Plymouth
153 Reviews by Students #18 out of 81 University locations
Lots to do especially if you like shopping, small friendly city yet a small ferry/bus/car ride to find some amazing countryside sites and beaches.
By member511379 On 20th July 15
Study in Plymouth
Plymouth is situated on the beautiful South Devon coastline, it used to be a fishing village but has developed into an important maritime port and lively city. It is home to the University of Plymouth and Plymouth Marjon University.
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University of Plymouth
The University of Plymouth is one of the biggest universities in South West England and is home to over 19,000 students. The university is particularly well known for its courses in law, psychology, geographical sciences, computing (including digital media) and computer science, fine art and art history.
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Plymouth Marjon University
Plymouth Marjon University, commonly referred to as Marjon is the trading name of the University of St Mark and St John, based primarily on a single campus on the northern edge of Plymouth. The university has high-quality facilities and speciality areas are in teaching, sport, health and wellbeing, social sciences, business and performing arts some of its specialties.
Study in Plymouth? Review your location
Plymouth Student Life
There’s a big student population in Plymouth and has plenty on offer from outdoor adventures and culture to restaurants and nights out. It’s a big enough city to have lots going on and all the amenities you would want but small enough to make it a friendly and accessible place to study and live.
Cost of Living
Great location near some amazing beaches and good cost of living.
By member611374 On 20th July 2015
Nights Out
The nights out are amazing…
The nights out are amazing there is such a wide choice and variety of places to go, they also stay open very late.
Night life is good…
Night life is good and varied!
All the main bars are in one place…
All the main bars are in one place right next to the uni so there is always a great atmosphere any day of the week.
Friendly city with large student culture…
Friendly city with large student culture, very few clubs but a large amount of pubs. Pubs on the barbican are lovely, but very expensive.
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Public Transport
Plymouth is incredibly easy to get everywhere by foot from both university campuses. Despite being located far South West of England the city has good connections to the rest of the UK by road and rail, as well as being a short train ride from Exeter Airport. If you have time on your hands and want to save some £’s be sure to checkout Stagecoach and Mega Bus for great deals on coach trips to major UK cities.
Eating Out
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You won’t be short of places to go for fish ‘n’ chips in Plymouth. One popular spot is Harbourside in the waterside neighbourhood of Barbican, the city’s old town. It is an award-winning eatery where you can taste delicious local and sustainable seafood, they even do a gluten-free menu.
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Plymouth Market has been in the city since 1253! It has great stalls and shops and there is a fantastic selection of restaurants and cafes to try. @Kitchen and A Taste of Thailand come highly recommended for delicious authentic Asian cuisine.
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Prime Cafe is an independent cafe located on the trendy Ebrington Street. It’s a cosy and cool place to go and meet with friends for a coffee or to eat one of their tasty and healthy home cooked meals.
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Shopping
You will find all the high street favourites at Drake Circus, Plymouth’s most popular shopping destination. Make sure to check out their student nights, where you can take advantage of student discounts, live music and giveaways. If you are looking for something a bit more alternative head to Ebrington Street, which is known as the cultural and coffee quarter of Plymouth and is super popular with students. You can find independent boutiques, vintage stores as well as cool bars, cafes and restaurants.
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The Great Outdoors
Just north of Plymouth is Dartmoor National Park a vast wild open moorland, with forests, rivers, wetlands and tors to explore and their famous wild ponies roam. It is a stunning area to go for either a day’s hike or you can make it into more of an adventure by camping out.
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Devon and Cornwall Beaches
Beach lovers are spoilt for choice in Plymouth! Nearby there’s Bovisand, Jennycliff and Wembury beach. If you are happy to travel a bit further afield, then you have the pick of the bunch across Devon and Cornwall, which boast some of the best beaches in the country.
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The Hoe
Closer to the city is The Hoe, which is an open green space that has a spectacular backdrop of Plymouth Sound, one of the greatest natural harbours in the world. On a sunny day, it’s a popular spot for students to take a picnic, have a bbq or go for a walk or swim and enjoy a well-earned break from the books.
