Leeds Beckett University (LBU, formerly Leeds Metropolitan University and Leeds Polytechnic) is a public university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, with campuses in the city centre and Headingley. The university’s origins can be traced to 1824, with the foundation of the Leeds Mechanics Institute. Leeds Polytechnic was formed in 1970, and was part of the Leeds Local Education Authority until it became an independent higher Education Corporation on 1 April 1989. In 1992, the institution gained university status. The current name was adopted in September 2014.
After the Further and Higher Education Act came into effect in 1992, the Polytechnic became Leeds Metropolitan University, with the right to award its own degrees. In 1998, the university merged with Harrogate College, establishing the Harrogate campus until 2008 when the college left the university and merged with Hull College. In 2008 the university petitioned the Privy Council to be renamed "Leeds Carnegie University"; however, this was eventually dropped.[8] In 2009 a partnership with the University of North Florida was established to begin a student and faculty exchange programme.[9] The university also has an agreement with Bradford College by which it validates degrees for the college.