Croydon College has been granted permission to call itself a university centre.

The institute has offered university courses linked with the University of Sussex since February 2010 but has now been given permission to call itself University Centre Croydon.

The University of Sussex, ranked in the top 10 of UK universities, awards the majority of University Centre Croydon’s degrees so students can study locally in Croydon and receive a quality degree validated by the University of Sussex.

Principal and CEO Frances Wadsworth said: “This is a remarkable development for Croydon and the College and a wonderful opportunity for local people to gain access to affordable top quality higher education degrees.

“I am particularly grateful to Jon Rouse CEO of Croydon Council for the support that he and his officers have given and of course to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex, Professor Michael Farthing, for supporting this important step forward for the College.”

Plans are also being developed so increase the number of postgraduate courses offered by the partnership.

The Dean of University Centre Croydon, Jason Pemberton-Billings, said: “The College and Local Authority have ambitious plans to grow opportunity and attainment levels even further.

“The proportion of workers qualified to higher levels is recognised as a key asset in attracting large employers and achieving economic growth.

“Considerable progress has been made to improve this in recent years and Croydon is now above the Outer London average.

“The development of University Centre Croydon and the strong partnership with the University of Sussex will give even more local people the chance to achieve university level qualifications.”

An official launch will take place in the spring.