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Read Plymouth Reviews
buses infrequent...
buses infrequent and unreliable, though drivers really friendly. read more
Beautiful surroun...
Beautiful surrounding areas, the city is very concrete and can be fairly gloomy read more
Plymouth is a nic...
Plymouth is a nice small city. Lots to do and always something going on. read more
Decent cost of li...
Decent cost of living and places to eat out although not that much variety. Night life could have a little more pubs/bars/clubs although there's a few. Shopping is okay, there's Drake Circus centre for what you may need. Public transport such as trains or buses run on time however there's no Uber and taxis are hard to come by! (And pricy). Nice seaside and many things to do around the city in the summer. read more
Plymouth is great...
Plymouth is great, like every southern town is dear as - to live in but worth almost every penny. Quiet green spaces in the town are slim to none but the street and nightlife is great. Constant busses go every which way and there’s cabs and carparks a plenty. read more
i’m used to big c...
i’m used to big cities. the shops here close at 5 PM….the nightlife is dead. the only thing it’s got going for itself is that it’s next to the sea which sometimes almost makes up for it ngl read more
The city is quite...
The city is quite small but that means that everything is close by, no more than 10 minutes walk usually. The Barbican and hoe are really nice for walking and the shopping centre is pretty good too read more
safe and supporti...
safe and supportive city, with lots of shops read more
It needs better f...
It needs better facilities for shopping and nights out. The prices while cheaper are still getting expensive due to inflation read more
everything you ne...
everything you need is close by. From restaurants, shopping malls and night life experiences read more
Transport is alri...
Transport is alright but if you live in cross house you are practically in town read more
Transport is real...
Transport is really cheap if you need to get around big train station 8 min walk from town read more
Nice city to live...
Nice city to live in, lot of things to do for everyone. read more
Great city lovey...
Great city lovey views down by the hoe. Gets kind of cold in winter. read more
Generally good ah...
Generally good ahs EVERYTHHING you need read more
Easy to get aroun...
Easy to get around and many things are close read more
I love plymouth b...
I love plymouth because it’s very social and the scenery is great. It’s very safe and a lot of places to eat read more
Plymouth is a nic...
Plymouth is a nice city with lovely beach walks available. It’s close to the beach and is modern in areas read more
Nice seaside city...
Nice seaside city even better in the summer nice people and beautiful areas to walk around and enjoy. read more
Spoons is good so...
Spoons is good so is the hoe and read more
Public transport...
Public transport is very good, love the shopping centre too read more
Love plymouth, it...
Love plymouth, its nothing compared to my homr country but a great place nevertheless read more
Needs more shops...
Needs more shops and activities which are affordable read more
dsamdsmdasmdmasmd...
dsamdsmdasmdmasmdsamdmasdmamsdmasmdma read more
Very good city to...
Very good city to live in with lots of students, shops and restaurants. read more
Very big rooms an...
Very big rooms and nice new common room and gym read more
Plymouth is a pea...
Plymouth is a peaceful place to be in. read more
Nice place to liv...
Nice place to live, sadly the university is the letdown, the only redeeming factor of the 60k I'm in debt is the location. read more
Winter there isn’...
Winter there isn’t much to do, but clubs are good, just a bit far of a walk from uni accommodations. read more
Everything you ne...
Everything you need is always never too far away read more
I live in private...
I live in private student halls that are actually cheaper than the university halls by £30 per week which helps. The uni is so close to the mall and the train station and night life. No need for travel but if you go to Marion the buses are easy to access and I believe certain ones are free for mark on students. read more
Studying in Plymo...
Studying in Plymouth is great - there is something for everyone; shopping, sea, Dartmoor, and more. Everything is in walking distance and everything is really affordable. read more
I love Plymouth a...
I love Plymouth and plan on living here after read more
So easy to get to...
So easy to get to places and great location read more
Good transport li...
Good transport links to town and good connection to shops read more
Love Plymouth, go...
Love Plymouth, good change from my house at home read more
Plymouth is a cla...
Plymouth is a class place to live with so many activities to do and is an easy 10/20 min bus journey to city centre from pretty much everywhere. Busses can take a bit longer due to traffic. read more
Plymouth is Brita...
