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.