Celebrating 120 Years
A montage of images from throughout Falmouth University's 120 year history. All images have a blue overlay and the Falmouth University 120 logo.
In 1902 Falmouth School of Art opened as an evolution of The Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society, which aimed to 'promote the useful and fine arts, to encourage industry and to elicit the ingenuity of a community distinguished for its mechanical skill.’
The School started as we mean to go on - harnessing creativity to forge the future of industry. To celebrate this anniversary, we delved into the archives and quizzed our community to unearth the stories that have shaped us.
Our timeline: The moments that made us
Journey through our timeline to discover the moments that made us; from the inception of Falmouth School of Art in 1902 and the installation of our Chancellor Dawn French in 2015, to welcoming our new Vice-Chancellor Professor Emma Hunt in 2022 (and the triumphs and challenges faced along the way).
The evolution of our prospectus
Explore how our prospectus front page has developed from the mid 1900s to the present day, and hear from the people that help bring them to life.
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Stories from our community
In 2022, we quizzed former and current students, staff and friends of the University about their experience at Falmouth and what it meant to them. Read about the careers launched and connections made, below.
Hear from inspiring alumni
Meet just a few of our outstanding alumni and discover where it all started.
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Looking ahead: Friends of Falmouth cast their minds forward
15 December 2022
Emma Rice, Rob Da Bank, Philip Marden and Sir Tim Smit KBE imagine the future of Falmouth University...
Lifelong connections made at Falmouth
15 December 2022
Hear from former students who’ve formed lifelong connections with friends they met at Falmouth.
In conversation with Professor Alan Livingston CBE (Part 1)
16 December 2022
Our Vice Chancellor talks to the former University College Falmouth principal about the challenges a...
Meet the creative team now based in the original Falmouth School of Art building
15 December 2022
We visit Kingdom & Sparrow, the creative team now based in the building where it all began.
All stories
Falmouth University Welcomes Professor Alex Coles as Visiting Professor
07 April 2026
Falmouth University has appointed author and academic Professor Alex Coles as a Visiting Professor, ...
Online Illustration student on writing, illustrating and publishing a children’s picture book
07 April 2026
Inspired by one of the projects she completed as part of her BA(Hons) Illustration (Online) course, ...
Television graduate lands dream job on House of the Dragon
07 April 2026
Television graduate Sophie Gray secured a marshal role with a major production company before she ha...
Falmouth textile designer reaches finals of H&M Foundation’s Global Change Award
07 April 2026
BA(Hons) Textile Design graduate and technician Meredith Wood has reached the finals of the H&M Foun...
From Casting to Comedy: How a Comedy Writing graduate found her funny
07 April 2026
For Falmouth University MA Comedy Writing (Online) graduate Jo Somner, comedy wasn’t always the pl...
Dress historian and fashion lecturer releases new book with Penguin
02 April 2026
Behind the pages of Dr Kate Strasdin’s latest non-fiction, Dressing the Queen: Two Hundred Years o...
Celebrating five recent children’s books authored and illustrated by Falmouth’s alumni
02 April 2026
This International Children’s Book Day, we’re celebrating the recent release of five children’...
Falmouth's Dragons' Den returns with £6,000 in student funding
01 April 2026
Falmouth's annual Dragons' Den competition returned this spring, bringing together student founders ...
Holding the space: How creative universities should respond to AI
31 March 2026
Artificial intelligence has exposed a recurring tension at the heart of higher education: the pressu...
Online Fine Art student wins International Amateur Photographer of the Year
27 March 2026
Between travelling the world and exploring diverse cultures and natural wonders, working as a creati...
