We're always happy to show our love for our city. Discover some of the ways we're helping to improve the lives of our neighbours across Portsmouth and the wider region.

How we benefit the local economy

We employ over 2,700 staff, making us one of Portsmouth's largest employers, alongside the Royal Navy and Portsmouth NHS Trust.

In 2019/20:

This is what we did for the local economy

  • Generated £658 million in the Solent region and £505 million in Portsmouth, adding  £1.4 billion to the UK economy
  • Supported 8,800 jobs in the Solent region and 7,130 jobs in Portsmouth
  • Made a significant contribution to the tourism economy, adding £6 million value to the Portsmouth economy and £7 million in the Solent region, supporting more than 170 jobs

This is what our students added through spending, part-time and volunteering

  • £132 million and supported 3,510 jobs in the Solent region
  • £109 million and supported 2,900 jobs in Portsmouth
  • Generated £1 million in the Portsmouth and Solent region through student volunteering

All statistics taken from BiGGAR Economics' University of Portsmouth report, December 2021

How we're improving life in our city

Aerial view of Portsmouth

City life

  • Supporting Healthcare through the opening of the Dental Academy, and training physician assistants and nurses, reducing staff shortages in local health services
  • We’re a proud sponsor of Portsmouth Pride which aims to raise awareness through entertainment and community engagement
  • Established The Portsmouth Heritage Hub, a research network connecting researchers from the University with stakeholders in local sites of cultural and historical interest. Through this, we can enrich the community through preservation, conservation, interpretation and education about our rich and unique regional history
Investors laughing

Investment

  • Our own £400 million Estate Masterplan will also have a positive impact on life in the city, by bringing new developments into Portsmouth. These developments will be in line with the University’s environmental goals and new buildings will meet high standards of environmental sustainability
  • As a part of our Estate Masterplan, we have opened the five floor Future Technology Centre and Ravelin Sports Centre
Teacher helping students at computer

Access to education

  • Through student volunteering and working with schemes such as The Literacy Hub, we’re helping to improve the reading, writing and confidence of children from disadvantaged backgrounds and expand the diversity of our student intake – making higher education more attainable
  • Through The Literacy Hub, we’ve established Pompey Pirates, an after school literacy centre which opened in 2020 for children aged 9-13
  • Our Access and Participation Plan aims to smooth the transition to higher education and create an inclusive and welcoming community – improving progression routes to higher education and access to high quality university programmes
Student volunteering programme

Student volunteering

  • Our Dentistry students give free dental treatments to children across the city as part of our 'Brush UP' programme to tackle rising levels of childhood tooth decay
  • Our School of Law students provide free and impartial legal advice on everything from housing or debt problems to employment issues, through legal clinics. The clinics are overseen by a qualified solicitor and a manager from the Citizens Advice Bureau
  • In 2019/20, more than 2,300 of our students took on volunteering roles with local and national charities
  • Our students volunteer with local schools on schemes to improve literacy skills and encourage participation in sport

...and that's just for starters

We're doing plenty more and have great plans for our future and the future of our city. See for yourself in our University Strategy.