The University of Westminster (informally Westminster) is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it is one of Britain's oldest higher education institutions and was the first polytechnic to open in the UK. The University's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent Street in the Westminster area of Central London, with additional campuses in the Fitzrovia, Marylebone and Harrow areas of London. The University also operates the Westminster International University in Tashkent in Uzbekistan and a satellite campus in Paris, France through the Diplomatic Academy of London. Westminster currently serves more than 20,000 students from 150 countries and offers more than five hundred course offerings and a broad range of research study options. These range from more than 150 Bachelor's degree combinations, and one-year intensively taught Master's degrees. MPhil and PhD degrees are also available in every academic department. Westminster had a total income of £171.25 million in 2009/10, of which £7.99 million was from research grants and contracts.