Association of Colleges

About Colleges:

Colleges provide a rich mix of academic and vocational education. As autonomous institutions incorporated by Act of Parliament they have the freedom to innovate and respond flexibly to the needs of individuals, business and communities.

There are currently 352 Colleges in England and 425 in the UK as a whole - these are listed below:

Number of Colleges in England by type (April 2010):

• 228 General Further Education Colleges (GFE)
• 94 Sixth Form Colleges (SFC)
• 16 land-based Colleges (AHC)
• 4 art, design and performing arts Colleges (ADPAC)
• 10 special designated Colleges (SD)

List of Colleges in the UK (April 2010):

•   352 Colleges in England 
•   22 Colleges and 2 FE institutions in Wales
•   43 Colleges in Scotland
•   6 Colleges in Northern Ireland

Other types of Colleges:

• Independent Specialist Colleges
  List of Natspec (Association of National Specialist Colleges) Colleges at March 2010:
    70 Natspec Colleges