University of Buckingham in United Kingdom

Buckingham is unique. It is the only independent university in the UK with a Royal Charter, and probably the smallest with around 2,700 students (approx 1,600 on campus). Honours degrees are achieved in two intensive years of study. We keep class sizes small, with a student:academic staff ratio of 10.4:1 and the Oxbridge style tutorial groups are often personalised and always exhilarating.

The history of University of Buckingham is a interesting one.  It is the oldest of Britain’s independent universities. On 27 May 1967, The Times published a letter from Dr J. W. Paulley, which said, “Is it not time to examine the possibility of creating at least one new university in this country on the pattern of those great private foundations in the USA, without whose stimulus and freedom of action the many excellent state universities in that country would be so much poorer.” This idea was taken up by a number of people in the business and academic worlds and three London conferences followed, two in 1968 and one in early 1969

A suitable site was found in Buckingham and on 29 March 1973 the University College at Buckingham (UCB) was incorporated, in the form of a non-profit making company registered as an educational charity. The then Council of Management held its first formal meeting on 3 April 1973, with its foundation stone laid in May 1974. UCB was formally opened in February 1976 by the Rt. Hon. Mrs Margaret Thatcher, MP, as former Secretary of State for Education. It had 65 students.

The University of Buckingham was incorporated by grant of Royal Charter on February 11th, 1983 and became a registered charity (number 1141691) on May 4th, 2011. As of 2020, the University has a student population of 3300 students originating from more than 70 countries.

From the start, Buckingham was different. Throughout the history of University of Buckingham, there has been a desire to cultivate an institution that was rigorously independent in its thinking; while this ethos started by it’s founders remains, it has been supplemented by an emphasis on developing and delivering academic provision that is distinctive and distinguished and a student experience that is supported and strengthened by positive psychology.