Universities renamed despite confusion concerns

The renaming of two universities in the north-west of England has prompted a backlash from other institutions in the area, who say they are concerned about potential confusion.

The University of Central Lancashire (Uclan), which is based in Preston, will change its name to the University of Lancashire.

Meanwhile, the University of Bolton is to be renamed the University of Greater Manchester.

The Office for Students (OfS), which is the independent regulator of higher education in England, approved both rebrands earlier.

However, the University of Lancaster, which is based 20 miles away from Uclan, said it was "disappointed" at the ruling after submitting "evidence pointing at brand confusion with the name, particularly among employers and international students".

The University of Manchester, based about 15 miles away from the Bolton institution, also described the latter's name switch as "very misleading and confusing".

Bolton Council leader Nick Peel had previously objected to the change in moniker, saying that keeping the town's name in the title should be "non-negotiable".

The OfS said it had received 1,885 responses regarding the proposed new name, of which 64% felt the University of Greater Manchester name would not be confusing.

Professor George Holmes, vice chancellor of the University of Bolton, said it had been "serving and operating in the whole area of Greater Manchester, not just one borough within it".

"Our commitment to Bolton is unswerving and we are committed to continue to be part of the fabric of the local community," he said.

But he said the university's governors had decided on the name change so they could "succeed with the due prominence that the new title will help to give".

Signage will change at Uclan's campuses in Preston, Burnley and West Cumbria and digitally - so prospective students can correctly find the institute through online searches - by September 2025.

The university's vice chancellor Professor Graham Baldwin said: "Locally the acronym Uclan is widely used but, for many outside the region, they don't know it is the title of a university nor where it is located.

"Changing our name allows us to better cement our brand position and build on our recruitment efforts both nationally and internationally."

With its employment-focused courses, Uclan is among the largest in the UK with about 38,000 students from across 100 countries.

It has been involved in pioneering research including the archaeological examination of human remains in Cumbria - dubbed the "oldest northerner" – and collaboration on the first image of the black hole at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy.

Founded as the Institution for the Diffusion of Knowledge in Preston in 1828, it has had six name changes including Harris College and Preston Polytechnic.

When the government granted degree-awarding powers to polytechnics in 1992, the then Lancashire Polytechnic became the University of Central Lancashire.

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