The University of Plymouth (informally known as Plym or UoP) is a public university in the English city of Plymouth. The university has over 30,000 students, and offers undergraduate degrees in over 200 subjects. It also has numerous postgraduate courses and research programmes.
Plymouth was one of the first universities to be established in the UK, and can trace its roots back to 1823. It was originally known as the School of Navigation, and later became part of the University Marine Biological Station at Dartmouth. In 1862 it was granted a royal charter as the Devon School of Art, and changed its name to Plymouth College of Art in 1896. In 1902 it merged with two other colleges to form the Municipal college of Technology, which was renamed Plymouth Polytechnic in 1965. The Polytechnic gained university status in 1992 following the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, becoming the University of Plymouth in 2001.
The main campus is located on plymouth Hoe overlooking Plymouth Sound, with a number of other sites around Plymouth including: Drake Circus Shopping Centre; Portland Square; Rolle Street; Roskear; Saltash Passage; Sharpham Park; Tamarside Community Campus; and Derriford Hospital site – all within easy reach by bus or train from central Plymouth . There are also several smaller campuses across Devon , Cornwall , Somerset and Dorset . These include: Brixham Maritime Museum ; Buckfastleigh Torr Quarry ; Dartington Hall Estate ; Eggbuckland Community College ; Ivybridge Community College ; Launceston College ; Liskeard Hillfort ; Marjon Sports Centre (also known as ‘The Range’); Newton Ferrers Marina ; Okehampton Outdoor Centre (also known as ‘the base camp’); Seale-Hayne Agricultural College near Ashburton , Devon . All these sites are accessible via public transport links from central Plymouth .
The University’s main campus is situated on historic Hoe overlooking beautiful views of both town centre & waterfront including Smeaton’s Tower lighthouse & National Marine Aquarium . There are many places nearby to eat & drink or take a break between lectures including cafes inside Roland Levinsky Building & Student Union building plus outdoor seating areas around campus with stunning sea views . If you want something more substantial then there are plentyof restaurants & takeaways just a short walk away from campus too! For shopping there is Drake Circus shopping centre just 10 minutes walk away where you will find high street stores such as Topshop , Primark , H&M etc plus lots more besides!