The University of Portsmouth was inaugurated in 1992. The former Portsmouth Polytechnic, one of the largest and most successful in the UK, itself grew from the Portsmouth and Gosport School of Science and Arts, founded in 1869. The University is now at the forefront of a rapidly changing and thriving city environment, having a multi-million pound investment in providing state of the art teaching and living accommodation in the city centre. This also includes a modern diverse campus, taking pride in its reputation among students for the friendliness and approachability of its staff, and for the provision of a well-structured and supportive learning environment. The student population is just under 20,000 and 2,500 of which come from 80 different countries thus it is a centre of different cultural societies from Hong Kong, Afro-Caribbean, Chinese, Omani, Hindu and Malaysian Societies.

The University’s mission statement is - "The University of Portsmouth will continue to be a centre of excellence and innovation in education, student experience and employability, aspiration-raising, research, knowledge transfer and community leadership." To this end, the university provides studies opportunities and the highest quality at undergraduate, postgraduate and research levels and offers a friendly and supportive environment to meet the students’ needs in the development of the soft and academic skills necessary for future career and employment prospects.