History, Affiliations & Ranking
Named among the United Kingdom’s top-tier universities, the University of Essex was established in 1963 and is located in Colchester, England. The public research university welcomed its first 122 students with a teaching staff of 28 in 1964 for the first academic year. It is one of the seven original plate glass universities established between 1961 to 1965. Its motto "Thought the harder, heart the keener" is borrowed from the Anglo-Saxon poem 'The Battle of Maldon'. On 25th November 2005, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the university as a part of its 40th-anniversary celebration. The university is affiliated with AMBA (Association of MBAs), Easter ARC (Eastern Academic Research Consortium) and Young European Research Universities Network. QS World University Ranking 2021 places the university at #439 in the world and at #48 in the world for Sociology. Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2022 and the QS World University Ranking 2022 place the institute between #301-350 and #439 in the world, respectively. Furthermore, the Complete University Guide and the Guardian University League Table rank the university at #27 and #64 for 2022, respectively.
Infrastructure, Campus and Courses
It has three campuses-Colchester Campus, Southend Campus, and Loughton Campus- each built strategically for students to enjoy multiple amenities. Spread across 200 acres, the university’s Colchester Campus offers state-of-the-art infrastructure. It has professional-grade studios and editing suites, first-class gym and fitness facilities. The university has its own on-campus cinema, Cine10 along with communal study areas around campus. Following the spirit of excellence in teaching and research, the university has partnerships with more than 300 institutes globally to establish a diverse scope of research. The University of Essex has three major faculties that are Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Science and Health, and Faculty of Social Sciences. The school also runs an MBA program under the Essex Business School.
Accomplishments and Alumni
In 2017, the university was awarded Gold in the UK Government's Teaching Excellence Framework. The university has been named the University of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards in 2018 and has climbed to the 27th top UK university in 2022. Apart from this, Essex is also one of eight young universities that are a part of the Young Universities for the Future of Europe. With thriving alumni of more than 95,000 people across the globe, Essex is home to renowned personalities including politicians, filmmakers, novelists, etc. Some of the most notable alumni of University of Essex include Oscar Arias (former President of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize Winner in 1987), Priti Patel (Secretary of State for the Home Department since 2019), and Rodolfo Neri Vela (Mexican Scientist and Astronaut).
Student Diversity and Visiting Companies
The University of Essex has students from more than 140 countries around the world. Over 40% of their students come from Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America and Australia. The student life at the University of Essex includes multiple student unions with sports being the core of the university. The sports clubs comprise many high-performance sports like basketball, tennis, rugby union, football, netball, and volleyball. Students are also offered employment in various departments like research, management, and hospitality. Some of the top recruiting companies include Devonshires, Abellio East Anglia Ltd, and Basildon Council.
