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| Motto | For the Common Weal |
|---|---|
| Type | Public university |
| Established | 1993 From: • Glasgow Polytechnic (1971) • Queens College (1875) |
Academic affiliation | EUA,ACU,Universities UK,Universities Scotland,Florence Network,Talloires Network |
| Endowment | £0.43 million (2020)[1] |
| Chancellor | Anne-Marie Imafidon[2] |
| Principal & Vice-Chancellor | Steve Decent |
Administrative staff | 1,600 |
| Students | 21,965 (2023/24)[3] |
| Undergraduates | 14,560 (2023/24)[3] |
| Postgraduates | 7,405 (2023/24)[3] |
| Location | , Scotland |
| Website | gcu |
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Glasgow Caledonian University (abbreviatedGCU;Scottish Gaelic:Oilthigh Chailleannach Ghlaschu[4]), is apublic university inGlasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of The Queen's College, Glasgow (founded in 1875) and Glasgow Polytechnic (originally Glasgow College of Technology (GCT), founded in 1971).[5]
It is located in theCowcaddens district, just to the immediate north of thecity centre, and is Glasgow's third university, after theUniversity of Glasgow and theUniversity of Strathclyde.
In June 2017, the university's New York partner institution, which was founded in 2013, was granted permission to award degrees in the state, the first higher education institution founded by a foreign university to achieve this status.[6] In June 2023, GCU noted that they planned to sell their New York campus as it had not lived up to its potential.[7][8] On 31 July 2024, it was announced thatIE University had acquired Glasgow Caledonian New York College and would be renaming it IE New York College.[9][10]
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The university traces its origin fromThe Queen's College, Glasgow (founded 1875), and theGlasgow College of Technology (founded 1971). The Queen's College, which specialised in providing training indomestic science, received the royal accolade of being named afterQueen Elizabeth II in itscentenary celebrations in 1975. Queen Elizabeth was, herself, patron of the college since 1944.[11] Glasgow College of Technology (which changed its name toGlasgow Polytechnic in 1991), which was one of the largestcentral institutions in Scotland, offered externally validated degrees and diplomas in engineering, science, and the humanities: the first of which was aBA in Optics, followed by degrees in Social Sciences (1973) and Nursing (1977).[12]
On 1 April 1993, the two institutions amalgamated to form Glasgow Caledonian University. The new university took its name fromCaledonia, the poetic Latin name for present-day Scotland. The main campus of the university is built on the site of the formerBuchanan Street Station, built by theCaledonian Railway.
Independent research carried out in 2015 revealed that the university contributes over £480M toScotland's economy each year with the quantifiable lifetime premium of a one-year class of graduates estimated at £400M, bringing the university's total annual economic impact to around £880M in Scotland alone.[13][unreliable source?]
In July 2018,Annie Lennox was installed as GCU's first female chancellor, taking over the role fromNobel Peace Prize laureateMuhammad Yunus.[14] She was succeeded by entrepreneur and computer scientistAnne-Marie Imafidon in February 2024.[15]Stephen Decent is theprincipal and vice-chancellor of the university, appointed in 2023.
The university'scoat of arms is the work of university academic and artist Malcolm Lochhead and draws on four elements from the coat of arms of the university's predecessor institutions. The oak tree (ofSt. Mungo's legend) and the Book of Knowledge were borrowed from the arms of Glasgow Polytechnic while thesaltire ermine and the crossed keys (intended to represent the "unlocking" of the Book of Knowledge) were taken from the arms of The Queen's College. A visual feature was added to the new arms with the illuminated capital letters in the Book's paragraphs reading:GCU (the three-letter abbreviation of the university's name). The coat of arms wasmatriculated by theLord Lyon King of Arms and is inscribed into university degreeparchments. The university's motto: "for the common weal", which has been adopted since 1975, features in the full design of the arms.[16]
GCU's main campus is located in theCowcaddens area of the city, with most of the buildings dating back to the early 1970s and the construction of the Glasgow College of Technology over the former site ofBuchanan Street railway station. GCU also operated out of Queens College' former campus in theWoodlands area of the city on Park Drive, but this was sold to the University of Glasgow in 2001 and everything consolidated on the Cowcaddens site.
In September 2013 the university founded Glasgow Caledonian New York College, which is an independent partner institution whose Wooster Street campus is based in the city's SoHo district.[17]
GCU London is the second campus, specialising in Insurance, Banking and Finance, Risk Management, International Fashion Marketing, Luxury Brand Marketing, Public Health and Construction Management. It is home to theBritish School of Fashion. Based in Fashion Street,Spitalfields, the centre offers a range of MBA and MSc courses. GCU London opened in September 2010 and it is reportedly the first Scottish university to open a base in London.[18][19] GCU London offers the UK's first MBA in Luxury Brand Marketing.[20]
GCU's IT, engineering and construction experience is housed within the School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment.[21] The school is composed of eight departments:
The school's links with industry include the £1.2M Doble Innovation Centre for On-Line Systems, which works on diagnostic test instruments and expert consulting and knowledge exchange services for the electric power industry.[citation needed] GCU is also a partner in five of the Scottish government-funded collaborative innovation centres which bring knowledge from higher education institutions to solve real-world business challenges – these are DataLab, the Digital Health and Care Institute, Construction Scotland Innovation Centre, Oil and Gas Innovation Centre and CENSIS (sensors and imaging systems).[citation needed]
The school performs research into built environment and connections with industry leaders in growing markets such as games design. The school also has a Centre for Climate Justice, which is involved in policy relevant research for development, teaching and learning, and broadening knowledge in the area of climate justice.
