Colleges and Universities in Falmouth

Falmouth is proud to be the home of some of the leading colleges and academic institutions in the South West.

The fine tradition of education in the South West has created a culture where Falmouth has become a hotbed of design and the arts, with a prosperous design community employing the graduates of the Falmouth Art Schools, when they seek work after finishing their courses.

The recent development of the education sector in the area has also had significant benefits for the local community, with an influx of students creating employment and development opportunities, particularly in Penryn just outside Falmouth, where the Tremough Campus is based.

Here follows a look at each of the major colleges and the types of courses on offer, with links to their own sites for those seeking more comprehensive information.

Students at all these campuses, sites, and academic institutions are eligible to purchase or rent the purpose-built student accommodation at Maritime Student Building in Falmouth, and all are within easy cycling, walking, or public transport from the Maritime flats.

Tremough Campus - Penryn, Cornwall

Combined Universities of Cornwall (CUC)

The "Combined Universities of Cornwall" (CUC) is a partnership of all the organisations and colleges offering higher education in Cornwall.

The CUC was created to increase the range of university level education available in Cornwall and to make these opportunities accessible to more people. They also aim to develop the capacity for research and innovation in Cornwall and to help our partner colleges and universities to play a greater role in supporting Cornwall's economic growth. The creation of the CUC was brought about to help prevent the exodus of young people from Cornwall to seek work and employment elsewhere, and also to assist in the economic regeneration of the Cornwall region.

University College of Falmouth

The University College of Falmouth (UCF) has its activities are spread between the Wood Lane Campus in central Falmouth (1/2 a mile from the Maritime student building), and Penryn's new Tremough Campus which is about 3 miles from the Maritime Building.

UCF has a reputation across the art, design and media industries locally, nationally and internationally as a place to find innovation and the industry stars of the future. Whether in major competitions, or for employment, our students are highly sought after and successful in their chosen pursuits.

Exeter University in Cornwall

The University of Exeter is one of the main occupants of the Tremough Campus in Penryn, about two miles outside central Falmouth.
See our Google Map for cycling distances between Exeter University's Tremough Campus and The Maritime Student Building.

Departments of the University of Exeter at Tremough Campus include:

Camborne School of Mines

The Camborne School of Mines (CSM) was founded in 1888, but has been a part of Exeter University since 1993.

Its proud history is rooted in the past of Cornish Mining, Cornwall once having been one of the wealthiest mining centres in Europe. Now part of the department of the School of Geography, Archaeology and Earth Resources of Exeter University its undergraduate courses include:

Falmouth Marine School

Right in the centre of Falmouth town, the Marine School is a separate college offering a wide range of courses related to Falmouth's proud Maritime heritage.

Falmouth's commercial docks conduct repairs for commercial shipping lines all over Europe, and yards all round the harbour including the Pendennis Superyacht yard are turning out an impressive production of traditional and modern craft. The Falmouth docks are one of the larger employers in Cornwall, and the Marine School supports all their endeavours with courses in boatbuilding, marine engineering, marine science and leisure & water sports.

Tremough Campus

Tremough Campus was originally the site of a convent, the old buildings of which can still be seen at the heart of the modern campus. The site was incorporated into the Combined Universities of Cornwall (CUC) where it is shared between University College Falmouth and Exeter University (Cornwall Campus) in 1999.

The Tremough site has been subject of enormous development over recent years, with the influx of government and EEC grants has been pivotal in plans to regenerate the Cornish economy, and prevent the outflow of young people from the county for education and employment. Indeed it has been so successful that the area is now considered a hotbed of creative talent, and a magnate for students both nationally and internationally.

Wood Lane Campus - Falmouth

Wood Lane Campus has been the home of University College Falmouth, (formerly Falmouth Art School and Falmouth Art College) since the 1950s, and still holds many of the courses in central Falmouth despite the massive developments up the hill at Tremough. Right in the heart of Falmouth town, yet almost hidden in a wooded area, the campus is praised by students and others as being a place with a very special atmosphere.

Dartington College of the Arts

Dartington College of the Arts has recently combined with University College Falmouth, but still continues to offer courses at its campus in Totnes, Devon until it relocates to Falmouth in 2010.

Plans after that relocation are to form a new "University of the Arts" in Cornwall.

Falmouth Art College

Falmouth Art College is now properly known as "University College Falmouth, incorporating Dartington College of the Arts", but its proud heritage dates right back to the foundation of the The Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society in 1870, by Miss Anna Maria Fox.