Plymouth is Britain’s seaside city with fantastic features read more
Plymouth is a ver...
Plymouth is a very good Place to go to and spend time to go shopping and maybe to go for a club read more
The night life is...
The night life is amazing and it’s so easy to get around read more
For my course, th...
For my course, the location is superb, public transport is uncomparable to where I am originally from and the night life lives up to the expectations of any student. read more
Really nice area...
Really nice area very clean and safe read more
Most student acco...
Most student accommodation is expensive but there are flats that are quit cheap. There are lots of places to eat and get food delivered from, however only a few places are open late. There are lots of pubs and clubs around but it seems like most pubs shut at 11pm. There are lots of shops around the Drake Circus, however there aren't many big shops around the city centre. The only public transport I have used is getting a train from Plymouth to Essex and back but they are quite nice trains. There are lots of buses that drive around. There aren't many places to park unfortunately. read more
Current accomodat...
Current accomodation is expensive for what we are getting but next year is a lot cheaper if you look at private landlord accomodation, we have gone by clever student let's next year and is £40 a week cheaper. Everywhere is pretty cheap so can't complain. Shopping is all close about 10 minute walk away and 3 min from each other. Haven't used the public transport as everything is close. read more
Lots to do and of...
Lots to do and offer. Plenty of transport to different areas. read more
City centre, so e...
City centre, so easy to get around with everything on your doorstep and really nice being by the sea read more
Plenty of options...
Plenty of options for wining and dining, whether it's the City Centre, the Barbican or Royal William Yard. A choice of nightclubs for nights out, and a range of affordable accommodation on offer. read more
Still just starti...
Still just starting to experience the small city and hope to learn more about it. read more
Not much to say c...
Not much to say coz of COVID, so didn’t get a chance to go out read more
Lovely city terri...
Lovely city terrible people. Loud rude violent and angry they will make you feel unsafe. The natural world of Plymouth paired with its various facilities do save it though. read more
Overall really go...
Overall really good. Plymouth is cheap, some clubs are expensive though but there are quite a few dotted around which was ideal. read more
I love it! The ho...
I love it! The hoe and the social life read more
City with the oce...
City with the ocean!!! Amazing for mental health.. read more
Plymouth is Brita...
Plymouth is Britain's Ocean City and its bliss being so close to the sea but having all the benefits of city living. read more
Such a lovely cit...
Such a lovely city, nice green open spaces and lots of shops to choose from read more
Great for a night...
Great for a night and and shopping. Always lots of lovely events going on down at the Barbican and royal William yard. Nice to have the sea so near. Never used public transport here other that the train so can’t really say if buses, taxis etc are good read more
I've lived in Ply...
I've lived in Plymouth for almost 5 years now and I can't actually imagine living anywhere else. read more
Cheap, convenient...
Cheap, convenient, something for everyone and right by the sea. What more could you want? read more
Nice area, great...
Nice area, great places to go for a night out and lots of landmarks to see read more
Having moved from...
Having moved from london, plymouth is a great city if you're looking for a costal city. read more
Big shopping cent...
Big shopping centre, Lots of bars and restaurants read more
student crowd cou...
student crowd could have customised the questions for COVID read more
The night in Plym...
The night in Plymouth is amazing, never a dull moment, so many great people and so many great places to eat and drink. read more
Really enjoyed my...
Really enjoyed my past three years in Plymouth. read more
Public Transport...
Public Transport is shocking but living here isn’t too expensive read more
I am happy with t...
I am happy with the cost of my living space. No doubt about it! High security and friendly staff members. I've rarely eaten out and pretty much never go out at night so I can't voice an opinion on that. Shopping is great since city center is so close to where I live. Iceland is where I do my shopping whilst if I need to get 1 or 2 items, there is a small Tesco nearby. Never used the public Transport here either. read more
Plymouth is a gre...
Plymouth is a great city to live in. There are lots of places to walk and explore. It has lovely views across the hoe , it is a wonderful place. read more
Plymouth as a who...
Plymouth as a whole is a lovely city and the surrounding areas are amazing read more
Genuinely couldn’...
