Credit: Hugo Cadavez
News Editor
Student numbers at the University of Glasgow’s Dumfries campus have trebled in the last decade.
In 2007, the number of students on campus was 110. At the time, the site faced closure after incurring losses of £800,000 a year.
Figures recently revealed that a total of 340 students study at the Dumfries campus. Staffing levels have also increased from 30 to 46 since 2010.
Dr Carol Hill, head of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies in Dumfries, said: “In this beautiful part of the country the campus offers the best of both worlds: the benefits and resources of a large city university in a small and friendly setting.
“The School of Interdisciplinary Studies supports a growing community of research students in Dumfries and further afield.
“Our research has an impact regionally, nationally and internationally.”
The Dumfries site was formerly home to a mental hospital before welcoming its first University of Glasgow students in 1999. That introduction sparked controversy, with a community campaign opposing the move and gaining cross-party support.
Admissions to undergraduate courses closed in 2007 – however the then Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop announced a £1.5m funding package which allowed them to reopen the following year. Since then, there has been a steady year-on-year rise in student numbers.
