Our history

Battersea Polytechnic Institute was founded in 1891 and began concentrating on science and technology around 1920, teaching students for degrees from the University of London.

Its academic reputation steadily grew and in 1956, it was one of the first institutions to be designated a 'college of advanced technology'. It was renamed Battersea College of Technology in 1957.

By the beginning of the 1960s, the College had outgrown its main building in Battersea Park Road and in 1962 it was decided to move the institution to Guildford.

Shortly afterwards, in 1963, the Robbins Report proposed that Battersea College should expand and become a university awarding its own degrees.

Surrey Research Park was opened by HRH The Duke of Kent in 1985. 

The Park currently accommodates more than 100 companies, which employ 2,500 staff engaged in research and development activities – many of which relate closely to the work of the University's own faculties.

In the 2000s the University expanded to a new campus at Manor Park which is now home to a large area of student accommodation, as well as Surrey Sports Park and the School of Veterinary Medicine.

In 2006, Surrey International Institute-DUFE (SII-DUFE) was established as a joint academic partnership institution between the University of Surrey and Dongbei University of Finance and Economics in Dalian, China.

In 2009 the University signed a merger agreement with Guildford School of Acting (GSA), one of the most highly regarded theatre schools in the UK with a vibrant community of performers, performance makers, applied theatre practitioners, creative practitioners and technicians.

Our estate has been transformed throughout the years – including £130 million on student accommodation, £36 million on Surrey Sports Park, £16 million on the Library and Learning Centre and £4.5 million on the Ivy Arts Centre.

On top of this has come further investment in the form of a new £45 million School of Veterinary Medicine, £70 million support for the 5G/6G Innovation Centre, one of the world’s first research centres dedicated to mobile communications and future internet technologies, and the Kate Granger building, our new home for School of Health Sciences on Surrey Research Park.

In 2016, Surrey celebrated the 125th anniversary of its foundation. Our commitment to first-rate academic activity and real-world solutions remains constant. With growing expertise in fields such as sustainable energy, telecommunications, space, disease control and health, we are passionate about turning the knowledge we generate into practical innovations that improve people’s lives.

We were delighted to be named University of the Year in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2016.

The bells of Guildford Cathedral rang out on 9 September 2016 to mark the beginning of our 50th anniversary year, celebrating half a century of calling Guildford ‘home’.