Genuinely couldn’t ask to live anywhere better! City perks, the sea and plenty of green space too! so much to do here read more
Plymouth has many...
Plymouth has many things to offer such as the ocean, many restaurants and shops. There are a few nightclubs but other cities have a lot more choice of clubs. read more
Plymouth is a gre...
Plymouth is a great location being in close proximity to the sea. Transport links are great, with the train station being very close to the university. It’s easy to find your way around with a good selection of shops and places to eat. Night life is good too. read more
Plymouth is amazi...
Plymouth is amazing in every way read more
Love living in Pl...
Love living in Plymouth. Amazing night life that can actually cater to different ages too, if you fancy something more upbeat there's clubs but also a really nice atmosphere on the Barbican in the summer for a few cocktails in the sun. Public transport within the city is mostly busses but the train station is centrally in the city making commuting further outside of the city nice and easy. Theres lots of lovely independent restaurants as well as chain restaurants. Many of which provide excellent food. The main shopping centre has some good shops however Plymouth does lack some more modern stores. There's nothing better than sitting up on the hoe in the summer with your friends and a bbq! read more
Plymouth is a lov...
Plymouth is a lovely seaside city. Easy access to the moors and beach as well as being able to shop at drake circus. read more
Nice place to liv...
Nice place to live for students read more
It's average; not...
It's average; not expensive and not cheap. read more
Affordable living...
Affordable living with a variety of shops and restaurants available everywhere. read more
Everything is cen...
Everything is centred around the city centre, easy access to everything by walking or regular buses. You can always find something fun to do on a night out read more
Nice place to liv...
Nice place to live, happy with my choice read more
Lots of restauran...
Lots of restaurants Easy transportation Nice weather read more
Plymouth is a goo...
Plymouth is a good place to live. Cheap cost of living, offers an excellent restaurant and nightlife scene, plenty of options in terms of shopping (essentials, luxury items, etc). The public transport is okay: I have some issues with how quickly the public transport arrives at their allocated stops, but I only ever used one bus (Gold to Torquay/Gold to Plymouth) in Plymouth, and my score is only based on one experience, so I can't give more of a comment than that. read more
Plymouth is alrig...
Plymouth is alright, met my future husband here. So very happy about that. South west is great, especially having the ocean close by. Very rare grey sky, mostly nice weather! read more
I mean its just n...
I mean its just not the best place to live, the college say theres an art scene, there isnt read more
Plymouth is not a...
Plymouth is not an expensive place to live read more
Loads of good, af...
Loads of good, affordable places to eat read more
Plymouth is such...
Plymouth is such an amazing city to live in, love it here and the sea is amazing! read more
A beautiful city...
A beautiful city that makes you feel at home immediately. It is truly UK’s hidden gem. read more
Just a generally...
Just a generally a great city to live in! Super cheap and so close to the ocean. read more
Relatively cheap...
Relatively cheap place to live, has all the shops, brands. restaurants you could need, close transport links. coach/bus/train station all within walking distance. read more
Plymouth is one o...
Plymouth is one of my favourite places! It has everything I need and when I am there I feel so safe and welcomed. The restaurants, views and the town itself is so beautiful. read more
Very good night l...
Very good night life with lot of bars and restaurants but also many clubs read more
A relatively smal...
A relatively small town but by no means does that mean there is nothing to do! Something for everyone! read more
Love Plymouth as...
Love Plymouth as a city. Great for students. read more
Student living is...
Student living is quite reasonable in Plymouth and if you search around you can find some wonderful properties for all budgets. The town is great, not too big but there’s many clubs, bars, restaurants and cafes for all audiences. As well as a decent shopping mall and retail parks. Nightlife is great for students and some cheap places. Many buses around and a coach station and train station in the city centre. Don’t forget about the ferry which is always overlooked, but a perfect and very cheap way to travel from one side of Plymouth to the other and to Cornwall too!! I love Plymouth. So great for students. read more
Great student cit...
