The Royal Charter and Statutes of the University College of the West Indies were approved by the Privy Council on December 22 , 1948. The original of the Charter, that is, Letters Patent passed under the Great Seal of the Realm, was issued on January 5, 1949. Unfortunately, while being transported to Jamaica on board the B.S.A.A. aircraft, Ariel Star, it was lost when the plane disappeared over the Atlantic. The University Archives holds the Charter and Statutes of the University of the West Indies issued on August 25 , 1974. The Charter is available for viewing under Archives Accession No.MA98.34

The College Becomes a University

A new royal Charter constituting and founding the University of the West Indies as a degree-granting University was passed under the Great Seal of the Realm on April 2, 1962 with Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, as the first Chancellor and Philip Sherlock as the first Vice-Chancellor.

The College gained University Status just as the Federal Government was collapsing, remaining, a regional institution and a force for West Indian unity.