Corporate Information

Falmouth University has a history of more than 100 years of creative thinking and design innovation.

Established in 1902 as Falmouth School of Art, it has grown over a century to become a digital innovation hub. Today, its portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate courses represents the breadth of the Creative Industries, the fastest growing sector in the UK economy. Now, as we face the fourth industrial revolution; as technology provides great opportunities as well as challenges, it’s clear that Falmouth’s specialisms of creative innovation; creative thinking, problem solving, communication and storytelling, will be key to future economic and cultural success both at a local and global level.

The University has recently experienced a period of rapid growth, its on-campus student population tripling in size since 2001 to nearly 5300 students today. These students study on two campuses in Falmouth and Penryn.

As well as the courses that are delivered on-campus in Cornwall, Falmouth also provides groundbreaking online learning and exciting collaborative partnerships with industry-leading bodies including WaterBear in Brighton and the Fashion Retail Academy in London.

Falmouth’s 2030 strategic plan envisages that by 2024, its recruitment to such collaborative provision partnerships will over-take recruitment to on campus programmes. By 2030, 8500 students will be studying off-campus and 6500 on campus.

Falmouth’s research programmes are built on the principle of open innovation - the idea that the grand challenges of our age can be addressed most effectively when tackled collaboratively across disciplinary boundaries. They focus on delivering impact for lives and economies through the development of new knowledge, solutions, services and products.

Falmouth University acts as an anchor institution in Cornwall, partnering with public and private sector organisations to support the county’s economic, skills and enterprise agendas. Its 2030 strategic plan is aligned with the Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly LEP 2030 plan and Cornwall Council’s long term strategic vision. The creative industries are key to the Cornwall economic strategy as the sector is not only currently the third largest employer in the region but also the likely source of future high growth companies and higher value jobs.