After getting the go-ahead to build in 1960, the Earlham golf course on the outskirts of Norwich was chosen as the site of the permanent campus and work began in 1961.The university was originally based in the present-day University Village - with teaching space for about 1200 students - and admitted its first cohort of 87 students in 1963. UEA welcomed its first Vice-Chancellor, Frank Thistlethwaite, at this time.
Distinctive architecture
Denys Lasdun designed the university's core buildings, including the iconic Ziggurats. His vision was for a campus university, with everything a student could need in close proximity. The first permanent buildings opened in late 1966. Continuing as architect in 1968, Bernard Feilden added ‘the Square' to the growing site – creating a large central gathering place.
UEA Broad and the Sainsbury art collection
In 1973 work began on the picturesque lake opposite the Ziggurats, known as UEA Broad, and also on the construction of Union House (including the LCR and Union Pub). This same year Sir Robert and Lady Lisa Sainsbury donated their vast collection of world art to the university and the Norman Foster-designed Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts opened its doors to the public in 1978. The student newspaper Concrete was also founded at this time, to be re-launched in 1992 with a current circulation of around 5000 copies.
Sportspark and INTO
Opened in 2000, UEA's state-of-the-art Sportspark boasts an Olympic-sized swimming pool and regularly hosts international events. The INTO centre opened in 2007, offering high quality preparation for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the UK.
Distinctive teaching methods and ethos
UEA's academic thinking has been distinctive from the word go. With its motto of ‘do different' and focus on interdisciplinarity across subjects, UEA has continued to be academically innovative throughout its development.
Research excellence
UEA’s richly diverse research base is embedded in our outstanding teaching and connects our world-leading academics with society, government and industry. Specialisms range from health and nutrition, to the environment and responses to climate change, exploring issues of family and child policy, investigating competition and regulation through to creativity and enterprise. We have strong collaborative research links across Norwich Research Park - one of Europe’s largest concentrations of researchers in the fields of environment, health and plant science. In the last Research Excellence Framework (REF2014), UEA was placed 10th in the UK for the quality of its research output (Times Higher REF 2014 Analysis).
A BEAUTIFUL CAMPUS WITH FIRST-RATE FACILITIES
"There is so much to do here, the campus is vibrant and I love that it is a hive of activity"
Jen Barwell, fourth year MBBS Medicine student
Built on 130 hectares of beautiful parkland on the outskirts of the historic city of Norwich, our campus is one of the most innovative in the country, combining natural beauty with architectural flair. The campus has won more than 20 architectural awards and ongoing multi-million pound investment continues to enhance teaching and research facilities.
Virtually no part of our campus is more than a few minutes walk from anywhere else, and almost every student need is catered for on campus, witha large food shop which includes a post office, a bank, a launderette, a pharmacy and even a Waterstone's bookshop. There are also plenty of places to eat and drink.
Catering facilities
Restaurant facilities on campus provide everything from a simple coffee and sandwich to a full meal at eateries Blend, Zest, Vista, Café Direct, Cafe 57 and the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts Gallery Cafe. Fresh, locally sourced and Fairtrade ingredients are encouraged and used wherever possible.
Disabled facilities
The campus is generally accessible although wheelchair users sometimes have to take an alternative route.
Medical Centre
The purpose-built campus Medical Centre provides a full range of medical services.
Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts
The Sainsbury Centre is an inspirational public art museum at the University of East Anglia. The Norman Foster building houses the Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection comprising modern work by artists such as Henry Moore, John Davies, Alberto Giacometti and Francis Bacon, as well as art from Africa, the Pacific, the Americas, Asia, Egypt, medieval Europe and the ancient Mediterranean.
Shops
The UEA campus is home to a variety of shops, including a large food store which includes a Post Office, a Waterstones book shop and a pharmacy. Other facilities on campus include a bank and a 24-hour laundrette.
Student Union
The UEA Student Union runs the prestigious LCR and Waterfront venues, as well as many other commercial enterprises on campus including the £1.2 million recently refurbished Union Pub and Bar, the Hive, the Scholars Bar, and a variety of eateries, cafes and shops.
Sportspark
Sportspark is the biggest university indoor sports centre in Britain with international standard facilities.
