[4] The university derives from Robert Gordon's Hospital, an institution set up in the mid-18th century to provide the poor with a basic education and reasonable start in life, and the various educational institutions which developed in Aberdeen to provide adults with technical, vocational and artistic training, mostly in the evenings and part-time.

The purpose of Robert Gordon's Hospital was "the Maintenance, Aliment, Entertainment and Education of young boys whose parents are poor and indigent... and to put them to Trades and Employment".

Boys were taken in between 8 and 11 years old and received food, accommodation and a basic education including English, Latin, writing and arithmetic.

[5] Meanwhile, in the early 19th century, the Industrial Revolution led to a greater need for scientific and technical education for working-class adults, with Mechanics' Institutes spreading through Scotland, patterned on that founded by George Birkbeck at Glasgow (he would later found Birkbeck College, the University of London's night school).

The Aberdeen Mechanic's Institution opened in 1824 providing evening classes in subjects such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, book-keeping, maritime navigation and art.

[5] By the end of the 19th century, Robert Gordon's College was a major provider of technical education, receiving large government grants.

The day school for boys continued as Robert Gordon's College, and the two institutions shared a campus, buildings and until 1981, a Board of Governors and administrative staff.

[5] During the 1920s, the first Ordinary and Higher Certificates and Diplomas were awarded, and by the 1930s Robert Gordon's Technical College was made up of Schools of Engineering, Chemistry, Maths & Physics, Pharmacy, Art (including architecture), Domestic Science, and Navigation.

Around this time the first students began to be prepared for external degree examinations – for the University of Aberdeen's BSc in engineering.

In the closing years of World War II, candidates started to be prepared to sit exams for external degrees of the University of London, in subjects such as Chemistry and Engineering, but only via part-time and/or evening classes.

The architect Tom Scott Sutherland, purchased Garthdee House in 1953 and subsequently donated it and the estate in 1955 for a new school of architecture.

The institute's first CNAA degree programmes began in pharmacy in 1967, then in engineering, chemistry and physics in 1969, and expanded at undergraduate and postgraduate level to all disciplines.

In 1981, the separation of the Board of Governors and administration staff from Robert Gordon's College was completed, although the school and Institute continued to share some buildings.

Beginning in the 1970s, the institute also began to provide consultancy and training for the North Sea oil industry, particularly in engineering and offshore safety and survival.

As new Garthee facilities were completed, the majority of these previous campuses were sold as land for housing development (such as at Kepplestone and King Street), while City Centre facilities that were no longer required were often sold to Robert Gordon's College, with the sale proceeds paying for the expansion and new construction at Garthdee.

In 2010, RGU gained international attention for awarding an honorary degree to controversial American businessman Donald Trump.

[8][9] In December 2015 the university's then Principal, Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski, announced he was reviewing the honorary degree and expressed his alarm at statements made by Donald Trump.

RGU publicly stated: "In the course of the current US election campaign (2016), Mr Trump has made a number of statements that are wholly incompatible with the ethos and values of the university.

[11] In May 2018 an internal probe was launched after an anonymous whistleblower noted that RGU's newly appointed Vice-Principal for Commercial and Regional Innovation, Gordon McConnell, was co-director with Principal Ferdinand von Prondzynski in Knockdrin Estates Limited,[12] a non-trading micro-company holding von Prondzynski's family castle and estate.

[15] The inquiry found that whilst the Principal failed to declare this link at the time of Gordon McConnell's appointment, it also expressed the view of the board that he did not deliberately conceal any information.

[16] The finding led to a letter of resignation from another of the three Vice-Principals, Paul Hagan, who condemned RGU for failing to punish the pair,[17][18] stating that this damaged the institution.

For much of its history it was a greenfield site, with parts used as the gardens and estate of the Victorian manor of Garthdee House, farmland, and open meadows.

The building at Schoolhill is situated next to the Aberdeen Art Gallery and Robert Gordon's College, a private school which is no longer affiliated to the university but shares a common heritage and motto.

[36] The university's logo and corporate identity make frequent use of the colour purple and the "Gordon" font, all of which appear extensively on campus signage, printed material and online.

The first Student Representative Council was organised at Robert Gordon's Technical College in 1931, with activities such as sports clubs and societies following in the 1940s.

In 1969, the shop and bakery next to Gray's School of Art (now the ONE Tech Hub) on Schoolhill came on the market and were purchased by Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology.

[40] RGU:TV produces regular videos about campus events, topical issues and student life and distributed them online through a YouTube channel.

[5] They have received architectural acclaim by critics and are included in Prospect magazine's list of the 100 best Scottish modern buildings.

Facilities include a 25m pool, various gyms with extensive facilities for cardiovascular training and resistance training (including free weights), a large sports hall (also used for exams), climbing wall, numerous fitness classes, physiotherapy, podiatry and sports massage.

[43] Students can obtain a gym membership free of charge and staff and graduates of the university receive a discount on use of these facilities.