> Why Choose UEA?

University of East Anglia

The University of East Anglia provides the perfect balance between academic excellence and a brilliant student experience.

Through our world leading research, enviable location, and unique sense of community, we strive to offer students a truly special time with us. At UEA, you don't just get an education; you make friends for life, gain an unparalleled knowledge of your subject area, and create memories you will never forget.

Statistics

UEA is ranked in the top 1% of HE institutions across the whole world.
94% of UEA graduates were employed or in education within 6 months (2010/11).
Nearly 90 per cent of our research was rated as internationally excellent in the latest (2008) Research Assessment Exercise, with over 50% rated as 'world leading'.
Our students are the most important thing to us, which is why we're proud to have been rated top in the latest What Uni Student Choice Awards.

Academic

With your academic progress being the most important element of your time at the University of East Anglia, it's an area we ensure we excel in. UEA is a research-led university, which means that your course will be based on the most up-to-date research and ground breaking developments.

We believe that through a great working environment and consistently excellent teaching, we offer an unparalleled educational experience, and with students receiving a mixture of group and individual contact time, a great staff to student ratio and ongoing pastoral and academic support from a committed team of academic and support staff, we're dedicated to giving you the time you need to excel in your field.

Our academics provide world-leading knowledge, and with over 300 courses available to students, you can be sure that whatever your discipline, UEA teaching will meet your expectations. The university promotes the principle of interdisciplinary study, which allows students to select from a wide range of courses, ensuring our students can develop the skills that meet their requirements.

Employers today demand a lot from their employees, and a university education will help you meet those needs through development of a wide range of subject specific and transferable skills. We will ensure that your academic experience is as rewarding as possible - In return we expect commitment from you. Our students work hard and play hard, and graduate with a conscientious and committed work ethic that distinguishes them throughout their career.

Our History

1963

The University of East Anglia accepted its first undergraduates

The first vice-chancellor, Frank Thistlethwaite opened the University Village in 1963, with many of the existing buildings being built on a converted golf course. The university itself was designed by English Architect Sir Denys Lasdun, who also designed the Royal National Theatre.
1967

Ziggurats Completed

The architecturally unique Ziggurats were completed in 1967. Designed by Denys Lasdun, the Grade II listed terraced student residences have attracted widespread interest over the years and have led to the UEA winning a number of awards. They earned the eighth spot in the top 10 of best UK university architecture by the Architect's Journal.
1968

Library moves to the plain

With a wealth of resources available, the UEA Library contains over 800,000 books and is spread over 6 floors. The building also houses several important collections of archives, and the Special Collections section contains almost 9,000 titles of rare, valuable or illustrated monographs and pamphlets in all subject areas.
1971

The Creative Writing MA, the first of its kind in the country, was founded in 1971 by Sir Angus Wilson and Professor Malcolm Bradbury

Famous Alumni include Trezza Azzopardi, Tracy Chevalier, Ian McEwan and Kazuo Ishiguro.
1973

The construction of University House on campus brings the launch of the Student Union bar and the LCR

As well as these campus staples being established in 1973, the careers centre was launched, the university held a 10th anniversary celebration with its 3,245 students, and excavation began on the Broad.
1975

First woman professor – Alice Teichova

Author of several books such as ‘An Economic Background to Munich: International Business and Czechoslovakia 1918-1938' and ‘Central Europe in the Twentieth Century', and specialising in the economy of Czechoslovakia, Alice Teichova became Professor of Economic History in 1975.
1976

Film studies launched

Staff in the School of Film and Television Studies have an international reputation for high quality research and scholarship. Publishing extensively and with the majority of their research ranked as world leading, they are at the forefront of their field. The School was ranked 4th out of 76 UK institutions for teaching satisfaction according to the 2011 National Student Survey.
1978

Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts opens

Sir Robert and Lady Sainsbury donated their collection of world art to the University of East Anglia in 1973 and the Sainsbury Centre first opened its doors to visitors in 1978. It was designed by world famous architect Norman Foster, who is best known for The Gherkin and Wembley Stadium, and was his first major public building.
1984

