matthews building, which is situated on the far side of the park. Part of the Warsash School of Maritime Science and Engineering is on the eastern bank of the Hamble River overlooking Southampton Water, while Timsbury Lake is located in Timsbury.
Solent University is a comprehensive University offering programmes across five academic Schools, including the School of Art, Design and Fashion; Business, Law and Communications; Media Arts and Technology; Sport, Health and Social Sciences and through its Warsash School of Maritime Science and Engineering. Solent's maritime courses have been ranked among the best in the world.[18] The University generally has a growing reputation, and have been climbing the major league tables year on year - most recently reaching 81st place in the Guardian League Table in 2019
The University also has strong links with local and regional businesses, professional bodies and industry groups, all with a focus on providing the best routes into the workforce (for example the British Computer Society, Creative Skillset and the PTC). The student yachting team has often consisted of Olympians and are previous world champions.
The University also has a dedicated Research, Innovation and Enterprise Office, providing cohesive support for research and innovation through a researcher development programme and the Research, Innovation and Knowledge Exchange Awards.
Solent University has emerged as a leading provider of academic programmes relating to the study of sport, health and wellbeing. These programmes are informed by cutting-edge research in areas such as sports science, sports development, the sociology of sport, psychology, health and wellbeing, and social care.