The University has a distinguished heritage that can be traced back to the creation of the Hartley Institution in 1862.
A number of historic milestones that have defined the University's growth and development over the past 150 years.
In 1862 >
The University of Southampton was founded by Henry Robinson Hartley, the son of a Southampton wine merchant, who left his estate to the Corporation of Southampton. The grand opening of the Hartley Institution, as it was originally known, took place on 15 October 1862. Lord Palmerston, the Prime Minister at the time, performed the opening ceremony.
In 1902 >
Located in the Below Bar area of the city, the Hartley Institution developed into a College. On 23 November 1902, Hartley College was renamed Hartley University College. By 1919, it had outgrown its central city location and was relocated to the site now known as the Highfield Campus. Hartley University College started as a degree awarding branch of the University of London - the application for full University status was announced in 1949.
In 1952 >
On 29 April 1952, in the early weeks of the reign of HM Queen Elizabeth II, a Royal Charter was granted to the University of Southampton, which enabled the institution to award its own degrees. Six faculties were created: Arts, Science, Engineering, Economics, Education and Law. The first University of Southampton degrees were awarded on 4 July 1953, following the appointment of the Duke of Wellington as Chancellor of the University.
In 2002 +
The University celebrated its Golden Jubilee on 22 January 2002. By the time the celebrations started, Southampton had become one of the leading universities in the UK, with a reputation for academic excellence, attracting students and researchers from all over the world.
