Overview

The University of Plymouth is one of the largest universities in the UK, with over 23,000 students, including around 2,000 international students from over 100 countries, enrolled. It can trace its roots back to the Plymouth School of Navigation, founded in 1862 and was formally given full university status in 1992.

Plymouth was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2012 for its worldwide reputation for marine and maritime education and research and 11 subjects were recently rated among the top ten in the UK for student satisfaction. The city is also ranked 11th in the UK for most cost-effective places to study. Over 12,000 Plymouth students per year benefit from placements and work-based learning.

It is currently the only post-1992 university to have its own medical school, and has strong partnerships with other universities and institutions in the south west. Various departments have undergone much development in recent years, particularly the library and student union, faculties of Health and Education and Society and Marine Science. University of Plymouth programmes in Computer Science, Civil Engineering, Geography and Environmental Science, and Art and Design also rank highly nationally.

Services for International Students

The International Student Advice Service run orientation programmes at the beginning of the year as well as a meet and greet service from Heathrow Airport. Orientation covers the campus and departments as well as general information about the area and British culture. The School of Tourism runs a weekly Languages Café, where students can meet in an informal setting to talk with native speakers of different languages.

Ranking

• 59th in the Times University Guide 2021
• 53rd in the Guardian University Guide 2021

The University of Plymouth is ranked in the top 40 global modern universities according to the Times Higher Education ‘100 Under 50’, and is also a top green university in the UK, according to the latest People & Planet Green League.

The 2014 Research Excellence Framework classed the University as a top 50 UK research institution, and the output in Clinical Medicine was rated above powerhouses such as Oxford, Cambridge and UCL. Nearly two-thirds of research was graded as ‘world-leading’ or ‘international quality’.