London South Bank University

London South Bank University (LSBU), located in Elephant and Castle, London, is a public university with a history dating back to 1892 when it was founded as the Borough Polytechnic Institute. Originally established to provide practical education in trades and industrial skills to the local community, LSBU has evolved significantly over more than a century. It achieved university status in 1992 and adopted its current name in 2003.

The university’s main campus is situated in a triangular area bordered by Borough Road, London Road, and Southwark Bridge Road. It retains the original Borough Polytechnic building and operates additional sites including a satellite campus at Havering, with a central Croydon campus planned to open in 2021. LSBU is structured into seven schools covering a broad range of disciplines: Applied Sciences; Arts and Creative Industries; Built Environment and Architecture; Business; Engineering; Health and Social Care; and Law and Social Sciences.

Throughout its history, LSBU has undergone numerous mergers and expansions, integrating several colleges and institutions to broaden its academic offering. It has maintained a strong commitment to vocational and practical education, rooted in its founding mission to promote industrial skills and general knowledge. The university has also expanded its international partnerships, particularly with institutions in China, establishing collaborations and the first Confucius Institute for Traditional Chinese Medicine.

LSBU has received recognition for its entrepreneurial activities, being named Entrepreneurial University of the Year in 2016 by the Times Higher Education Awards. Its teaching quality has been rated Silver in the Teaching Excellence Framework assessments. The student body primarily comprises residents of London, especially from surrounding boroughs such as Southwark, Lambeth, Lewisham, Croydon, and Newham.

London South Bank University (LSBU) is a public university located in Elephant and Castle, London, within the London Borough of Southwark. Its name is derived from its proximity to the South Bank of the River Thames. The institution traces its origins to 1892 when it was established as the Borough Polytechnic Institute. It gained university status in 1992 under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 and was renamed London South Bank University in 2003.

The origins of LSBU date back to the late 19th century. In 1888, Edric Bayley, a solicitor and member of the London School Board, formed the South London Polytechnics Committee. The committee included prominent figures such as the Lord Mayor of London, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Salisbury, Lord Rosebery, and Sir Lyon Playfair. Their efforts resulted in securing pledges from the Charity Commissioners to match public funds up to £200,000 for the establishment of polytechnics in South London.

A public appeal successfully raised sufficient funds by 1891 to found polytechnics at Battersea and Borough Road in Southwark, the latter becoming the Borough Polytechnic Institute. In 1890, the former buildings of Joseph Lancaster's British and Foreign School Society were acquired to house the new institute. The South London Polytechnics Institutes Act of 1890 established the governing structure and objectives of the Polytechnic, which focused on promoting industrial skills, general knowledge, health, and well-being of young men and women, as well as providing instruction for prospective emigrants.

On 30 September 1892, the Borough Polytechnic Institute was officially opened by Lord Rosebery, with a mission to educate the local community in a range of practical skills. The Polytechnic adopted a seal based on the Bridge House emblem of the City of London and the motto “Do it with thy Might” from Ecclesiastes. Its curriculum reflected local trades such as leather tanning, typography, metalwork, electrical engineering, laundry, baking, and boot and shoe manufacture. In addition, courses in art, science, elocution, literature, and general knowledge were offered. Public lectures by figures including George Bernard Shaw, J. A. Hobson, Henry M. Stanley, and Ralph Vaughan Williams were held.

The National School of Bakery and Confectionery opened within the Polytechnic in 1894, starting with 78 pupils. During royal occasions, such as Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and King Edward VII’s Coronation in 1902, the Polytechnic’s buildings were opened to sightseers.

Edric Hall was constructed in 1908, funded by a donation from Edric Bayley, alongside the Lancaster Street extension, which added new bakery rooms, a gymnasium, workshops, and established the triangular campus site.

In 1911, a set of seven murals titled "London on Holiday" were commissioned to decorate the student dining room. Artists such as Roger Fry, Duncan Grant, and Frederick Etchells contributed to this series, which was later sold to the Tate Gallery in 1931.

During the First World War, the Polytechnic contributed to the war effort by manufacturing munitions and gas masks, while also offering courses for military personnel. Post-war, the institution embraced the National Certificate system, and by the 1920s began offering engineering courses to women. Printing classes were moved to Morley College.

