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Facts and figures

The University of Plymouth in numbers

Teaching excellence

Research rich

@ Top UK university for Marine and Ocean Engineering (ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2019)
? Almost 2/3 research ranked either World-Leading or Internationally Excellent in 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF)
) #1 nationally for clinical medicine research output (REF 2014)
C We're in the top 50 Research Fortnight Power List
@ A two-time winner of the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, most recently in 2012 for marine and maritime expertise
A European Commission HR Excellence in Research Award

Sustainable university

H Accredited Fairtrade University since 2009 and 75% increase in sales of Fairtrade in 2014-2015 since 2012-13
> Five Green Gown Awards since 2011, including three in 2014
' One of just six institutions internationally to receive a Global Showcase award from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
( Drake’s Place £1.4 million restoration project of the gardens and reservoir completed in 2014, receiving Green Flag award in 2015
' The House and Marine Station building projects most recently opened are BREEAM Excellent (an environmental assessment method rating system for buildings)
2 Zero waste to landfill in 2015/16
( We have over 290 bicycle parking spaces on campus
@ Our Students' Union has NUS Green Impact ‘Excellence Outstanding’ status
' Achieved ISO 14001 accreditation for all our operations on the Plymouth campus since 2009

University of Plymouth: the facts and stats

A 20,000 students
A 2,900 staff
* £249m annual turnover
* £24m contracting with local businesses
, Founded in 1862 as the School of Navigation, the University of Plymouth is now the UK's 15th largest university
< 80 partnerships in over 30 countries
( 13,000 off-campus students enrolled on the University of Plymouth degrees
' £155m invested in the campus over the past eight years, including The Marine Station, The House and The Health and Wellbeing Centre
( We are the key partner in the South West Peninsula City Deal – potential to create 10,000 jobs
4 We oversee a £100m network of business support facilities, including incubation, innovation and science park infrastructure
< An alumni community with more than 135,000 graduates in 135 countries
@ 58% of academic staff are PhD qualified
+ The first and only post-1992 university to launch its own medical and dental school
' National lead: Social Enterprise University Enterprise Network
A Top 50 employer, ranked third best employer in the education sector, behind only the University of Cambridge and University of Oxford, 2016
' Best Bar None Silver Award for our Students' Union

Latest awards and accreditations

More related news

Awards in detail

Queen's Anniversary Prize

In 2012 we were awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize in recognition of our worldwide reputation for marine and maritime education and research.

One of the most prestigious awards in UK Higher Education, it was presented to Professor Wendy Purcell, President, University of Plymouth by the Queen at a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

We're also one of the few universities to have won the award twice, after winning the Queen's Anniversary Prize for widening access to education in rural communities in 1994.

Social Enterprise Mark

The University of Plymouth became the first university in the world to be awarded the Social Enterprise Mark, in recognition of our long-standing support for the sector. The award demonstrates our social value to the wider world and community, and is testament to the commitment, energy and vision that we pride ourselves on.

Stonewall Diversity Champions

In September 2013 we were proud to join the acclaimed Stonewall Diversity Champions programme, Britain's good practice employers’ forum on sexual orientation. This partnership means that as a university we receive one-to-one advice from Stonewall’s workplace team, and benefit from an extensive network of over a hundred high-profile employers.