The
University of Natal was a university in
Natal, and later
KwaZulu-Natal in
South Africa. The University of Natal no longer exists as a distinct legal entity as it was incorporated into the
University of KwaZulu-Natal on 1 January 2004. It was founded in 1910 as the Natal University College in
Pietermaritzburg, and expanded to include a campus in
Durban in 1931. In 1947, the university opened a medical school for non-white students in Durban. The Pietermaritzburg campus was known for its agricultural engineering programmes, hence the nickname "the farmers" whilst the Durban campus was known as "the engineers" as it concentrated on other engineering programmes.