Leadership changes included J. W. Bispham’s appointment as Principal in 1922, succeeding C. T. Millis. A rebuilding programme included a new façade for the Borough Road building. Student numbers increased significantly, reaching over 8,600 by 1927. The Duke of York officially opened the new buildings in 1930. Dr D. H. Ingall became Principal in 1933, and the Polytechnic acquired sports grounds in Dulwich.

The Second World War caused extensive damage to the campus, with a third destroyed or damaged during the Blitz. Southwark endured seven bombings, and its population halved. The Polytechnic’s Trade Schools were evacuated to Exeter, and despite repeated bombings, the institution continued providing meals to the homeless in Southwark.

Following the war, British painter David Bomberg taught art at the Polytechnic from 1945 to 1953, forming the Borough Group of artists. The Polytechnic was designated a Regional College of Technology in 1956, with Dr J. E. Garside appointed Principal. Vivian Pereira-Mendoza succeeded him in 1965. The 1960s saw the addition of the National College Wing (1961), extension buildings, and a Tower Block (1969), officially opened by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

In 1970, several institutions merged with the Polytechnic, including the Brixton School of Building, the City of Westminster College, and the National College of Heating, Ventilating, Refrigeration and Fan Engineering. This merger led to the formation of the Polytechnic of the South Bank. The new institution adopted a coat of arms featuring two Thames barges above a pentagon surrounded by five other pentagons. An official designation service took place in 1971 with Margaret Thatcher as guest speaker.

The Wandsworth Road site opened in 1972, housing the Faculty of the Built Environment, the largest of its kind in Europe at the time. The London Road building opened in 1975 to accommodate business courses and the library. In 1976, further mergers brought the Battersea College of Education and parts of the Rachel MacMillan College of Education into the Polytechnic.

South Bank Technopark opened in 1985 on London Road. In 1987, the institution was renamed South Bank Polytechnic. That year also saw the founding of the British Youth Opera, based at the Polytechnic’s Southwark campus. Pauline Perry, Baroness Perry of Southwark, became Director and oversaw the Polytechnic’s transition into a university.

By 1990, the Polytechnic was accredited to offer Research Degrees. Further mergers occurred in 1991, including the Central Catering College and South West London College. In 1992, the Polytechnic was granted university status, changing its name to South Bank University. The centenary of the institution was celebrated that year with the marketing slogan “the University without Ivory Towers.” Gerald Bernbaum became Vice-Chancellor in 1993. In 1995, Redwood College of Health Studies and the Great Ormond Street School of Nursing merged with the university, resulting in satellite campuses at Havering and Whipps Cross, which later closed in 2011.

Deian Hopkin served as Vice-Chancellor from 2001, during which the Wandsworth Road site was sold. The university adopted the name London South Bank University (LSBU) in September 2003 and opened the Keyworth Centre. Martin Earwicker became Vice-Chancellor in 2009, coinciding with the opening of the Grimshaw-designed K2 building on the Southwark campus. K2 houses the School of Health and Social Care and the Centre for Efficient and Renewable Energy in Buildings (CEREB), and includes skills laboratories for nursing students.

Subsequent campus developments included a new Student Centre in 2012, an Enterprise Centre in 2013, and Elephant Studios media centre in 2016. Dave Phoenix was appointed Vice-Chancellor on 1 January 2014.

In 2014, a poster and stand erected by the South Bank Atheist Society were removed by university officials during Fresher’s week due to claims of religious offence, drawing criticism from the British Humanist Association.

LSBU sponsors the University Academy of Engineering South Bank, which opened in 2014 in Camberwell, offering education to students aged 11–19. Discussions of a merger with Lambeth College are ongoing.

The main campus of London South Bank University is situated in a triangular area bordered by Borough Road, London Road, and Southwark Bridge Road, just north of Elephant and Castle. The original Borough Polytechnic building is located on Borough Road. In addition to this primary site, the university maintains a smaller satellite campus at Havering and had plans to open a central campus in Croydon in 2021. LSBU is organised into seven schools: the School of Applied Sciences, the School of Arts and Creative Industries, the School of the Built Environment and Architecture, the School of Business, the School of Engineering, the School of Health and Social Care, and the School of Law and Social Sciences. In 2021, the university discontinued admissions for courses in history and human geography.

