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
Online Film graduates see their student projects screened at Cornish cinema
17 July 2026
Three of Falmouth’s MA Film & Television (Online) graduates are preparing to see two of the films ...
Professional Writing graduate wins tourism awards for Falmouth tours
16 July 2026
After completing an MA in Professional Writing at Falmouth, Will Hazell turned his interest in loca...
Marine Photography alumna documents endangered devil rays for BBC Wildlife Magazine
14 July 2026
From creating an eight-page cover feature for BBC Wildlife Magazine to producing a short film and sp...
Fine Art duo subverts the Gentlemen’s Club | Degree Show Stories
13 July 2026
BA(Hons) Fine Art final-year students Anya Palmer and Ella Pawlak tackled gender assumptions in thei...
Falmouth University ranked top five in the south west
13 July 2026
Falmouth University has been ranked as one of the top five universities in the south west in the lat...
Costume Design student gains experience working behind the scenes as theatre wardrobe assistant
13 July 2026
For BA(Hons) Costume Design for Film & Television student Tabby Winchester, taking part in two indus...
Fashion Photography student on translating personal meaning into imagery
10 July 2026
When Laurie Wignall first heard about Falmouth’s BA(Hons) Fashion Photography course, the decision...
Textile Design graduands gain industry praise at leading creative talent showcase New Designers
07 July 2026
Last week graduands from across Falmouth’s BA(Hons) Textile Design, BA(Hons) Illustration and BA(H...
A microscopic breakthrough in Marine & Natural History Photography | Degree Show Stories
06 July 2026
BA(Hons) Marine & Natural History Photography final-year student Aryah Nagarajan has made a microsco...
Editorial Photography student wins Nikon Student Photographer of the Year
02 July 2026
Second-year BA(Hons) Documentary & Editorial Photography student Max English has been awarded Nikon ...