Law moves to Earlham Hall

The family home of famous Humanitarian Elizabeth Fry, Earlham Hall is an elegant Grade II listed building, which encapsulates the university's rich heritage.
1989

Kazuo Ishiguro wins Booker prize

Kazuo Ishiguro won the Booker Prize in 1989 for his third novel ‘The Remains of the Day'. One of the first graduates of the UEA's Creative Writing MA, alongside other high-profile writers such as Ian McEwan, Ishiguro is one of the most celebrated contemporary fiction authors in the English-speaking world.
1992

Concrete launched

With a circulation of 4,500, Concrete is free and published fortnightly during term time. It's sections include News, Features, Comment, Lifestyle, Travel, International and Sport, with an additional entertainment supplement. Previous issues have included interviews with Nick Clegg, Charles Clarke, Harrison Ford, Stephen Fry and Greg James, amongst others.
1993

Union starts managing The Waterfront

The Waterfront is a live music venue and nightclub in Norwich, which has been managed by the Union of UEA Students since 1993. The Waterfront, has hosted bands including Pulp, Radiohead, Nirvana, The Verve, Arctic Monkeys, The Prodigy, Plan B, Amy Winehouse, Stereophonics, Buzzcocks, MGMT, Travis, and Moby.
1995

Official opening of Elizabeth Fry building

UEA adopted several novel techniques to achieve the environmental and energy performance of the Elizabeth Fry Building, while also ensuring that benefits in terms of occupant comfort levels, increased productivity, low carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and energy cost savings were delivered.
2000

Sportspark opens

UEA's £30 million Sportspark boasts a state-of-the-art Olympic-sized swimming pool, athletics track and gym, as well as an extensive range of activities including archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, climbing, hockey, martial arts, squash, and trampolining. The university's on-site complex is now the largest indoor sports centre in Great Britain.
2001

Alumnus Sir Paul Nurse wins the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.

Sir Paul gained his PhD at UEA in 1973, and was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery of protein molecules that control the division of cells in the cell cycle.
2007

INTO started

INTO is a study centre offering new and high quality preparation for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the UK. Combining UEA resources with major independent investment, INTO Centres deliver a world-class educational and cultural experience for international students, with fast, effective and assured progression to university degree courses.

Next Prev

Campus

Norfolk was recently rated as the most crime-free county in the UK, so you couldn't choose a safer studying environment, and with so many amenities on your doorstep, it couldn't be easier to enjoy your leisure time.

We offer over 3,500 fully furnished rooms in spacious on-site buildings that sit in 200 hectares of natural landscape, which may be why we were rated top for accommodation in the What Uni Student Choice Awards 2011. One of our many strengths is the location of the campus, so whether you want to take a walk to the Broad and take in the scenery, or just admire the view from the window in your room, we can accommodate you.
The 1,550-capacity LCR venue on campus attracts touring bands and artists as well as regular club nights. The Union of UEA Students is constantly booking incredible acts to visit, and recent high profile performers include: Coldplay, Calvin Harris, The Killers, Ed Sheeran, The Streets, Primal Scream, and The Vaccines.
The University's £30 million Sportspark is now the biggest indoor sports centre in Britain. The sports facility boasts a state-of-the-art Olympic-sized swimming pool, athletics track and gym, as well as an extensive range of activities including aerobics, archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, climbing, cricket, fencing, hockey, indoor football, martial arts, squash, table tennis, trampolining and yoga.
Our brand new Gymnastics centre means we can now also offer foam filled pits, asymmetric bars/high bar, rings, parallel bars, beams, pummel horse, fast track, tumble track, vaulting track, two floor level trampolines with rig, a sprung floor area and wall bars.
UEA Campus also boasts a post office, banks, coffee shops, canteens, shops, bars, a book shop and a launderette, so should be able to provide most of the things you need on a day-to-day basis.

Developing Your Skills

Graduates like Sadie Jennings prove that UEA is the ideal place to start a successful career.

Sadie graduated from UEA with a degree in Film and English Studies, and decided to join our Graduate Internship Programme in order to gain commercial experience alongside the skills learned during her studies.

Through a combination of her university-supported work with local companies, and the confidence and knowledge gained from her degree at UEA, Sadie now works as a Digital Marketing Executive for Archant - the biggest independent publishing company in the UK.

