We're a university where curiosity prevails, and where exploring new ways of thinking and pushing boundaries, isn't just encouraged, it's expected.

We are determined to do things differently and put student success at the centre of everything we do.

We're proud to be gold rated in the Teaching Excellence Framework 2017 and we're in the top 25 for research quality in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021.

We are Essex. We’re on the side of people with guts. Rebels with a cause. We’re about people who love to learn how, but want to challenge why. But why do we have to stop here? Why can’t we take it further? To the bit where it really gets interesting? We’re about the people who huddle outside a class long after it’s finished because there’s much more to be said, more arguments to be had. We’re about people who are bold enough to challenge inequality and the status quo. People who don’t expect the world to change simply because they liked a Facebook status or nodded when someone else spoke. At Essex you’re not just a student, you’re a member, someone with genuine licence to shape what goes on around you. To us it doesn’t matter where you’ve come from. We’re interested in how you want to grow and what you want to change We’re after people who will help us push the frontiers of knowledge. Challenging convention is in our DNA. All of which leaves you with a decision: are you going to sit and watch the world go by? Or do you have the courage and energy to shape it? We’ll help you explore, question and create powerful ideas. We’ll introduce you to people from every corner of the planet, a genuinely global community that lives, works, and plays together. If you give up at the first hurdle, Essex isn’t for you. If you want to be spoon fed a degree, Essex isn’t for you. If you are brave enough to have ideas and generous enough to share them, Welcome home.