University of Greenwich

The University of Greenwich is a public university located in London and Kent, United Kingdom. Previous names include Woolwich Polytechnic and Thames Polytechnic.

The university's main campus is at the Old Royal Naval College, which along with its Avery Hill Campus, is located in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Greenwich also has a satellite campus in Medway, Kent, as part of a shared campus. The university's range of subjects includes architecture, business, computing, mathematics, education, engineering, humanities, maritime studies, natural sciences, pharmacy and social sciences. Greenwich's alumni include two Nobel laureates. In 2019, the university was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize for its research in pest management and control to combat human and animal diseases in the UK and internationally. It received a Silver rating in the UK government's Teaching Excellence Framework.

The university dates back to 1891, when Woolwich Polytechnic, the second-oldest polytechnic in the United Kingdom, opened in Woolwich. It was founded by Frank Didden, supported by and following the principles of Quintin Hogg, and opened to students in October 1891. Like Hogg's pioneering venture in London's Regent Street, it initially combined education with social and religious functions.

In 1894 it focused on an educational role, concentrating on higher technical education appropriate to its location close to Woolwich Dockyard and the Royal Arsenal; William Anderson, director-general of the Ordnance Factories, was a trustee and later a member of the board of governors. Its premises were also used for day schools – the first Woolwich Polytechnic School was established in 1897.

In 1970, Woolwich Polytechnic merged with part of Hammersmith College of Art and Building to form Thames Polytechnic. In the following years, Dartford College (1976), Avery Hill College of Education (1985), Garnett College (1987) and parts of Goldsmiths College and the City of London College (1988) were incorporated.

In 1992, Thames Polytechnic was granted university status by the Major government (together with various other polytechnics) and renamed the University of Greenwich in 1993. On 1 January 1993, the Thames College of Health Care Studies, itself a merger of three local nursing and midwifery training schools, officially merged with the newly designated University of Greenwich, becoming a full faculty of the university.

Formerly a UK government research agency, the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) was incorporated into the university in 1996.

In 2001, the university gave up its historic main campus in the Bathway Quarter in Woolwich, relocating to its current main campus in Greenwich.

In 2013, University of Greenwich was ranked 701 by QS World University Rankings.

The university is ranked 87 out of 116 institutions according to the Guardian University Guide 2015 University League Table.

In Center for World University Rankings World University Rankings 2020–21 – University of Greenwich was ranked 76 in National Rank

In the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2020,[35] Greenwich performed well in several categories:

• Responsible Consumption and Production (24th)
• Life on Land (66th)
• Reduced Inequalities (68th)
• Climate Action (75th)
• Partnership for the Goals (77th)

Greenwich Campus is near 74-hectare Greenwich Park, home to the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. The Stockwell Street Building opened in 2014 and is now home to the campus library, film and TV studios, and state-of-the-art editing suites. The Dreadnought Building is a central hub for the Greenwich Campus, with further teaching and social spaces.

The Student Village at Avery Hill Campus provides accommodation for around 1,000 students. On-site facilities include a café, canteen, shop, launderette, bicycle parking, and a gym.

Medway Campus has 350 rooms across five halls of residence dedicated to student accommodation.

Students Union

Greenwich Students' Union is the university's students' union. In October 2019, the GSU Student Assembly voted to ask the university to declare a climate emergency and for the university and union sustainability strategies to consult with students in creating them. This call to action aimed to speed up the university's efforts at becoming carbon neutral.

GK Unions is a partnership between the University of Greenwich Students' Union and University of Kent Union on the Medway campus. GK Unions stands for the Greenwich & Kent Students' Unions Together (previously Universities at Medway Students Association, UMSA). It is the representative body and service provider for all students studying at the Chatham Maritime campus. Students are automatically a member of the association if they are a registered student of the University of Greenwich or University of Kent.