The University of Bristol - A place for Learning, Discovery and Enterprise

The University of Bristol is consistently ranked among the leaders in UK higher education. Research-led and with an international reputation for quality and innovation, the University has 14,000 students from over 100 countries, together with some 5,000 staff. In terms of the number of applications per undergraduate place, Bristol is the most popular university in the country.

The University was founded in 1876 and was granted its Royal Charter in 1909. It was the first university in England to admit women on the same basis as men, and continues to place equality of opportunity high on its agenda. It is located in the heart of the city from which it grew, but is now a significant player on the world stage as well as a major force in the economic, social and cultural life of Bristol and the region.

The overall quality of the University’s teaching emerged as ‘excellent’ from the rigorous, independent assessment process. Its record as a research institution is at least as distinguished, with 78 per cent of its departments judged as world class or internationally excellent. Furthermore, the University is recognised as a leading centre for the exploitation of knowledge through partnership with industry and the creation of spin-out companies.

The University is committed to working with its partners in the rest of Europe and the wider world. As well as promoting and creating opportunities for Bristol students to study abroad and for international students to study in Bristol, the University is an active member of a number of important international groupings, including:

• the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), an alliance of 13 research-led universities of international repute which are committed to working together to make the most of new research opportunities;
• the Coimbra Group, an integrated network of European universities of international standing which is highly respected at European Union level;
• the Santander Group, a network of European universities which aims to establish academic, social and cultural ties, in addition to setting up privileged channels of information and exchange.

The University’s vision for the future, reshaped following the arrival of the current Vice-Chancellor in 2001, puts the international dimension at the centre of its plans. In its research, its recruitment of students and staff, its dealings with industry and its overall approach, the University of Bristol will continue to think and act as a European and global institution.

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