Marjon students are well-placed for coast and countryside at the university’s self-contained campus a few miles north of Plymouth. The campus offers sea views — on a clear day — and easy access to local sandy coves as well as Plymouth, and is on the doorstep of Dartmoor National Park.
A former teacher training college, Marjon is a consistent top-scorer for teaching quality, and comes joint eighth in the UK for students’ evaluation of their teaching in our analysis of the latest National Student Survey. It is also in the top 30 for the wider undergraduate experience.
From the padel court to the lecture theatres, everything is located on campus and nothing is more than a ten-minute walk away for students. Off campus there are beaches galore to explore, and Plymouth — a bus ride away — offers lively nightlife.
What is Plymouth Marjon University’s reputation?
This small university on the southwest coast is derived from its founding London institutions — St Mark’s College and St John’s College — whose aim was to educate young orphans from the workhouses and help them to escape poverty by training them as teachers. Formed by the colleges’ 1923 merger, Marjon moved to Plymouth in 1973 and gained university status in 2007. It retains Church of England control, yet welcomes students of all faiths and none.
Marjon was awarded a gold rating overall in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023), underpinned by gold for the student experience and silver for student outcomes.
Ofsted rated its early-years provision outstanding, with training for primary and secondary age rated good.
Marjon benefited in our rankings from its decision to enter the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), after opting out in 2014, although it placed towards the bottom of our research quality index, at 118th. The university is also held back in our main academic table by its continuation rate (placing 97th), with only 86.8 per cent of students projected to carry on from the first to the second year of their studies — although this is often a side-effect of diverse student populations.
Marjon operates franchise programmes in colleges elsewhere in the southwest of England in subjects ranging from business management to professional golf. It also has a partnership with Bristol School of Acting.
What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available?
Courses in football performance coaching and community football coaching will begin in September 2026. There were no planned course closures at the time of writing.
What are Plymouth Marjon University’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?
Entry requirements range from 120 to 64 Ucas tariff points, and a contextual offer system will begin for 2026 admissions. In 2024, 16 per cent of entrants gained their places through clearing.
What are the graduate prospects?
Marjon’s vocationally focused courses have close links with local employers in relevant fields. The university is 62nd in our analysis of the Graduate Outcomes survey, with 75.7 per cent of its graduates in highly skilled jobs or further study 15 months after leaving university.
What is Plymouth Marjon University campus like?
A new Health Education and Community Wellbeing Hub has opened on campus, thanks to £5.8 million of funding from the Office for Students. The facility includes clinical skill, diagnostic and simulation laboratories, supporting the university’s launch of clinical programmes such as nursing and allied health professions. An osteopathy clinic on campus is run by third and fourth-year osteopathy students and treats the public, with sessions observed by students from other years as part of their training.
The thriving sports science courses have access to a rehabilitation clinic and a sports science laboratory with a climate chamber and an anti-gravity treadmill.
Marjon also has its own theatre and 24-hour IT facilities. The nearby woodland is used for outdoor adventures and allotments, where green-fingered students can grow their own food.
When can I visit?
marjon.ac.uk
Everything you need to know about Plymouth Marjon University’s student life and wellbeing support
The university’s manageable size creates a close community, and the Barjon bar and coffee shop is renowned for its reasonable pricing and regular events. Marjon’s sports facilities are all on campus, with a climbing wall, a 25m indoor swimming pool and a gym. Outdoors there are two artificial hockey pitches, a padel court and a 3G football pitch, another of which will be added in 2025 along with a grass pitch.
Plymouth has plenty to offer — from water sports to nights out and a cultural scene that includes the Theatre Royal Plymouth.
Marjon was an early adopter of the Student Minds Mental Health Charter framework and students can self-refer to its in-house counselling service.
What do the students say?
“I was drawn to the smaller lecture sizes, which make you feel valued and supported by every member of staff you interact with. There’s also a strong sense of belonging across campus, with a vibrant on-site student community and a wide range of activities, clubs, and societies.”
Isobella-Skye Taylor, students’ union president-elect and BA journalism student
What about student accommodation at Plymouth Marjon University?
First-years holding a firm offer take priority in the allocation of the 400 self-catered rooms, although there are no accommodation guarantees.
How diverse and inclusive is Plymouth Marjon University?
Widening participation is deeply ingrained, and Marjon ranks 12th in our social inclusion index. Based in an area with low take-up of higher education, Marjon succeeds in recruiting the fifth-highest proportion (8.7 per cent) of under-represented white working-class male students, and the joint seventh-highest proportion of disabled students (29.2 per cent).
Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at Plymouth Marjon University
Grants of £2,000 a year are available for care leavers and students who are estranged from their families. Sports performance scholarships include in-kind support worth up to £4,000 a year.
