The life changing University of Sunderland has 20,000 students based in campuses on the North East coast, in London and Hong Kong and at its global partnerships with learning institutions in 15 countries. We are proud of our long-established commitment to widening participation, our world-leading research, public and private sector collaborations and our track-record for providing quality student experiences that result in graduates who are the tomorrow-makers of our societies and economies. We were delighted to be ranked 16th (out of 131 universities) in the ‘University of the Year’ category of the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2019, the only national awards voted for by students.
Our history
Sunderland has been an important centre for education since 674AD, when Benedict Biscop built St Peter’s Church and monastery. Among its early students was a seven-year-old boy who became known to history as The Venerable Bede, a renowned scholar and teacher.
The river bank surrounding the ancient church of St Peter’s is now the setting for our award-winning Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter’s.
Here we take a look back at some of the key developments of the 20th and 21st century which have helped create the modern University of Sunderland.