The establishment of the University of Warwick was given approval by the government in 1961 and received its Royal Charter of Incorporation in 1965.
In October 2007, the student population was over 16,646 of which 7009 are postgraduates. 20% of the student body comes from overseas and over 125 countries are represented on the campus. The University has 29 academic departments and over 50 research centres and institutes, in four Faculties: Arts, Medicine, Science and Social Sciences. The University hosts two HEFCE Centres for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CETLs): CAPITAL and Reinvention.
The new Medical School took its first students on an innovative 4-year accelerated postgraduate programme in September 2000. Since 2007 the University has been empowered to award its own medical degrees.
rom its beginnings, the University has sought to be excellent in both teaching and research.