We were initially linked to Canterbury College and welcomed our first intake of students way back in 1880.
In 1896, when agriculture had become well established as the mainstay of New Zealand’s exports, we separated from Canterbury College and became Canterbury Agricultural College, with our own governing body and the ability to award degrees through the University of New Zealand.
In 1961, we were officially renamed Lincoln College, becoming a constituent college of the University of Canterbury.
In 1990, we formally separated from the University of Canterbury and became the self-governing national university that we are today.
For more information, visit our Living Heritage – Tikaka Tōku Iho website, which contains an online history of the people, events, and community that have been associated with us since our inception.
