“Home to the curious, brave and bold
We’re a university where curiosity prevails, and where exploring new ways of thinking and pushing boundaries, isn’t just encouraged, it’s expected.
We are determined to do things differently and put student success at the centre of everything we do.

We’re committed to two things: excellence in teaching and excellence in research. We put student success at the heart of our mission, supporting every student from every background to achieve outstanding outcomes; preparing our students to thrive in their future lives.

Our determination to make a difference in society means we’re ranked 56th in the global Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2023, which ranked more than 1,400 universities around the world.

Making an impact through our research is at the heart of our University. We’re in the UK top 10 for research quality in four subjects (Grade Point Average, REF2021) and in the UK top 10 for research power in five subjects (Times Higher Education 2022). Find out more about our REF2021 performance.

We are open about our aims and how we want to achieve them. Our strategy sets out our ambitions for 2028. On these pages you’ll find more on our plans, our finance, our senior team and how we work.

Home to a brave new vision
Essex’s architecture was designed to link social and educational space to encourage a sense of community. ‘Brutalist’ buildings such as the Albert Sloman Library and The Hexagon, created by architect Kenneth Capon, have now become iconic. Capon said he didn’t want his designs to be ‘shaggy and soft’ so aimed to create ‘something fierce to let them work within’. Something Fierce became the title of a major exhibition about the foundation of the University of Essex and 50 years of student life. The impact of the exhibition has continued with elements integrated into the Royal Academy of Arts exhibition Futures Found: The Real and Imagined Cityscapes of Post-war Britain.”