Arts University Plymouth shortlisted for University of the Year

Arts University Plymouth also shortlisted for Lecturers & Teaching Quality, Facilities, and Student Support in the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2024

Arts University Plymouth has been shortlisted for University of the Year and in three other categories of the Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCAs) 2024. The nominees and winners of these unique awards are based on reviews submitted by students from across the UK, and winners are judged by a panel made up of prospective and current university students.

In 2022 Arts University Plymouth won Best Small or Specialist Institution of the Year in the WUSCAs and in 2023 the leading arts university won second place in the same category. In 2024 Arts University Plymouth is the UK’s only specialist arts university to make the shortlist for any of the main categories of the WUSCAs.

Arts University Plymouth has also been shortlisted in the categories of best Lecturers & Teaching Quality, best Student Support, and best Facilities. Arts University Plymouth has won a place on more shortlists in the WUSCAs this year than any other university in Devon and Cornwall.

The Whatuni Student Choice Awards are the only annual awards for UK universities based entirely on student opinion, with over 35,000 reviews submitted by students each year.

Professor Paul Fieldsend-Danks, Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive of Arts University Plymouth, said:

“To be shortlisted for University of the Year based on students reviews, less than two years since Arts University Plymouth was first awarded university status, is a very special moment for our whole community. Students are at the heart of every decision we make and I know that my talented colleagues from across Arts University Plymouth join me in thanking every student who used Whatuni to recognise the high quality of our creative arts provision and the work that we do to prioritise student experience and success.”

One recent student review of Arts University Plymouth from a BA (Hons) Painting, Drawing & Printmaking student said:

“It is a joy to come in every day. I seem to make more new friends every week… All in all, attending Arts University Plymouth is proving to be one of the greatest experiences of my life… To be creative and express myself the way I want to. Everyone can be themselves. It is like entering another world walking through those doors each day. A creative paradise!”

Shortlisted for best Facilities in the WUSCAs 2024, Arts University Plymouth was also the highest-scoring specialist arts university in the UK for Learning Resources in the most recent National Student Survey (NSS), recognising that students find it easy to access a wide array of subject-specific resources at the leading arts university. These include cutting-edge facilities like Fab Lab Plymouth, diverse multimedia and photography studios, a comprehensive Materials Lab that supports innovative practices in hot glass, ceramics, and biomaterials, and Arts University Plymouth’s well-equipped Drawing Lab, Fashion and Textile studios.

The shortlisting for University of the Year 2024 follows other recent successes, with students voting Arts University Plymouth the top UK arts university for overall student satisfaction in the National Student Survey (NSS) 2022, and rating the university above the national benchmark in all categories and the highest scoring arts university in the UK in five of the seven categories of the NSS 2023.

The winners of the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2024 will be announced on 24 April.