Published: 9 February 2024
- £8million investment follows the rapid growth of student numbers at the University of Sunderland in London since it opened in the capital in 2012
- Lease signed for a new campus building in the Canary Wharf area, expanding the University’s presence in one of London’s key business districts
- Opening in late 2024, the new campus will offer an enhanced learning, teaching, and working environment
The University of Sunderland in London today unveiled its ambitious plan to create a new, modern campus in the Canary Wharf area, further enhancing student and staff facilities.
The University has agreed to lease two adjoining buildings in the Harbour Exchange (HX) development and move its current nearby campus to the new site in late 2024.
The new campus building, with 65% more floor space than the University’s current site, will be developed over this year and offer a flexible, accessible, and innovative space that meets student and staff needs today, and in the future. It will also support rapidly changing approaches to delivering educational programmes through digital methods and the use of simulation facilities.
Modern, bright, and spacious, the new campus will offer an expanded range of study and workspaces, with panoramic views across the local area. While getting the skills and qualifications they need for the careers they want, students will benefit from a learning environment similar to their future workplaces.
Student experience and support will be at the heart of the new campus design, with more dedicated spaces for study and collaboration, enhanced catering and leisure facilities, and improved faith room and quiet area provision. Focus groups and surveys were conducted last year to identify key student and staff priorities.
.jpg)
The £8million investment in the new site and the University’s expansion of its premises follows a decade of success since it opened in London in 2012. Having celebrated the enrolment of its 20,000th student in early 2023, the new campus represents a further phase in the University’s strategy of widening participation in higher education.
.jpg)
The investment is part of the University of Sunderland’s £250 million programme of transforming its campuses in Sunderland and London over the next ten years.
The University of Sunderland’s Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, Sir David Bell KCB DL, commented
“The University of Sunderland is now a global institution, with 25,600 students worldwide benefiting from our outstanding education programmes.
Having a campus in an international capital city such as London speaks to our confidence, reputation and standing, complementing the opening of a new campus building in Hong Kong in May 2023 and our plans for major investment in our Sunderland campuses.”
Following the lease signing, Alan Hardie, Director of the University of Sunderland in London, said “Our future move to the new campus is a demonstration of the University of Sunderland in London’s continued success. The larger site will provide an enhanced studying, teaching, and working experience for students and staff, positioning us for a further decade of success in widening participation and life-changing educational opportunities.”
University of Sunderland in London Students’ Union President, Oluwatosin Solarin, said: “In addition to the enhanced learning facilities, our new campus is set to offer students much more room to collaborate and socialise - a space we can make our own. We look forward to working closely with the University as the project develops.”
Based in the Canary Wharf area, the University of Sunderland in London offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses on a range of subjects, including Business, Tourism, Nursing and MBAs. Ranked as a Top 50 university in the Guardian University Guide 2024, the University provides life-changing experiences for its students. 