The university's origins can be traced to 1896 with the opening of the Royal Technical Institute, Salford, a merger of Salford Working Men's College founded in 1858 and Pendleton Mechanics' Institute founded in 1850.
The University's origins can be traced to 1896 when it opened as the Royal Technical Institute, Salford. This itself resulted from a merger of the Salford Working Men's College, which was founded in 1858, and Pendleton Mechanics' Institute which was founded in 1850.