Your time to explore, your place to thrive
Portsmouth is a university for you. And who you are about to become
Portsmouth is a great place to live and study. Here’s the proof.
1) Outstanding teaching
Portsmouth is known for providing consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for our students. You'll be taught by lecturers whose passion for their subject shines through in their teaching. Many of them carry out world-leading research in their field.
Others have a background in industry and remain active in their professions. They’ll help you develop skills, knowledge and connections.
Every student is assigned a personal tutor, who provides pastoral care and supports your academic and professional development. They’ll help you perform at your best.
2) Excellent student experience
You’re our number one priority and we put you first in all of our decision making. We want to make sure you have an excellent student experience and feel deeply connected to our university community. You’ll get outstanding teaching, excellent spaces for socialising and learning, and wide-ranging support. We also run a month-long programme of welcome events to help you settle into university life, make new friends, meet your lecturers, find your way around campus, and get to know the city. And you can attend social events throughout the year to keep you connected such as film and games nights, picnics, and quizzes.
We're also home to tonnes of societies and sports clubs – whatever you're into, you can do it here. And you'll meet like-minded people who share your interests and make friends for life.
3) Support every step of the way
Whatever support you need, we’re here for you at every stage of your university journey from the moment you start until years after you graduate. We want to help you achieve your potential and have the best university experience possible.
We offer support with health and wellbeing, academic skills, personal tutoring, disability advice, the library, IT and computers, maths, careers, accommodation, and student finance. We also give specific support to BAME students, LGBTQ+ students, care leavers, estranged students and people seeking sanctuary.
4) Exceptional career support
Your success is our priority. We focus on giving you the best chances and opportunities to excel in your career. Our highly-rated Careers and Employability Service (voted Top 20 in the UK on Student Crowd, 2021) will help you find work experience, placements and networking opportunities when you’re at uni and for five years after you graduate. That’s why 94% of our students are in work or further study 15 months after graduation (HESA Graduate Outcomes, 2019/20). If you’ve got an entrepreneurial spirit and want to work for yourself, we can help you set up your own business.
> Find out more about our careers, placements and startup support
5) A great place to live
Life as a student in Portsmouth is unbeatable. We’ve got beaches, great places to eat, heaps of independent shops and music venues, cultural and artistic hotspots, and stacks of green space. And we’re only 90 minutes by train from central London. Portsmouth is one of the most picturesque, welcoming and interesting places to live in the UK, and was voted the in the top 10 trending hotspots by Airbnb (2022). Everything you need to work, rest and play is waiting for you in Portsmouth.
6) Fabulous global opportunities
If you dream of seeing the world, we’ll give you the opportunities and skills to travel or work abroad. You can study in another country for a year on many of our degrees and you can learn a language for free while you’re here. We have over 4,000 international students from 150 countries, so you’ll meet people from all over the world. And you can join our annual Global Week to celebrate and learn about diverse cultures. Portsmouth is an international city with excellent road, rail and sea connections, so you’ll be on your journey overseas in no time.
We’re also recognised on the international stage. We’re rated 5 stars in the QS World University Rankings 2021, and we're one of the Top 150 Young Universities in the world (Times Higher Education, 2020).
Why choose Portsmouth?
Moving to Portsmouth isn't just about studying here. Find out more about what it's like to live here and what you can do outside of the classroom. Hear from University of Portsmouth students and locals about what they love about our vibrant seaside community on the south coast. From our proud naval heritage and bustling independent business scene to the cultural and music festivals that happen throughout the year.
Cerys Coppins When I first came to the open space Portsmouth, I instantly fell in love with it.
Imogen Deantiquis Spence It's got such a really friendly atmosphere. Even though it's a city is quite a small city, so it feels really welcoming and homely.
Andy Sheppard I think Portsmouth is very forward thinking.
Joanne Bushnell It's got a very independent spirit about it.
Antony Aguado With the waterfront, a historic dockyard, a really good mix of nationalities.
Lee-Anne Russell Half my friends are from Nigeria, the other half from places like Czech Republic, and it's very interesting to meet new people.
Steve Courtnell It's lots of cultural events as art galleries, as music venues.
Ben Wright There's a great restaurant scene, a great night life scene as well
Claire Alker There's always new things popping up, new restaurants, new art shops, new things so.
Gareth Beeston Entertainment activities in terms of lots of bars and restaurants and loads of cool places to eat.
Anthony Ferreria And then there's so many shows. You've got Kite festivals.
Gareth Beeston Food festivals.
Anthony Ferreria Big one that really helps the town is Victorious Festival and I think in the 10th year, next year.
Connie Fenner It is such a really lovely community.
Simon Docker And I think after you've been here a while, you feel part of the community.
Erin Murphy The mood is just unrivalled. You've got the beach. It's just a nice sense of community.
Megan Winstanley The community feel just makes you feel like you're at home away from home.
Rikki Parsons I think it's got a really good mix of independent businesses.
Luke Baly There's so many local independent businesses.
Daniel Nowland You can walk everywhere.
Samantha Worsey When the sun is shining. There is nowhere better than Portsmouth.
Holly Victoria Baker You're only ever 5 -10 minute walk away from the seafront.
Antony Aguado It's a very cosmopolitan city, it's got so much to offer.
Nehanda Roberts Commercial Road - you have the city centre in the hub where it's all lively.
Nathan Philpott Student nightlife is really, really good. You've got lots of nightclubs, lots of stuff to do.
Nehanda Roberts But then as soon as you come to Southsea, it's more of like a lazy seaside town. Like you get to go to the beach.
Samantha Worsey You just have to go down to the beach or the commons on a sunny day and everyone's having picnics. It's just beautiful.
Holly Victoria Baker Or you can enjoy the pubs and the clubs or the theatre on in the main city centre.
Nathan Philpott I love that kind of vibrancy of the city.
Lee-Anne Russell The weather is milder than other parts of England, so if you're someone who doesn't really want it to be cold, always, it's perfect here. It will rain, but it's still perfect.
Antony Aguado I think that it's the perfect place to come and study a degree.
Gareth Ncube I love it. I would highly recommend it for anyone.
Eliska Kohlertova It's a big enough city to not be afraid to express yourself, but it's also small enough to be heard.
See where a degree from Portsmouth could take you
We've told you all the reasons we know you'll love Portsmouth. Because these are the highlights our students rave about. Find out more in their own words...
Like what you see?
If you think that Portsmouth could be your new home, take a look at all our courses and find the perfect one for you.