STUDENTS moving to Hereford to study at the city's new university will bring diversity and vibrancy, one of the top bosses has said.

The new university will finally open its doors next month, with the first students arriving in the city as soon as next week.

Up to 50 students would study at the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering in Hereford’s Blackfriars Street during its first year, with tuition and accommodation costs paid for by benefactors of the university.

Most would be staying at the student flats in Station Approach, shared with Hereford College of Arts students, and final numbers would not be known until the clearing process finished ahead of the Monday, September 6, start.

James Newby, NMITE’s chief operating officer, said the opening had been a long time in the making, with the date already pushed back on a number of occasions, but excitement was growing as the day neared.

Mr Newby said NMITE could have had more students on the first three-year Master of Engineering course, but delays caused by Covid affected plans.

“We’re pretty content we’ve the sized cohort that we always sort of planned for the first one,” he said.

“We always had a number of around 50 for our first cohort, and it has bounced around a little with all the uncertainty relating to Covid, which has impacted our opening plans.

“That number bounced up and bounced down, and I think we’re probably going to end up around that 50 number.”

He said students moving to Hereford would bring diversity and vibrancy, as well as a boost to the local economy.

He said the impact would be small in the first year as the university and city grew, and it wouldn’t be “distorted or disruptive” during early days as the city needed to “adapt” and grow to manage a higher number of students.

The full impact would not be felt for a generation, Mr Newby said.