Our proactive Careers and EmployAbility Centres on campus offer one-to-one careers guidance, CV feedback, mock interviews and coaching into work, in addition to many events involving local and national employers. Careers fairs cover fields from teaching to writing to biology.

EmployAbility, our job shop for part-time jobs, work experience and volunteering opportunities, gives students access to a wealth of interesting vacancies. We have a strong culture of providing job opportunities on campus for students, with many gaining employment as student ambassadors, resident tutors, student helpers and more.

Whatever your vision of the future, we can help you see it more clearly.

Living in Norwich & the Surrounding Area

Whether it's unique shopping experiences, vibrant nightlife or a rich cultural community you're looking for, Norwich has it all.

Sitting comfortably between picturesque coastal landscapes and a wealth of rural beauty, Norwich is a surprisingly bustling city. Always a good place for a night out, the city offers a range of high quality but affordable restaurants, stylish cafe bars, theatres, nightclubs and festivals.

Norwich was recently voted as one of the top 10 cities for shopping in the UK, and with two large shopping centres, major department stores, and Norwich Lanes, a thriving independent area full of eclectic boutiques and unique shops and cafes, you can see why.

Norfolk itself boasts a wealth of stunning beaches and seaside towns – from the bright lights and amusements of Great Yarmouth, to charming postcard towns and villages like Cromer and East Runton. There's also a great deal of history within Norwich itself, and the city boasts over 30 medieval churches, two cathedrals, and a Norman castle.

The beautiful scenery doesn't stop there, and nearby Thetford Forest attracts over 1.5 million visitors each year. Located in the heart of East Anglia, the forest is a perfect example of the serene natural environment that's on your doorstep as a UEA student.

There's no shortage of things to do, whatever your age or interest, and all this is only a short train journey from London and Cambridge.

An Enterprising University

With a long standing tradition for interdisciplinary work, an enthusiastic atmosphere and a willingness to explore new ideas, UEA is the ideal environment for world-leading research to take place.

The Norwich Research Park consists of UEA, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, and four independent research centres; the John Innes Centre, the Institute of Food Research, the Sainsbury Laboratory and The Genome Analysis Centre.

We pride ourselves on our teaching being underpinned by cutting edge research, and Norwich Research Park allows this to be possible. It is home to over 30 science and IT based companies and over 11,000 people, making the park one of Europe's largest single-site concentrations of research in Health, Food and Environmental Sciences. Norwich has the fourth most highly cited scientists by sector in the UK, after London, Cambridge and Oxford.

'We pride ourselves on our teaching being underpinned by cutting edge research'

Student Life

There's a lot more to UEA than the high quality teaching facilities and excellent teaching staff.

One of the factors in our students, both past and present, being so happy here is the range of activities and amenities the university offers. Thanks to the Union of UEA Students, we offer 65 sports clubs and 130 societies which students are encouraged to join, as well as hundreds of volunteering opportunities. We also boast 2 live music venues, one on campus and one in the city centre which are open throughout the week.

Whether you want to learn to ride horses, dance the tango, or take up windsurfing, we have something exciting for you to discover.

A Global Community

At UEA, a number of our courses offer a year or a semester studying at a variety of universities and colleges in Europe, North America, Latin America or Australasia.

This is a brilliant opportunity to become part of a global community of UEA students and boost your employability, whilst earning credit towards your degree. We have 88 partner institutions in 22 countries across the world, so you'll be spoilt for choice should you decide to take part.

For those of you attending to study from outside the UK, you won't be alone – last year, we recorded international student enrolments from 73 countries worldwide and over 100 nationalities are represented on campus. We also have a rich heritage of alumni contributing to the international community, and of the alumni we have been in contact with recently, we have them living and working in 184 different countries.

'...become part of a global community of UEA students and boost your employability'

Why UEA?

You've heard a lot about what we think we're great at, now have a look at what our graduates love about UEA.

Alex Scott

BA Politics 2005-2008

When I looked at the University I just fell in love with it and knew I wanted to study there. That was it for me I didn't care about any of the other options, UEA was the place for me.