Chichester: Why the best place to live in the South East also has one of the top universities

As well as winning the deserved accolade of the best place to live in the South East, Chichester is proud to be the home of one of the top 40 Universities in the UK, as listed in The Guardian league table.

More than 6,000 students study at the University of Chichester, many drawn here by the attractions of the city. They are taught at one of two beautiful campuses in Chichester and Bognor Regis and, each year, over 2,000 highly skilled engineers, physiotherapists, psychologists, social workers, teachers, musicians, actors, sports scientists and other professionals complete their undergraduate or postgraduate studies and receive their degrees at the Graduation Ceremony.

As Professor Jane Longmore, Vice-Chancellor, explained: “The University of Chichester has always served its city and region by providing a wealth of graduate talent for business, the public services and the creative industries. This is vital for the constant regeneration of the local community and gives Chichester an enviable advantage over those without a university in their midst.”

More than £50 million has been invested in the University’s facilities during the past decade to provide a state-of-the-art Engineering and Digital Technology Park at the Bognor campus and new teaching buildings at the Chichester campus. The latest development is the establishment of the School of Nursing and Allied Health at Chichester, a direct response to the increasing shortage of nurses across the region.

Much of the funding for these developments has had to be raised from external sources as, unlike schools, universities receive minimal amounts of capital funding from government.

Professor Longmore added: “I am immensely proud of the achievements of our staff and students in a deeply constrained funding environment and under the current pressures of the cost of living crisis. This is a university without endowments or benefactors, determined to continue to punch above its weight locally and regionally, and proud of its 184-year heritage as the only university based in West Sussex.”