Notable historical figures associated with LSBU include David Bomberg, whose artworks are displayed at the university and in the Tate Gallery.

LSBU maintains partnerships with institutions worldwide, including in the UK, Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Asia. It collaborates closely with Chinese universities such as Beijing Institute of Technology, Hunan University, and others. In 2007, LSBU established the first Confucius Institute for Traditional Chinese Medicine.

In 2025, LSBU ranked 114th nationally in the Complete University Guide, 59th in the Guardian league tables, and 100th in The Times/Sunday Times rankings. Globally, it ranked between 801–850 in QS World University Rankings and 601–800 in Times Higher Education rankings.

In 2016, LSBU was named Entrepreneurial University of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards. The university earned a Silver rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework assessments in 2017 and maintained this rating in 2023.

Around 70% of LSBU’s UK student body consists of London residents, primarily from Southwark, Lambeth, Lewisham, Croydon, and Newham. International students constitute approximately 12%, hailing from over 130 countries. Ethnic minorities represent 56% of the student population, and over 80% are mature students aged 21 or over at course commencement.

London South Bank University offers a wide range of courses across its seven academic schools, designed to provide practical knowledge and skills aligned with industry requirements. The university’s academic structure includes the School of Applied Sciences; School of Arts and Creative Industries; School of the Built Environment and Architecture; School of Business; School of Engineering; School of Health and Social Care; and School of Law and Social Sciences.

Within the School of Applied Sciences, courses cover subjects such as biological sciences, chemistry, physics, environmental science, and forensic science. The School of Arts and Creative Industries offers programmes in areas including graphic design, fashion, media, music, and performing arts, aiming to prepare students for creative sectors.

The School of the Built Environment and Architecture provides education in architecture, civil engineering, surveying, town planning, and construction management. These courses focus on the technical and regulatory aspects of the built environment, preparing students for professional practice.

The School of Business offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in business management, accounting, finance, marketing, human resource management, and international business. The curriculum is designed to equip students with practical skills and an understanding of global business environments.

The School of Engineering delivers courses in mechanical, electrical, electronic, and civil engineering, as well as telecommunications and computer engineering. These programmes emphasise technical proficiency alongside problem-solving and innovation.

Health and social care education is provided by the School of Health and Social Care, which offers nursing, midwifery, social work, public health, and healthcare management courses. The school maintains close ties with healthcare providers to support clinical placements and practical training.

Finally, the School of Law and Social Sciences covers law, criminology, social policy, psychology, and related subjects. It prepares students for careers in legal, social, and public service sectors. In 2021, LSBU discontinued admissions for history and human geography courses.

London South Bank University (LSBU) is ranked among UK universities in several national and global league tables. In the 2025 Guardian University Guide, LSBU is placed 59th nationally and ranks 4th among modern universities in London. Several of its degree programmes have achieved notable positions, including forensic science at 3rd, economics and mental health nursing at 6th, and nutrition and food science at 13th. Other courses such as media and film studies, general nursing, mechanical engineering, and chemical engineering also appear within the top 20 in their respective categories.

According to the Complete University Guide 2025, LSBU is ranked 114th in the UK, while the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide places it at 100th nationally. These rankings take into account factors such as teaching quality, student satisfaction, research, and graduate prospects.

On a global scale, LSBU is positioned within the 801–850 band in the QS World University Rankings 2025. The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2025 places LSBU in the 601–800 range internationally. Subject-specific global rankings by THE place LSBU in the 401–500 range for clinical and health sciences and psychology, and in the 801–1000 range for engineering.

London South Bank University (LSBU) has a strong record in graduate employability. According to the latest available data, approximately 85% of LSBU graduates are employed or engaged in further study within six months of completing their course. The median starting salary for these graduates ranges between £24,000 and £27,000 per year.

LSBU's emphasis on practical, career-focused education is reflected in its partnerships with over 1,000 employers and its provision of work placements, internships, and apprenticeships. The university's Careers Hub offers tailored support, including CV advice, interview preparation, and job search assistance, to help students transition into the workforce.

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