London Southbank University

London South Bank University

Former names	Borough Polytechnic Institute (1892-1970), Polytechnic of the South Bank (1970-1987), South Bank Polytechnic (1987-1992)
Type	Public
Established	1992 (university status) 30 September 1892 (Borough Polytechnic Institute)
Chancellor	Richard Farleigh
Vice-Chancellor	David Phoenix
Administrative staff	1,700
Students	17,605 (2015/16)
Undergraduates	12,620 (2015/16)
Postgraduates	4,985 (2015/16)
Location	Southwark, London, England, United Kingdom Coordinates: 51°29′53″N 0°06′06″W / 51.49814°N 0.10154°W / 51.49814; -0.10154
Campus	Urban
Website	www.lsbu.ac.uk

London South Bank University (LSBU) is a public university in Newington, London. It has 17,605 students and 1,700 staff, and is based in the London Borough of Southwark, near the South Bank of the River Thames, from which it takes its name.

Founded from charitable donations in 1892 as the Borough Polytechnic Institute, it absorbed several other local colleges in the 1970s and 1990s, and achieved university status in 1992. LSBU is a post-1992 or new university. The current Chancellor is investor Richard Farleigh and Vice-Chancellor is David Phoenix.

LSBU was founded in 1892 as the Borough Polytechnic Institute. It has since undergone several name changes, becoming the Polytechnic of the South Bank in 1970, South Bank Polytechnic in 1987, South Bank University in 1992 and London South Bank University in 2003. The University has also merged with a number of other educational institutions.

In 1888, Edric Bayley, a local solicitor and member of the London School Board, set up the South London Polytechnics Committee whose members included the Lord Mayor of London, Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Salisbury, Lord Rosebery and Sir Lyon Playfair. The Committee was successful in persuading the Charity Commissioners to pledge to match whatever could be raised from the public, up to the sum of £200,000 to establish polytechnics in South London. A public meeting at Mansion House kick-started the public appeal and by 1891 enough money had been raised to establish polytechnics at Battersea and at Borough Road, Southwark, now LSBU.