Shaping the future of Barrow

Shaping the Future of Barrow

Overview

In line with our Towards 2030 strategy, it is our long-term, strategic intent of being a university in and for Barrow.

We will continue to break down barriers and create new opportunities to address the skills need of county and region, and align to the significant role Barrow-in-Furness has in the UK’s infrastructure.

Our University of Cumbria Barrow campus has been developed in partnership with Furness College, BAE Systems, Westmorland & Furness Council and other local businesses.

The campus signifies the benefits and value of higher education for learners, businesses and the area. Transforming the educational landscape, the campus will offer opportunities for local people and learners who want to progress to higher education. The university campus will help upskill and reskill the workforce now and in the future.

The university campus is part of a Barrow-wide programme of seven innovative projects funded by UK Government under the #BrilliantBarrow Town Deal. Together, they will transform the Barrow area and ensure it thrives as a great place to live, work and study.

Our campus is supporting Barrow’s economic, skills, cultural and social future development, expanding people’s understanding of the town’s vital role in the UK’s future plans for growth, security, and public services.

Covering 2.76 hectares, our University of Cumbria Barrow campus welcomed its first students on site in September 2025.

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Impact

With its famed submarine and maritime skills and expertise, Barrow is one of the UK’s most significant advanced manufacturing centre and one of the country’s key industrial locations.

We and our partners - including those within Brilliant Barrow and Team Barrow - have shared ambitions. Namely, to grow and develop to meet the needs of the region and those who live, work and study in it and ensure that Barrow has the infrastructure in place so that the town can meet the future skills needs of employers.

As part of the Barrow Learning Quarter, our University of Cumbria Barrow campus will allow for a joined-up approach from secondary education into employment, further and higher education.

The Barrow Learning Quarter will improve prospects for those, particularly young people, growing up in the area, helping to increase the numbers entering higher education and seeking careers.

It will transform educational outcomes of the future and help retain young Cumbrian talent and graduates with much-needed high-level skills for our region.

Our academics have been working with partners in the area to identify and co-create a range of university-level and degree programmes for learners that are inclusive and accessible for all. The first programmes focus on undergraduate opportunities to study Mechanical Engineering and Adult Nursing, with more to follow.

Together with our growing innovative research offering, Barrow will also benefit from our expertise and programmes in postgraduate and Continuing Professional Development (CPD), particularly in areas such as health, supply chain and logistics, and Project Management.

Design

Inspired by its location and links to Barrow’s history, the campus design incorporates a two-storey building with curved roof line, reminiscent of the surface of a submarine.

With its waterside position overlooking Buccleuch Dock, the design incorporates glazing to maximise natural light into the building; social space and green infrastructure; and adaptable and specialist teaching spaces.