De Montfort to open London branch campus

Leicester’s De Montfort University has become the latest UK higher education institution to establish a London branch campus.

The outpost, which will be located in Whitechapel in the capital’s East End, will be home to three new postgraduate courses, which focus on sustainability management, responsible leadership and responsible data analytics. It will begin accepting students from September 2025.

Katie Normington, De Montfort’s vice-chancellor, said the expansion “marks a pivotal innovation” for the institution.

The move puts De Montfort in line with numerous other universities that have recently opened facilities in London. Last year the University of Portsmouth announced it was opening a new facility in Waltham Forest. It joined the likes of Loughborough, Coventry and Anglia Ruskin universities, which established London campuses throughout the 2010s.

London universities have also looked to utilise new opportunities to expand into facilities created at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, including UCL and the London College of Fashion, part of the University of the Arts London.

Such moves are seen as opportunities to attract international postgraduate students – which universities increasingly rely on for funding – and to establish fresh links with businesses and local areas.

However, they have also been criticised by staff members as “vanity projects” that divert large sums of money away from investment in home campus facilities and pay.

Professor Normington added that all staff at the new campus would undergo “sustainability training”, and carbon literacy will be part of the core curriculum for all students.

Teaching will be conducted via De Montfort’s block teaching model, under which students focus on one module intensively at one time, rather than following several simultaneously.

“We are empowering our students not only through classroom-based sustainability-focused learning but also through direct engagement with the [United Nations], industry partnerships, internships, networking opportunities, and practical experiences within London's thriving business community,” Professor Normington added.

De Montfort also has international campuses in Dubai, Kazakhstan and Cambodia.

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com