Address: University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, England, United Kingdom
Pharmacy, Engineering, Agriculture
A public research university, member of the Russell Group. Granted Royal Charter in 1948, with origins in 1881 (University College Nottingham). International campuses in China and Malaysia.
The University of Nottingham began as University College Nottingham, founded in 1881, and it received its Royal Charter as a university in 1948. The pharmacy entrepreneur Jesse Boot, founder of the Boots chemist chain, donated the land at Highfields and the money for the first buildings in the 1920s, and the Trent Building with its clock tower, opened in 1928, is still the symbol of University Park. The lake and the landscaped grounds give the main campus a green feel. It has about 46,500 students and 7,100 staff.
The university was an early international player. It opened a campus in Semenyih, Malaysia, in 2000 and one in Ningbo, China, in 2004, the first Sino-foreign university in China approved by the Chinese government. Nottingham is a member of the Russell Group, and its faculties cover arts, engineering, medicine and health sciences, science and social sciences. The Nottingham University Business School and the School of Pharmacy are well known, and the engineering faculty works in aerospace, energy and food manufacturing.
The most famous scientific result is magnetic resonance imaging. Peter Mansfield, a physicist at Nottingham, developed the techniques that made MRI practical, and he shared the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. In the same year Clive Granger, who taught economics at Nottingham, received the Nobel Prize in Economics for his work on time series. D. H. Lawrence studied at University College Nottingham as a trainee teacher, and the Manuscripts and Special Collections hold material on the writer and on local history.
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Tuition for home students is capped by the government at about nine and a half thousand pounds a year, while international students pay much higher fees. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in English, and scholarships and bursaries exist.
The city of Nottingham is lively and cheaper than London, and the tram network and buses link the campuses with the city centre. Many first-year students live in halls on the main campus.
Domains taught:
Agriculture, AI and Machine Learning, Chemistry, Engineering, Life Sciences, Physics, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Member of Russell Group and Universitas 21. Global campuses in China and Malaysia. Strong industry links (e.g. Rolls-Royce, GSK, Siemens).
Research:
World-leading research in areas including pharmacy, engineering (advanced manufacturing, green chemicals), sustainable agriculture, MRI technology, and biosciences.
Famous Alumnis:
D.H. Lawrence, Sir Peter Mansfield, Sir Ian Kershaw, Ruth Wilson, Sir John Sawers
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
7100
Current students***:
46500
Foreign students***:
30%
Cumulative former students***:
285000
Pros
Major Russell Group university, strong international presence, beautiful parkland campus, broad research strengths, high graduate employability.
Cons
Large university, can be competitive, some older facilities alongside state-of-the-art ones.
Best For
Ambitious students looking for a research-intensive Russell Group university with a global outlook, beautiful campus, and a wide range of strong disciplines, particularly in science and engineering.
Where this institution leans on chemistry, physics and life sciences, University of Birmingham does the same, and it is slightly smaller, at about 37,000 students against roughly 46,500 here, and is also a public institution.
A good alternative in the same country is Queen's University Belfast, which likewise covers agriculture, chemistry and physics; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and is smaller, enrolling about 25,500 students against roughly 46,500 here.
For students who like the chemistry, physics and life sciences focus of this institution but want another option nearby, The University of Manchester fits well: it has almost the same size, at about 46,500 students, and is also a public institution.
Cardiff University takes a similar route through chemistry, physics and life sciences, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
University of Liverpool is the closest domestic counterpart for chemistry, physics and life sciences; it covers materials as well, and is slightly smaller, at about 35,500 students against roughly 46,500 here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
University of Wisconsin, Madison (the United States) works on the same fields as this university, chiefly agriculture, chemistry and life sciences; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers data analytics as well.
Abroad, Aligarh Muslim University (India) covers agriculture, chemistry and physics in a comparable way, and it is smaller, enrolling about 30,000 students against roughly 46,500 here, and is also a public institution.
For agriculture, life sciences and AI and machine learning outside the home country, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the United States is a natural reference; it covers materials and data analytics as well, and is slightly larger, at about 57,200 students against roughly 46,500 here.
In Portugal, University of Lisbon teaches much the same core subjects, agriculture, chemistry and physics, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on chemistry, physics and life sciences is Nanchang University in China, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is the University of Nottingham?
In Nottingham, England. The main campus is University Park.
When was it founded?
As University College Nottingham in 1881, with a Royal Charter as a university in 1948.
Who donated the land at Highfields?
Jesse Boot, founder of the Boots chemist chain.
How large is it?
About 46,500 students and 7,100 staff.
Does it have campuses abroad?
Yes, in Semenyih, Malaysia, opened in 2000, and Ningbo, China, opened in 2004.
What did Peter Mansfield do?
He developed techniques that made magnetic resonance imaging practical and shared the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Who else received a Nobel Prize in 2003?
Clive Granger, who taught economics at Nottingham, in Economics.
Which writer studied there?
D. H. Lawrence, as a trainee teacher.
How do you apply?
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS.
What does it cost?
Home tuition is capped at about nine and a half thousand pounds a year. International fees are much higher. Check the current tariff.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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