The University as a charity

From incorporation in 1992 the University of Wolverhampton has been an exempt charity and since its earliest days in the mid-19th Century, the University and its forebears have had a purpose to provide the benefits of further and higher education to as many people in the community having the motivation and academic ability to do well.

The provision of such opportunities overall has public benefit in terms of contributing to the economic and social well-being of all the communities the University serves.

The University of Wolverhampton is a Higher Education Corporation incorporated under the provision of the Education Reform Act 1988. Section 124 of the Act confers the powers of the University to provide higher and further education, the conduct of research and anything necessary or expedient in the exercise of those powers.  Members of the Board of Governors are the Trustees of the University as an exempt charity.

The University is required to publish the following information on its website:

1.  The legal name and correspondence of the institution

Our legal name is: University of Wolverhampton
Our correspondence address is: University of Wolverhampton, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV1 1LY, United Kingdom

2.  The main constitutional documents of the institution

The constitutional documents of the University are:

Archived: Instrument of Government February 2017
Articles of Government.

Further information on the duties and powers of the University can be found here.

3.  The names of its trustees, together with relevant information, a list of charities of which they are trustees, disclosure of any payments made, related party transactions

The names of the University’s Board of Governors can be found on the membership pages, which are located here.

The University also publishes, on an annual basis, the list of charities of which Governors are trustees. This information is located here.

The University publishes the details of payments made to Governors in its consolidated financial statements. Please see section 4 below for the link to these statements.

4.  The full audited consolidated financial statements from 2009/10 onwards.

The University published full audited consolidated financial statements on an annual basis. These statements are located on our website here.

Benefits to the public

The Public Benefit derived from our mission may be summarised as follows, although these are illustrative examples and not an exhaustive list.

More information about the University’s public benefit can be found in the consolidated financial statements. Please see paragraph 4 above for the link to the current year’s financial statements.

Our mission

In setting the character and mission of the University of Wolverhampton within those powers, the Board of Governors have adopted the following mission statement:

"We are a learning community promoting excellence, innovation and creativity. We are committed to being:

  • An agent for social inclusion and social change
  • An arena for the development of ideas and critical thinking
  • A strategic force driving educational and cultural strategy for the City and the region
  • An educational hub supporting the economy through employment, entrepreneurship, creativity, knowledge transfer, research and development.

Through knowledge, innovation and enterprise we aim to transform the lives of those who engage with us."

 For further information please contact:  governance@wlv.ac.uk