This University can trace its origins back to Robert Gordon's Hospital, which was founded in 1750 as a residential school for boys in Aberdeen. In 1882 the Hospital became Robert Gordon's College and soon after began providing technical education to young people and adults in both day and evening classes. Gray's School of Art was founded and became part of the College, with the combined institution being awarded central institution status in 1903. The College was renamed The Robert Gordon Institute of Technology in 1965, before finally attaining university status in 1992 as the City of Aberdeen's second university.
Today, the University has more than 13000 students studying at two campuses; its original site located between Schoolhill and St Andrew Street in the city centre and a new campus at Garthdee on the outskirts of the city, which has been developed since 1998. Robert Gordon's has strong links with industry, its Aberdeen Business School being the largest provider of business and management education in the north of Scotland.
The University's links with the oil industry in particular are consolidated through the consultancy and training work of the industry-supported Offshore Management Centre within the Aberdeen Business School, and through the emergency response training provided by the University's commercial subsidiary, which also specialises in harsh environment medicine.