The Glasgow School for Business and Society brings together disciplines in business, law and social sciences, teaching and research in fashion, tourism, risk management, finance and multimedia journalism.
The school leads the university-wide delivery of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRiME), aUnited Nations Global Compact-backed initiative which places social responsibility, ethics and sustainability at the top of the agenda for training future leaders. GCU became a PRiME signatory in January 2012 and is a founding member of the UK and Ireland PRiME Chapter.
GCU is a member ofBusiness in the Community (BITC) Scotland and school students and staff manage the Work Ready Action Programme (WRAP), which sees students mentor school pupils from the Glasgow area.
In 2015, the school's 10 BA Business Programme Set and its MSc International Fashion Marketing Programmes achieved the EPAS accreditation, becoming the first institution in Scotland and one of only 69 recognised worldwide.[citation needed]
It is designated a centre of excellence by theChartered Institute for Securities and Investment and is the only business school to offer triple-accredited degrees in financial services.[citation needed] The school is also home to theMoffat Centre, one of the world's university research centres in tourism and travel.
The school is composed of the following seven departments:
The School of Health and Life Sciences is one of Scotland's largest research and teaching centres in health care and life sciences;[22][23] Scotland's only provider ofoptometry training; and home to an eye clinic, based on campus. GCU is ranked in the Top 20 in the UK for allied health research at world-leading and internationally excellent standards.[24] The school is, since 1993, Scotland's only designatedWorld Health Organization Collaborating Centre (WHOCC) for Nursing and Midwifery Education, Research, and Practice.[25] It is also home to the Scottish Ambulance Academy; the only educational establishment in the UK to be formally endorsed by theCollege of Paramedics and certified by theHealth and Care Professions Council, providing professional training forparamedics on behalf of theScottish Ambulance Service.[26] September 2017 saw the first intake of the BSc Paramedic Science course, the first direct-entry undergraduate paramedic course available in Scotland. The school is composed of the following eight departments:
By statute,[27] the university maintains two internal institutions: the University Court and the University Senate. TheUniversity Court is the supreme governing body of the university and is composed of a number of 'governors', statutory mandated with overseeing its overall strategic direction and appointing both the chancellor and the principal (and vice-chancellor) of the university. The university's principal and vice-chancellor and the president of the Students' Association areex officio governors of the Court. TheUniversity Senate, on the other hand, is statutory tasked with the overall planning, co-ordination, development and supervision of the university's academic affairs. University degrees and fellowship as well as academic honours and distinctions are awarded by and in the name of the Court, with the advice of the Senate. The current chair of the Court is Rob Woodward[28] and the Senate is presided over by the university's principal and vice-chancellor, currently Stephen Decent.
GCU offers academic programmes in all of theScottish Funding Council funding groups but medicine, dentistry and teacher education. The 2008 Research Assessment Exercise gave the university an 'internationally recognised' research profile in a multitude of disciplines. Over 70% of the university's research submissions were judged as being internationally recognised and 30% were deemed world-leading or of international excellence.[29] In 2015, theQAA awarded the university its highest judgement for academic standards, whilst praising the university's innovative academic approaches.[30] In 2013, GCU was awarded the HR Excellence in Research Award by theEuropean Commission, in recognition of its commitment to the development of researchers.[31] This has been retained in 2015 following its two-year review.
According to the Research Excellence Framework, GCU is the top modern university in Scotland by research power.[citation needed] The university's social policy research impact at world-leading levels has ranked GCU as in the top 10 in the UK.[citation needed]
The university has three university-wide institutes that engage in cross-disciplinary research:The Institute for Applied Health Research, which carries out research on a range of health-related topics;The Institute for Sustainable Engineering and Technology Research, which carries out research on a range of disciplines aimed at minimising impact on the environment; andThe Institute for Society and Social Justice Research, which carries out research on the topics of citizenship and participation, crime and justice, and gender and economy.
The university also has research centres including The Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health, the Centre for Climate Justice and the Women in Scotland's (WiSE) Economy Research Centre.
| National rankings | |
|---|---|
| Complete (2026)[32] | 85 |
| Guardian (2026)[33] | 104 |
| Times / Sunday Times (2026)[34] | 36 |
| Global rankings | |
| QS (2026)[35] | 1001–1200 |
| THE (2026)[36] | 801–1000 |
Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) has been ranked in the world's top 150 young universities by the Times Higher Education's 200 under age of 50 Rankings 2017[37]
GCU is the top modern university in Scotland for research power (REF 2014 rankings).[38]
According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) UK Performance Indicators in Higher Education, GCU has a completion rate of 80.9 per cent, above the sector average of 80.6 per cent for Scotland.[39]
97% of GCU graduates are in work or further study six months after graduation, according to HESA.[40]
The Times Higher Education 2018 UK Student Experience survey named GCU as the second most improved university in the UK for student experience, up from 99th to joint 67th.[41]
It is also a member of theAssociation of Commonwealth Universities, theEuropean University Association,Universities UK,Universities Scotland, theFlorence Network, theTalloires Network, theErasmus+ Programme, and the Santander Universities Network.
