The University of Bolton (formerly Bolton Institute of Higher Education, Bolton Institute of Technology or simply Bolton Institute) is a public university in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It has approximately 6,000 students and 700 academic and professional staff. Around 70% of its students come from Bolton and the North West region.
The university is a member of the North West Universities Association, Universities UK and Million+.
As well as offering research opportunities, Masters and PhD degrees, it is known for its vocationally focused and industry-relevant taught degree programmes. Its courses include Business and Media programmes.
The Guardian ranks the University of Bolton in the top 50 universities in the United Kingdom [24] and within top 5 based on students’ satisfaction with teaching.
The Times states: “The university is not research-driven, but engineering, architecture and the built environment, social work and social policy all contained some ‘world-leading’ research in the 2008 assessments”.[25] The Times made this statement despite the fact that The Times ranking favors research driven universities.
In November 2014, it became the first University in the North West to become a Living Wage employer.
On 17 February 2016, it was announced that the University of Bolton would become the principal shirt sponsors of the Manchester Giants basketball team for the 2016 season. On 2 April 2016, the University of Bolton became again the sponsors of the Bolton Wanderers, in an agreement which was initially planned to last until Summer 2016.