Menu Close

University of Liverpool

The University of Liverpool is one of the UK’s leading research institutions with an annual turnover of £420 million, including £150 million for research. Liverpool is ranked in the top 1% of higher education institutions worldwide and is a member of the prestigious Russell Group, comprising the leading research universities in the UK.

A truly international institution, the University has 27,000 students and 175,000 alumni in 182 countries. Its global focus has led the institution to establish a university in the World Heritage city of Suzhou near Shanghai, in partnership with Xi’an Jiaotong University – a top 10 university in China. Representing a new model for a British operation in Higher Education in China, Xi’an Jiaotong- Liverpool University (XJTLU) is based in Suzhou Industrial Park – one of Asia’s most successful business parks and a hub for foreign investors, attracting 3,300 international organisations, including 84 Fortune 500 companies.

The University will open a campus in London in September 2013 that will offer professional postgraduate education to UK and international students. Situated close to London’s financial centre, the campus will initially offer programmes in Architecture, Accountancy, Psychology and Public Health, benefiting from accreditation with key professional bodies in the City.

The University of Liverpool is the largest provider of 100% online postgraduate degree courses in Europe with some 8,000 students studying for University of Liverpool degrees around the world. The University seeks not only to increase the number of students who study abroad, but also to dramatically expand the availability of international academic programmes for students who may not be able to travel overseas. The University is committed to expanding student access to higher education and to providing students with an international perspective to their chosen field of study. The University is popular with students from all over the world, and there are currently nearly 6,000 students from 128 countries studying at Liverpool.

The University is committed to ensuring all students have access to a world-class education at Liverpool. The University offers much more than a high quality degree and we are proud that our students benefit from a vibrant research environment with excellent teaching facilities as well as first rate careers guidance and a wealth of extra-curricular activities. The University’s global focus ensures its programmes are underpinned by international research with opportunities for students to learn a language and study abroad as part of their programme.

Performance indicators set by the UK’s Higher Education Statistics Agency show that 91.3% of graduates from the University are in employment or further study. The University ensures Liverpool can offer a strong talent pool of young professionals. JP Morgan Chase cites the city’s strong talent pool as a key reason for its decision to set up the headquarters of its business arm, JP Morgan Invest in the city.

£2.5 million has been invested in paid internships for new graduates giving them valuable work experience. Work placements with Fortune 500 companies at Suzhou Industrial Park in China are also available to students, with pastoral support provided by XJTLU.

Many Liverpool graduates have gone on to occupy senior positions in business and public life both within the UK and internationally. These include: CH Tung, the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong, now Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the China- United States Exchange Foundation; Dame Stella Rimington, former Director General of the UK’s national Security Service, MI5; and Sir Maurice Flanagan KBE, Executive Vice-Chairman of Emirates Airline and Group.

The University continues to invest in key aspects of the student experience. The University is investing £600 million in its teaching, research and residential estate over a 10-year period including £250 million in high quality accommodation.

The teaching environment for science-based subjects also been transformed with an investment of £25 million in state-of-the-art centralised teaching laboratories which will also opened to students in September 2012. The new facility has enhanced the overall student experience through the creation of a modern, high quality and vibrant laboratory environment. Supporting interdisciplinary science, the laboratories are a new innovation in the HE sector and are set to transform teaching in the physical sciences including physics, chemistry, environmental sciences and archaeology.

The University is also investing £32 million in teaching facilities in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, £7.5 million in an extension to the Management School and £9 million in a refurbishment of its Guild of Students. Other exciting new developments include further considerable investment in student accommodation, along with further investment in sports facilities.

Associated with no fewer than eight Nobel Laureates, the University is recognised for its high quality teaching and research. Its research collaborations extend worldwide and address many of the vital challenges of today, in medicine and veterinary science; technology; science; engineering and social and environmental sciences.

In the UK Government’s most recent research assessment exercise, in 38 out of 43 units the University’s academics attained quality recognised as internationally excellent in terms of significance and rigour. A total of 53% of research staff were ranked in the highest categories of 4* (world-leading) and 3* (internationally excellent) for their research in the assessment which also saw Liverpool ranked second in the UK for Materials Science. A total of 70% of research in this area was judged to be in the 4* and 3* categories.

The first phase of the University’s proposed £70 million scientific research facility – which will ultimately accommodate more than 600 researchers in state-of-the art laboratories – has recently been completed. The facility provides an inter-disciplinary research environment to enable researchers to contribute more effectively to the major health challenges of the 21 st Century.

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

The University’s Victoria Gallery and Museum (VG&M) houses the University’s fine art and museum collections. Free to the public, its special exhibitions programme, showcasing both local and international artists, is extremely popular and the VG&M welcomes more than 50,000 visitors each year. This year, the VGM took part in the Liverpool Biennial, with an exhibition by moving image artist Paul Rooney.

The University’s Confucius Institute aims to deliver improved understanding of Chinese culture and increased language development opportunities. The Institute is a collaborative project between the University, Xi’an Jiaotong University and Hanban, the Chinese Government agency for the promotion of Chinese language and culture.

The Institute aims to provide a focal point for all China-related activity in Merseyside, working closely with schools and colleges, local businesses, community groups and individuals to promote Chinese language and culture. Running Mandarin classes throughout the year, it also has a cultural programme focusing on calligraphy, Chinese ink painting, tai chi and dance, and a monthly lecture series that delves into the shared history of China and the UK.

The University also runs a number of thought-provoking lecture series for the public throughout the year on wide variety of subject areas. The events are well-attended and are webcast to enable greater accessibility.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

The University is committed to making its ground-breaking research and frontier technologies available to its business partners for the benefit of the regional and national economies.

A key example is the University’s partnership with Unilever and the two organisations have recently signed a partnership agreement to extend their pioneering research into new areas. The two organisations will extend their research into the development of new bio-derived chemicals for use in home and personal care products. They will also work together on formulation design which will cut across several sectors such as home and personal care, and foods.

Unilever and the University have a long-standing research partnership in the area of product and process innovation. Scientists from both organisations collaborate at the University’s £9.6M Centre for Materials Discovery (CMD) to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of Unilever’s household products.

This innovative facility enables industries across a range of sectors to move rapidly into the next generation of materials science and play a major role in advancing the research capability of the Northwest.

The University also uses Knowledge Transfer Partnerships to help organisations of all sizes to improve their competitiveness.

In 2010/11 the University of Liverpool engaged with over 900 businesses and other external organisations in the context of collaborative and contract research alone and participated in: * £25.2 million of collaborative research funded jointly by business and the public sector * £13.2 million of collaborative research funded by the EU alone, involving collaborations with 235 businesses or research and technology organisations * 643 contract research commissions which generated a combined income of £14.9 million * And delivered 20,118 learner days of courses for business and the community

With the knowledge economy sector likely to remain a key source of employment growth, the University is helping local economies move away from a reliance on the public sector and towards private sector growth. It is helping to reduce regional disparities and align knowledge exchange activities with the economic priorities of the region - the Vice Chancellor continues to chair the Liverpool City Region Knowledge Economy Group.