[6] The university has also put an increasing focus on research quality, and as of 2022 more than three quarters of its academic staff hold a doctorate, the third highest rate in England.

Supported by a group of donors, its patron was leading Whig and large local landowner Sir John Ramsden.

Its aims were to instruct local mechanics and tradesmen in scientific principles relating to their work, through lectures and a circulation library, which by 1827 contained over 700 volumes.

The financial crisis of 1825–1826 led to the failure of the institution’s bankers, and it faltered and later became part of the Huddersfield Philosophical Society, an organisation with which its rules now more closely aligned.

A subscription library was founded, and classes were delivered in Reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar, geography, design and French.

The increase in student numbers prompted a move to Nelson's Buildings in New Street, and the renaming of the institution to more closely reflect its remit.

In March 1844 he organised a Soiree (tea party) for 700 at the town's Philosophical Hall, and in May a Rural Gala for 500 at Fixby Pastures.

Negotiations with the local railway company led to reduced fares into York for 300 membership to enjoy the cultural opportunities of the city.

[16] The continued prosperity of the institution during the 1860s has been attributed to two main developments – the demand for more technical and scientific education, and the introduction of an examination system by the newly formed national Department of Science and Art.

A new building was constructed on what it today the ring road called Queensgate that cost £20,000,[18] and was funded by the subscriptions of members and philanthropic supporters.

[18] One notable visitor to the college in 1964 was Dusty Springfield, who appeared at 'Sound Sixty-Four', an event organised by the Huddersfield Tech students as part of Rag Week.

[18] Several high-profile bands played the university's students' union during the late 1970s and early 1980s, including The Stranglers, The Jam and The Undertones.

[18] Former Prime Minister Harold Wilson returned to his hometown in 1983, the same year he stood down as an MP, to open a university building on Firth Street and to deliver a lecture.

An annual memorial lecture takes place at the university in his name, and notable speakers have included former Prime Ministers Gordon Brown in 2018 and Sir John Major in 2022.

[23] However, in 1994 he was forced to leave his post before the end of his contract, following a row over the removal of independently-elected representatives from the university's governing body.

[27] In May 2007, the university welcomed Queen Elizabeth for a visit to the campus, during which she unveiled the foundation stone for the new Creative Arts Building.

[34] A notable feature of the University of Huddersfield in recent years has been the amount of building work taking place on the Queensgate campus.

Other buildings were named for Edith Key, Joseph Priestley, the Brontë sisters and the university's own chancellor emeritus, Sir Patrick Stewart.

In a second round of renaming in 2017, other campus buildings were named in honour of Karen Sparck Jones, Dame Caroline Haslett, Sir John Cockcroft, and Charles Sikes.

The proposals were approved by Kirklees Council in 2020[41] and form part of the broader Huddersfield Blueprint project under which a series of redevelopment schemes are taking place throughout the town.

[49] Prince Andrew, Duke of York replaced Sir Patrick Stewart to become the university’s fourth chancellor in July 2015.

[55] He resigned in 2019 following a Newsnight interview concerned with his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and amid student protests against him; the student union had called for his resignation and issued a statement that the university's chancellor was "a man with ties to organised child sexual exploitation and assault.

[60] More University of Huddersfield academics, 262, were entered than in any previous cycle, and the proportion of world leading research submitted increased to 15%.

[61] The university also host the MIAMI facilities, a world-class laboratory addressed to materials sciences investigations and energy studies.

[78] Heritage Quay's collections focus on "education, British 20th/21st century music, sport, politics, theatre, and art and design".

Storthes Hall is situated in a parkland to the south of the town with 1,386 en-suite single, double or disabled bedrooms in shared flats of six to eight students.

[81] HudLets work with halls of residences and private landlords to ensure students have access to high-quality accommodation at a fair price during their studies.

[84] The Union is home to over 100 student-led Sports Clubs and Societies and five Student Networks helping members making change on and off campus.

Reports suggested the bar in the previous union building had been losing as much as £100,000 a year, with students instead choosing to drink at home or in other nearby pubs and clubs.

[92] The university has developed a significant association with the Royal family in recent years, in particular with the appointment of The Duke of York as patron in 2013 and then chancellor in 2015, although he later resigned in 2019.