The University of Nottingham was established in the UK City of Nottingham in 1881. It received its Royal Charter in 1948 and celebrates its Diamond Jubilee in 2008. In October 2003, two Nottingham graduates and professors were awarded Nobel Prizes for Medicine and Economics respectively. Emeritus Professor of Physics, Sir Peter Mansfield, was honoured for his work on Magnetic Resonance Imaging, which has been compared to the discovery of x-rays, and is one of the most significant discoveries of modern medicine. Sir Clive Granger, a former Professor of Economics, was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work on time-series analysis.

     The University of Nottingham has been confirmed in the top 1% of more than seven and a half thousand higher education institutions anywhere in the world. Two prestigious international league tables published for 2006/07 put Nottingham in the Top 10 of the best in Britain, in the Top 100 worldwide and Top 25 in Europe.

    In the United Kingdom, league tables for Higher Education Institutions, published by The Guardian, The Times and The Sunday Times newspapers, all rank Nottingham consistently highly.

    The Sunday Times singles out the excellence of Nottingham's teaching, and the fact that its graduates are hot property for the world's top employers. "Nottingham demands high grades from entrants, and in return churns out graduates who are the most sought after, alongside those from Cambridge and Manchester, according the High Fliers survey for The Times. The Sunday Times says that Nottingham has 33 subjects rated as excellent - an outstanding score. Despite the competition for places, Nottingham recruits from a diverse spectrum."

    Postgraduate students at The University of Nottingham also enjoy one of the highest success rates in British education, according to official figures.

    Students from the United Kingdom, European Union and countries worldwide have a PhD completion rate well above the national average. Nottingham is ranked in the Top 10 for Home and European Union PhD students, and in the Top 5 for international PhD students.

    The University of Nottingham consistently rates highly in terms of academic achievement. In the recent independent assessment by the QAA, the University was awarded a rating of between 22 and 24, out of a maximum of 24, in a total of 39 subjects. The latest Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) confirmed The University of Nottingham's position as a world class research-led institution. Over 60% of the University's RAE scores identified research as being of a level of international excellence.

    The University of Nottingham is a truly international university and has staff and students from 150 countries. It has more demand for entry by international students than any other UK University, and has over 1100 Chinese students studying at Nottingham in the UK - in addition to 5500 students at its China and Malaysia campuses. It is also the only UK university with campuses overseas, in China and Malaysia. Nottingham's commitment to China is significant and unique: in addition to its new campus it has a thriving School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, with around 1400 students taking courses on China, and an international 'Think Tank' on China - the China Policy Institute. Most significant, however, is its Chancellor - the distinguished academician and former President of Fudan University, Professor Yang Fujia. Besides, Professor Sir Colin Campbell, Vice Chancellor of the University, is a member of the Prime Minister's Task Force on China. The University is a member of Universitas 21, a group of elite international research universities, and a partner in U21 Global.

    The University of Nottingham's internationalisation efforts were recognized by the award of the prestigious Queen's Award for Enterprise in the category of International Trade in 2006. It was also recognised as Outward Investor of the Year by the country's foremost China-Britain trade association, and in the USA it collected an International Business Award for Best New Product or Service, for its China campus. Recently, the University was selected as "The University of the Year" - ranked top by the influential Times Higher Education Supplement (THES), the premier higher education journal in the UK.