University of Westminster

The University of Westminster has a history dating back to 1838, when Sir George Cayley opened the Polytechnic Institution at 309 Regent Street in London, the UK's first polytechnic, with the aim of opening education to people from all backgrounds. In 1881 the philanthropist Quintin Hogg took over the institution and rebuilt it as the Polytechnic, and it became the Polytechnic of Central London before gaining university status as the University of Westminster in 1992. Today the university teaches around 19,000 students from more than 160 countries, in the heart of London. It is known for media, arts and design, architecture, law, business, languages and the social sciences, and for its Westminster Business School and its School of Media and Communication, whose graduates work across the creative industries, journalism, politics and public life. The university has four campuses in London: Regent Street and Marylebone in the West End, Cavendish in Fitzrovia, and Harrow, home to media, arts and design. Its central London location puts students at the centre of one of the world's great cities, with its employers, cultural institutions and professional networks on the doorstep.