Oxford Brookes University (OBU; formerly known as Oxford Polytechnic) is a public university in Oxford, England. It is a new university, having received university status through the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. The university was named after its first principal, John Henry Brookes, who played a major role in the development of the institution.
Oxford Brookes University is predominantly based at a campus in Headington, Oxford. A second campus is located in Swindon. Two campuses located on the outskirts of Oxford, the Wheatley campus (originally Lady Spencer-Churchill College) and the Harcourt Hill campus, closed in 2024 and 2025 respectively, with all activities moving to Headington.
As of November 2021 the Brookes web site said that the institution had 16,900 students, 2,800 staff and over 190,000 alumni in over 177 countries. The university is divided into two faculties: the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Health, Sciences and Technology. Oxford Brookes University's partnership with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) allows ACCA students to earn a BSc (Hons) in applied accounting with the submission of a research and analysis project work while taking their ACCA examinations. The university also has schools of architecture and law. Brookes is a member of the University Alliance mission.
