Abstract: Civic college,as a special form of higher education institution,was born in Britain in the 1850-80's Britain.In the early days, the mutual demand between a civic college and a city made them more and more closely linked,and there appeared an interactive mode in which the city had driven the development of the college and the college had served local economy.The services of a civic college to local area were seen in serving the development of local industries,which was the aim in running a civic college;in setting up practical courses that were closely integrated with local industries;in adopting flexible study methods and lower tuition fees to attract local students;in forming local industry-based research centers,and so on.The early development of the civic college can be used as reference for the orientation,enrollment and combination of production and research in the transformation and development of local undergraduate colleges and universities in our country.

Key words: Britain, civic college, local university, enlightenment, transition and development