University of Portsmouth named the UK's most affordable city for students in the Natwest Student Living Index 2016. On Friday 4 May 2018, the University of Portsmouth was revealed as the main shirt sponsor of Portsmouth F.C. for the 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. The history of the university dates to 1908, when the Park building opened as a Municipal college and public library. The focus was on chemistry and engineering. The roots of the University can be traced back even further to the Portsmouth and Gosport School of Science and the Arts. Shortly after in the year of 1911 a Student Union
University of the People announced that the University of the People was the winner of the 2013 ISIC Award. In August 2013, Microsoft launched its 4Afrika Scholarship program in collaboration with its 4Afrika Initiative and University of the People was the first participating higher-education institution. In 2014 University of the People gained accreditation for degree granting programs through the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), which is recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), and is approved by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE). In March 2016, the university began offering an online MBA,