Newcastle will become the latest UK institution to open a base in the capital this September, offering full- and part-time courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with an ¡°initial focus¡± on business programmes.

The campus will be a joint venture with private partner INTO and will operate out of the company¡¯s premises near Liverpool Street station, where preparatory courses for City University London are already available.

INTO has an existing student centre at Newcastle¡¯s main Tyneside campus, which is home to 800 students.

The university said the London campus will offer ¡°specific programmes aimed at international students¡± and will also offer opportunities for Newcastle-based students to undertake projects in the capital.

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Chris Brink, the vice-chancellor, said the venture would complement the university¡¯s medical campus in Malaysia and partnership with the Institute of Technology in Singapore.

¡°Having a base in one of the most influential cities in the world will help reinforce Newcastle University¡¯s reputation for innovation and academic excellence,¡± he said.

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Space at INTO¡¯s London site had previously been occupied by the University of East Anglia, but that campus closed last September as part of what the institution described as an attempt to ¡°streamline its course offering¡±.

Last year UK universities¡¯ London branch campuses were the subject of an inquiry into allegations of visa abuse. But the Quality Assurance Agency, which was asked by the government to carry out the inquiry, found that the centres were ¡°well founded and effectively managed¡±.

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com