The Magnus Magnusson Fellowship, named in honour of former University ChancellorMagnus Magnusson, is an intellectual group based at the university and comprises leading international figures from a variety of backgrounds.[42] The fellowship meets annually to debate and agree action on issues of major concern to society, both locally and globally. It holds an annual lecture that alternates between Glasgow, London, andReykjavík (Magnusson's birthplace).
Muhammad Yunus gave the inaugural Magnusson Fellowship Lecture in 2008 and was formally inducted as one of the first cohort of fellowship members.
Fellowship members includeWill Hutton (Magnusson Fellow, 2010), formerPresident of IrelandMary Robinson (Magnusson Fellow, 2011), andRenata Salecl (Magnusson Fellow, 2012).
Glasgow Caledonian University is one of only two universities in Scotland to meet the Scottish Government's Commission for Widening Access target, which requires students from deprived areas to make up 20 per cent of entrants by 2030.[43]
The university has been working with the Caledonian College of Engineering (now the National University of Science and Technology, Oman) since 1996 and offers its largest programme of transnational education there to undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The university has a history of interaction withSouth Africa and a number of its leading figures. It was the first university to awardNelson Mandela anhonorary doctorate upon his release from prison in 1990 in recognition of his leadership during theanti-apartheid movement.[44][45] In accepting the honour, Mandela asked the university to offer support for reconstruction and development in South Africa and the university developed in this regard several projects to assist in research and training at a number of South African universities.[45] Mandela officially received the honorary degree in June 1996 at a special ceremony inBuckingham Palace,[46] and suggested the renaming of the university's Health Building after his close associate,Govan Mbeki, who was imprisoned in the cell next to him onRobben Island. The Govan Mbeki Building was officially inaugurated by Mbeki's son,President Thabo Mbeki, in June 2001 and a specially-commissioned portrait of Nelson Mandela was unveiled that year at the Building's foyer by Mandela's wife,Graça Machel.[45] The university is also home to two significant scholarly collections on South Africa: the Anti-Apartheid Movement in Scotland Archive and the George Johannes Collection. In 2012, GCU began designing and developing work-based programmes inrailway operations management forTransnet Freight Rail, South Africa's largest freight rail organisation.[47]
The university is an active member of theUniversity of the Arctic.[48] UArctic is an international cooperative network based in the Circumpolar Arctic region, consisting of more than 200 universities, colleges, and other organizations with an interest in promoting education and research in the Arctic region.[49]
The Caledonian Cultural Fellows Initiative was set up in 2009 with the aim of enhancing university cultural life and promoting cultural engagement with wider community.Liz Lochhead, theScots Makar, is the current honorary president of the fellowship, whose membership includes writerAnne Donovan, poet and novelistJackie Kay, and artist Toby Paterson.[50]
The Caledonian Club is a social and community engagement initiative involving staff and students coaching young people and their families in advancing their learning and life skills, while university-based researchers carry out long-term analysis into the process as part of a wider university research agenda intolife-long learning. In 2011, the Club developed a project named 'The Tale of Two Sporting Cities', with the aim of engaging cultural exchanges betweenprimary schools in Glasgow and London and assessing the sporting and cultural legacy of the2012 London Summer Olympics and the2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.[51]
Glasgow Caledonian University Students' Association (GCUSA) is thestudents' association of Glasgow Caledonian University. It represents and enables Glasgow Caledonian University students to enhance all aspects of their student experience.[52] It is located in the Students' Association Building on the Glasgow Campus and has an office atGCU London.[53] All Glasgow Caledonian University students are automatically admitted to its membership upon matriculation.
In 2011, the Association was awarded the coveted title of Students' Union of the Year byNUS Scotland.[54]
The Students' Association runs sports clubs and societies such as,student magazine The EDIT,[55]student radio station Radio Caley,[56] active lifestyles programme and an events programme.[57] At a national level the Students' Association is affiliated to theNational Union of Students (NUS) which lobbies and campaigns for students at a Scottish and UK level.
GCU holds its annualgraduation ceremonies during the summer and autumn and itsacademic attire is made by robe-makerEde & Ravenscroft. Under the university's academic dress code, the wearing of the customarymortar boards is disallowed, as it is not part of the official academic attire that consists ofgowns andhoods only, individual to each award conferred.[58] Graduates traditionally receive their degrees at graduation ceremonies by being "capped" on the head with the Chancellor's hat, in a gesture that signifies the Chancellor's authority and status within the university.[59] Thepostnominals for university graduates are prescribed with the abbreviationGlasCal.[60]
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