Great student city because the uni is located in city center and so are most of the accommodation and shops. Aldi (2) and Lidl (1) all within walking distance of city center. Drakes Circus is a bit small IMO. You can walk virtually anywhere you need to go so you save so much money for not having to take public transport. If you do need to leave city center (not many interesting things, mostly residential) the buses are really expensive and sometimes have ridiculous delays (I've seen one at 45 mins...). I've bought a return ticket that was 5 something pounds - the journey was like 20-30 minutes one way... I don't go clubbing but from friends they seem to really enjoy themselves and in my opinion there's a lot of clubs for a small city (town I might even say). A range of restaurants (cuisine, price) but also a lot of takeaways and kebab shops. Lots of fish and chip shops near the Barbican that all taste so good! read more
Only one shopping...
Only one shopping centre in town, other small shops that help spread the choice. Nightlife all walking distance, no more than 20 minutes from campus read more
Great safe place...
Great safe place with plenty to do Shame there’s a lack of swimming facilities in winter tho read more
Like this city bu...
Like this city but not relevant to Open University read more
Plymouth is a rea...
Plymouth is a really student based city, and there’s loads things to do. read more
Not that expensiv...
Not that expensive, but for a city the amount of shops is a bit poor. The buses are frequent and the train station is central. read more
Nice city! short...
Nice city! short walk to the seaside/aquarium/barbican, and Drake circus (main shopping centre) is right next to the uni. Word of warning: bring a raincoat. It will rain nearly every day, most days pretty light but too windy for an umbrella, and all to frequently a downpour like you've never seen. read more
Easy reach to oth...
Easy reach to other cities. Relatively lower livng cost and shopping availability accordingly. read more
From the perspect...
From the perspective of anew Outer London Lass, Plymouth is such a nice, clean, affordable place to live! I'd love to stay in the city after graduating. read more
Good fun and a ch...
Good fun and a cheap city to live in read more
Love the area, co...
Love the area, convenient, nice views, nice town and mall area read more
You have the best...
You have the best of both worlds, you have the hoe and the shopping centres, loads of beaches and places to explore around too. read more
The nights out ar...
The nights out are amazing there is such a wide choice and variety of places to go, they also stay open very late. The city itself has pretty much any shop you could possibly need and it is very easy to get anywhere with so many buses running all the time. The train station is also very near the uni which runs all day and night to anywhere you could need to go. read more
lots to do especi...
lots to do especially if you like shopping, small friendly city yet a small ferry/bus/car ride to find some amazing countryside sites and beaches read more
Great location ne...
Great location near some amazing beaches and good cost of living. read more
even though it is...
even though it is a small city, we still have a decent transport system and everything is within walking distance anyways so it's not bad at all read more
It's an amazing c...
It's an amazing city and there's a beach... read more
busses and trains...
busses and trains are great, shame airport still closed read more
North Hill is the...
North Hill is the best place if you're a student to go if you're on a night out, it's cheap and clubs/bars are very close together. Drake circus has most good stores that you might want to shop in. Plenty of good and cheap places to eat, caffeine club is a 24hr cafe and does food for a good price. read more
Great city, excep...
Great city, except the weather! read more
Something for eve...
Something for everyone in Plymouth, always something going on down the Armada or at the hoe! The hoe is beautiful! As is the Barbican! Barbican has a whole different feel to city centre! Night life is good and varied! read more
It's a great plac...
It's a great place to live uni is in the centre so everything's within 10 minutes of campus. All the main bars are in one place right next to the uni so there is always a great atmosphere any day of the week. read more
Friendly city wit...
Friendly city with large student culture, very few clubs but a large amount of pubs. Pubs on the barbican are lovely, but very expensive. read more
Plymouth is liter...
Plymouth is literally the best city i have been to within the United Kingdom. Its big enough to have all the city esque things, small enough not to worry about serious crime and in one of the most beautiful settings you could wish for. (the only reason i gave transport a 3 star is because i personally have no experience for it as you can get to anywhere in Plymouth really fast on foot) read more
Nice little city...
Nice little city by the sea. Loads to do read more
Not such a big ci...
Not such a big city but you can get almost anything in here. Lovely seafront and a very quiet and safe city. read more
Cons?
A bit boring, not much going on