The university has a history dating back to 1839, when a School for training 'Masters' was set up at what is now the Chichester campus, known as the Bishop Otter college. In 1873, the campus became a training institute for women teachers. Men were later admitted to the college in the 1950s. The second campus, at Bognor Regis, was opened as an emergency teacher training institute immediately after the Second World War in 1946.
In 1977, the two colleges were merged to form the West Sussex Institute of Higher Education, with degrees being awarded by CNAA and later the University of Southampton. Between 1995 and 1999, it was known as Chichester Institute of Higher Education. It gained degree-awarding powers in 1999, becoming known as University College Chichester, and became recognised as a full university in October 2005.
