The University of Birmingham was founded in 1900 and describes itself as England’s first civic university. Its charitable information page states that it is a corporate body created by Royal Charter in 1900 and an exempt charity, with the Office for Students as its principal regulator since 1 April 2018. Adam Tickell is Vice-Chancellor and Principal. It is a member of the Russell Group.
The university is organised into five colleges: Arts and Law; Engineering and Physical Sciences; Life and Environmental Sciences; Medicine and Health; and Social Sciences. A university report on its UK student body, using data as at 1 November 2024, says it has nearly 40,000 students. It has operated in Dubai since 2018 and moved to a purpose-built campus in Dubai International Academic City in 2022, with space for up to 3,000 students.