University Centre Rotherham (UCR)

Name

University Centre Rotherham (UCR)

Legal name

University Centre Rotherham

Website

https://ucr.rotherham.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Junior Colleges (61121)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Community Colleges (Transfer + Workforce) (EDAHADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Undergraduate Teacher Education Colleges (EDAHAFAA), Cooperative Education (Co-op) Technical Universities (EDAHAEAF)

Keywords

• Higher education courses
• Degree apprenticeships
• Foundation degrees
• Vocational qualifications
• Adult education

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotherham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Full-time Tuition Fees: Full-time undergraduate and higher education courses charged at annual tuition rates. Students can apply for Student Loans Company tuition loans with repayment threshold of £25,000 per year.
2. Part-time Tuition Fees: Reduced fees for part-time students studying around work and family commitments.
3. Higher and Degree Apprenticeships: Apprenticeships where employers sponsor education and students earn while learning with no university fees charged to students.
4. Commercial Training: Collaboration with local employers for commercial training courses and professional development programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

University Centre Rotherham (UCR) is a higher education institution that delivers degree-level qualifications (HNCs, HNDs, Foundation Degrees, Bachelor's and Master's degrees), Access to Higher Education pathways, Higher and Degree Apprenticeships, Higher Technical Qualifications, HN Flex modular programmes, and commercial/employer training courses. All qualifications are validated by partner universities (Sheffield Hallam, University of Hull, University of Huddersfield), and instruction is delivered at a purpose-built £10.5m Rotherham campus and across RNN Group college locations in South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire.

Product overview

University Centre Rotherham (UCR) is a higher education institution offering a portfolio of vocational-focused degree and higher-level qualification programs. The core offerings include Higher Education courses (HNCs, HNDs, Foundation Degrees, Bachelor's, and Master's degrees), Access to Higher Education pathways, Apprenticeships (Higher and Degree Level), and flexible learning options (HN Flex). Courses are offered across departments including Accounting and Business, Animal Management, Arts and Graphics, Caring Professions, Computing and Digital, Construction, Education, Engineering, Esports, Hair and Beauty, Media/Moving Image/Photography, Performance, and Protective Services. All qualifications are accredited by partner universities (Sheffield Hallam, Huddersfield, Hull). UCR also participates in the South Yorkshire Institute of Technology (SYIoT) for STEM-focused technical education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RNN Group: Parent organization comprising Rotherham College, North Notts College, Dearne Valley College, and University Centre Rotherham.

Products and services

• Higher Education Courses (HNC, HND, Foundation, Bachelor's) Degree-level courses (HNCs, HNDs, Foundation Degrees, Bachelor's) across Accounting, Animal Management, Arts, Caring Professions, Computing, Construction, Education, Engineering, Esports, Hair and Beauty, Media, Performance, and Protective Services. Validated by Sheffield Hallam, University of Hull, and University of Huddersfield. Designed for school leavers and mature learners in South Yorkshire.
• Access to Higher Education Foundation qualification enabling students aged 19+ without traditional qualifications to progress to Higher Education programmes.
• Higher and Degree Apprenticeships Earn-while-you-learn apprenticeships where employers sponsor employee education, with no university fees charged to apprentices. Designed to bridge local skills gaps in South Yorkshire.
• Adult Skills Courses Courses for adults to acquire or enhance workplace skills in response to changing employer demands.
• Professional Courses Short courses enabling learners to gain new skills and industry-recognised qualifications for career development.
• Commercial Training Courses Bespoke training delivered in collaboration with local employers to address workforce-specific development needs.
• Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) Specialist technical qualifications co-developed with employers and delivered by industry experts, focused on skills in demand by regional employers.
• HN Flex Flexible route to Higher Education enabling students to select individual modules to suit their needs and area of choice, supporting working adults and part-time learners.
• Master's Degree (MA Education and Professional Development) Level 7 postgraduate degree for educational practitioners, designed for graduates already working in educational settings.

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% of students satisfied with teaching staff support - 10% above national average (National Student Survey 2023-2024)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• South Yorkshire Institute of Technology (SYIoT)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Employer-led STEM education partnership launched September 2023 with £21m government funding. One of 21 IoTs nationally. RNN Group is one of six education providers alongside Barnsley College, DN Colleges, Sheffield College, Sheffield Hallam, and University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre. Collaboration with 5,000 regional employers to improve technical skills.
• Sheffield Hallam UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary validation partner for degree programs. Validates and awards undergraduate and postgraduate degrees delivered at UCR. Part of the university's commitment to widening participation and accessible higher education in South Yorkshire.
• University of HullcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerValidation partner for degree programs including computing, engineering, and other vocational courses. Awards degrees delivered through UCR.
• University of HuddersfieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerValidation partner for various undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. Awards qualifications for UCR programs.
• HeppSY+minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigher Education Progression Partnership South Yorkshire Plus. Provides graduate intern workshops on student finance and student life for prospective HE students.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Wakefield College: West Yorkshire further education college delivering HE, professional courses, and apprenticeships. Comparable HE-in-a-college model targeting similar mature and school-leaver segments as UCR.
• Chesterfield College: Neighboring post-16 college in the East Midlands offering higher education and apprenticeship pathways. Competes for mature learners and apprenticeship candidates in the South Yorkshire / North Derbyshire belt adjacent to UCR's catchment.
• Leeds City College: Large Yorkshire further education group offering higher education, HTQs, and apprenticeships. Comparable scale and product mix to UCR's RNN Group parent, serving a similar regional employer and learner base.
• New College Doncaster: Doncaster-based further education provider with HTQ and apprenticeship offerings. Operates in the same South Yorkshire HE/skills market and competes with UCR for apprenticeship and adult learner enrollments.

Direct peers

• Hugh Baird College: Merseyside-based college offering higher education, apprenticeships, and HTQs with a comparable locally-anchored, lower-cost college-HE model. Useful UK peer for benchmarking UCR's positioning and unit economics.
• The Sheffield College: Major South Yorkshire further education college offering HE, apprenticeships, and HTQs. Fellow SYIoT partner; directly overlaps UCR's product portfolio and shares the same RNN Group / regional employer ecosystem.
• DN Colleges Group (Doncaster College): South Yorkshire-based college group delivering higher education, apprenticeships, and HTQs. Fellow SYIoT partner with UCR and competing for the same regional LE/post-16 student pipeline into higher-level qualifications.
• Barnsley College: South Yorkshire further education college that also delivers higher education and is a fellow SYIoT partner alongside UCR. Comparable in offering affordable, locally-accessible HE validated by partner universities to the same regional employer base.

Broad incumbents

• Sheffield Hallam University: Major post-92 university that validates UCR's degrees and is itself a large provider of regional HE. Overlaps in subject areas, employer relationships, and the South Yorkshire student pool, though it operates at substantially larger scale.

Others

• HeppSY+ (Higher Education Progression Partnership South Yorkshire Plus): Regional outreach partnership working to widen HE participation across South Yorkshire. Already a named UCR partner; comparable in mission to broaden access to higher education for under-represented student groups.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/university-centre-rotherham

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about University Centre Rotherham (UCR)