Host University for Bristol, England

The University of Bristol was founded in 1876 and was the first institution of higher education in England to admit women on an equal basis with men. It was granted its Royal Charter and university status in 1909. It is comprised of more than 40 academic departments and 15 research centers. Today the University is rated as one of the top ten universities in Britain—and ranked in the top 1% of universities in the world according to the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2012—and has a student body of approximately 20,000, with students from more than 120 countries.

The University is also a leading player in European Community-funded research fellowships and projects and is partnered with many companies that take advantage of its research work. Students have access to more than one million volumes in the University Library and, in many places, have 24-hour access to computers.

The University owns more than 900 acres of land and more than 370 buildings in and around Bristol. The Student Union building, where the International Office is located, also houses a swimming pool, two theatres, a café, three bars, a games room, a launderette, music practice rooms, a pottery room, two photographic dark rooms, a radio station, two recording studios, a film production area with a computerized editing suite, a dance studio, and computers dedicated to student use. This building is currently undergoing a multi-million pound renovation project due to be completed in the 2013-14 academic year.