Emphatically rejecting claims that the college was under threat of closure because of a lack of students applying for places, Jim Durcan said that the college's future and funding were both secure.

Reports that the college was in crisis were incorrect, said the principal, who said that he was confident recruitment targets would be met by the time courses began in September.

The college has many associations with the trade union and labour movement, with former students including John Prescott.

The college was seeking 180 full-time students, said Mr Durcan, and had already found 86, with three months to fill the remaining places. If these full-time places are not filled, Mr Durcan said the college will expand its provision of part-time courses, which would secure funding.

Ruskin specialises in courses for adults who otherwise would not have sufficient academic qualifications for university - and Mr Durcan said that his college was in part suffering from an overall downturn in applications from mature students.

The college has said that difficulties in recruiting adult students reflected a perception that higher education was becoming more expensive.

It has called upon former students to help encourage more people to apply for courses at Ruskin, saying that word of mouth was the best recommendation.

But when there were so many calls for lifelong learning for adults and there was a continuing expansion in places in higher education, there was a vital need for institutions such as Ruskin College, said Mr Durcan.

The college, now in its centenary year, has been traditionally associated with the trade union and Labour movements, providing higher education for adult students who otherwise would not have qualifications for university.

Among the college's former students have been many prominent figures in the Labour Party, including the present Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, and left-wing backbencher, Dennis Skinner.

However Mr Durcan says that much of the "mythology" surrounding Ruskin's left-wing connections is no longer accurate - only a small percentage of students now come through the trade unions.