Founded in 1899 at a time of ferment in political and educational ideas, Ruskin College aimed to provide university-standard education for working class people to empower them to act more effectively on behalf of working class communities and organisations such as trade unions, political parties, co-operative societies and working men's institutes.

Our ethos remains the same. We’re committed to providing learning that transforms individual lives and societies.

Ruskin students have frequently gone on to work in education, in social work and social care, in the media, in trade unions, in management and in politics. A large proportion of our students progress to the next levels of higher education, here at Ruskin or within other institutions - including many of our most famous universities.