under the control of the Inner London Education Authority – part of the then Greater London Council and awarded the degrees of the former Council for National Academic Awards. Under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, the institution, a pioneer of widening participation and access to higher education, was granted university status and the right to award its own degrees. Following the merger with London Guildhall University, London Metropolitan University became the largest unitary university in Greater London.
The former UNL campus is now the Holloway campus and is located on Holloway Road, near Holloway Road and Highbury & Islington tube stations.
=== Dalai Lama Honorary Doctorate controversy ===
In May 2008, London Metropolitan University presented the 14th Dalai Lama with an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy, for "promoting peace globally". This move caused controversy among the Chinese public and the overseas Chinese community, who view the Dalai Lama as partly responsible for the 2008 unrest in Tibet. As a result, Chinese migration agents had been reported to "boycott" London Metropolitan University in advising clients who wish to study in the UK. The university's Vice-Chancellor, Brian Roper, in July sent a controversial public letter of apology to the Chinese Foreign Ministry via embassy officials. In an interview with the Global Times, a worker at a Chinese study abroad agency suggested that the university could repair the offence of the honours by refusing speaking platforms to Tibetan independence groups, such as the university's own "Free Tibet Society". The university has also faced criticism for offering free scholarships specifically reserved for students from the Tibetan exile community in India, Nepal and the West, in a case of non-merit "racial quotas".
=== Student numbers controversy ===
In July 2008, it was reported that a financial crisis was looming for the university. London Met had allegedly been misreporting data on student drop-outs for several years and, consequently, the Higher …