There is a 30m Olympic size pool, 12 badminton courts, an 8-lane athletics track, six floodlit hockey and soccer pitches as well as a state-of-the-art gym. Add to that the 10x28m climbing wall, 5 squash courts, newly-equipped gymnastics centre, 6 tennis courts and 40 acres of playing fields, and you can see why Sportspark is a one-stop sporting destination.
Woodlands, walks and acres of green space
UEA is located within over 360 acres of landscape, including woodland, footpaths, a man-made lake known locally as 'the UEA Broad' and playing fields for soccer, rugby, cricket, lacrosse, American football and baseball. There are a whole host of sporting clubs, societies and events, including the weekly SportsNight, held in the Union Bar every Wednesday. Visit the Student Union pages for more details.
THE IDEAL CONFERENCE VENUE
The Conference Team provides the academic community and external visitors with conference and accommodation packages to suit your budget. They pride themselves on being a dedicated team of conference experts and will walk you through your event from start to finish.
About Us
The Conference Team forms part of the Alumni, Conferences and Events office at UEA. We are committed to enhancing the University’s reputation by facilitating academic conferences and supporting our researchers and their partnerships.
Drawing upon our experience in education, event management and marketing, the Conference team will work closely with you to customise conference and accommodation packages to suit your event objectives.
Our team comprises of a conference manager, two conference co-ordinators and a finance and systems administrator.
What we do:
Bid preparation
Budget support
Co-ordinate accommodation
Book suitable meeting spaces
Arrange catering and dietary requirements
Plan car parking
Event support
Offer advice on the local area
For internal UEA customers we are delighted to offer suitable packages including an online payment and event registration service via the University's online store. Please email us for more information or refer to the Conference website.
For more information on Norwich and the local area, please do not hesitate to contact or go to Visit Norwich.
Summer Accommodation
Our student accommodation is located within a five minute walk of meeting spaces and catering areas on campus.
En-suite bedrooms for conferences and leisure groups are available during the summer vacation from July to September. Each room features a single bed, desk, lamp, en-suite shower wet-room and a wardrobe.
A shared kitchen in each residence provides a seating area with tea and coffee making facilities and ironing board. Accommodation is grouped in shared, residential houses and flats accommodating 6-12 people and is available on a self-catering or bed and breakfast basis.
Student accommodation at a glance:
Bed linen, towels and complimentary toiletries
Tea and coffee making facilities in shared kitchen
Bedrooms cleaned daily (weekly on self-catering packages)
Equipped kitchen for self-catering guests
Free Wi-Fi
En-suite shower rooms
Year round accommodation is also available at Broadview Lodge on campus. Each room hosts a television, refreshments and ironing board and comprises of single, double, twin and family rooms, and a fully adapted disabled suite.
The University of East Anglia (UEA) is consistently ranked in the top 15 of UK university league tables such as The Times/Sunday Times 2019. An internationally renowned university, it offers academic and social facilities of the highest quality. UEA recently received Gold, the highest rating in the new Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2017) - the Government’s new method of assessing the teaching delivered by higher education providers.
UEA is a research-intensive institution recognised for the quality of its research. It is ranked 10th in the UK for the quality of its research outputs (Times Higher REF 2014 Analysis). It is proud of its strong research into real world issues such as cancer, dementia and climate change to water security and politics.
Being a campus university, UEA was purpose built to house everything you need in one place. Its shops, eateries, bars, 24/7 library, live music venue and Sportspark are easily accessible from its wide range of campus accommodation. It is situated in more than 300 acres of parkland and also has an on-campus art gallery, The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts.
The university is located just 15 minutes from the vibrant and historic city of Norwich, which is home to a buzzling local music scene, multiple theatres, cinemas and bowling alleys. It is also just 90 minutes from London on the train and close to the beautiful Norfolk coast. With plenty of restaurants, pubs, bars and shops, Norwich was also named as one of the ‘Best Places to Live in the City’ by The Times 2018 and 2019.
UEA also boasts a thriving social scene with an on-campus live music venue, which also offers weekly club nights and events. Making friends and getting involved in social activities is easy with 200 active sport clubs and societies to join. Whether you’re into tennis, netball, magic or maths – there is plenty of opportunities to try new things, develop your hobby and meet like-minded people.
UEA isn’t just an inspiring place to study but it is also a great place to live. Offering more than 4,000 fully furnished rooms, all with free Wi-Fi, UEA has student accommodation that covers a variety of price points.
When you join UEA, you’ll become part of a world-leading research university with a diverse community. At UEA you could be part of history in the making.
