Becoming a partner of the University of Plymouth

Information on how to become one of our higher education partners
Becoming a partner of the University of Plymouth

Collaboration helps provide opportunities for students, research and business development that no one institution can provide alone.

The University of Plymouth has a long tradition of working in partnership with other institutions to deliver Higher Education opportunities. We welcome proposals from the UK and internationally to extend our range of partnerships.

Working in partnership is part of our institutional DNA at the University of Plymouth. Starting with local collaborations in the 1970s, academic partnerships now account for more than one-third of the University’s students and provide a significant contribution to research and business development activities.

We work with higher education (HE) partners (colleges, commercial, non-profit and specialist organisations) in the UK and internationally who share our ambitions, values and aspirations and for UK institutions, who are OfS registered. Our vision of collaboration is a two-way process providing mutual support to enhance opportunities for students, research and/or business development.

We don't require an exclusive relationship to become a partner institution. We believe that partnership arrangements should reflect the shared and unique mission, situation and strategic direction of both institutions. Academic Partnerships works to ensure that both the University and partner institutions gain an acceptable return on investment on collaborative work - which allows for high quality delivery and on-going investment.

Exploring potential partnerships

We receive a wide range of requests to establish collaborative higher education partnerships. If you're interested in developing a relationship with the University of Plymouth, please follow the relevant link below to find the information, documents and processes that will inform your application.
We operate various types of partnership model here, including:

  • Co-designed and co-delivered awards
  • Accreditation of awards designed by partners, with a contribution to the delivery from the University of Plymouth
  • Accreditation of awards designed and delivered by partners, with no access to University of Plymouth resources or systems. This is commonly used with specialist or niche providers and large scale or long-standing higher education delivery institutions.
The University provides a typology for these arrangements, which you're advised to consider as a basis for pursuing any collaborative venture.


First steps

We've designed the initial enquiry templates below to help you, as a potential partner, identify institutional compatibility with the University. They provide an outline of the type of evidence we'd use to assess and prioritise potential partnership development. These documents are required to allow a range of staff can consider your initial proposal. Therefore, we generally do not engage in phone enquiries prior to receiving this information.
When you contact us about a potential partnership, it'd be helpful if you outlined a narrative and supporting documentation indicating:
  • how your current HE activity or provision relates to the criteria outlined in the enquiry template
  • how your future HE aspirations relate to this profile.
If you feel there isn't a complete match with the criteria, please indicate plans and timescales over which you'd anticipate a closer match being achieved.

Articulation and progression partner

Articulation and progression agreements are designed to build strong partnerships and coordination between the University and the partner institution

Developing articulation and progression agreements to allow your students to progress to the University

Further information