Following changes in UK government policy towards further and higher education in the early 1970s, the college looked for partners to merge with and also sought to diversify its provision.

With the CNAA's demise in 1992, the college found itself once again accredited by the University of Southampton, resuming a partnership broken off 18 years earlier.

Paul Light, Principal from 2000, led the institution through the successful application for Taught Degree Awarding Powers in 2003 and a change of name to University College Winchester in 2004.

On Tuesday, 29 January 2013, His Royal Highness the Earl of Wessex officially inaugurated the new "state-of-the-art learning and teaching building, St. Alphege" at the University of Winchester.

[9] The Winchester Sports Stadium, which opened in 2008, cost £3.5 million and includes an Olympic standard 8-lane running track and supporting field events and an all-weather astro turf suitable for hockey and football.

The new buildings combine to form a new landscaped piazza space fronting the Sparkford Road entrance.

[11] In 2018, work began on the expansion of the West Downs campus, to include new lecture and exhibition spaces.

The main University Campus, King Alfred, is located close to the city centre of Winchester.

A smaller third section of the university, known as the Medecroft Quarter, is located just off the King Alfred Campus and contains extra learning facilities.

In 2013, the Kenneth Kettle building was converted into a social learning space and cafe known as Cyber Italia.

The facilities at Bar End include an Olympic-standard 400m eight-lane athletics track with supporting field events, an all-weather hockey and general sports pitch, floodlighting and an extended pavilion.

The initial completion date was set for 2019, and then early 2020; however, this was pushed back to the start of the 2020–21 academic year following the COVID-19 pandemic.

[12][13] For the 2022–23 academic year, a new eco-friendly store, The Pantry, was opened on the West Downs campus, accessible to both students and staff, as well as members of the general public.

A statue of the climate change activist Greta Thunberg was placed outside the building, but was moved to an internal courtyard in 2023.

Alfred's translation of Regula Pastoralis was instrumental in the pursuit to improve education in Anglo-Saxon England.

Winchester's academic structure consists of four faculties and a Degree Apprenticeship Programme, each home to teaching and learning in a wide-ranging variety of subject areas such as: Hugh Dennis is the current Chancellor of the university and was appointed in 2024,[15] succeeding Alan Titchmarsh who held the role between 2014 and 2021.

The Student Union is based in the University Centre and has a 550 capacity venue that includes the Vault nightclub, a cinema screen, three bars, one of which doubling as a cafe serving Costa Coffee during the day, and the main shop on campus.

BOP and Ctrl Alt Dlt are regular events held at the Vault during the semester, as well as seasonal club nights (Halloween and Christmas being popular examples), and a variety of smaller ones also taking place.

Winchester Student Union is home to the many societies and representational networks on campus, and it runs over 40 sports teams, including football, netball, hockey, the Rugby Union, Rugby Sevens, tennis and basketball teams.

[28] A variety of student accommodation is available across the University's campuses, and range from self-catered en-suite rooms to catered shared facilities.