University of Hertfordshire

A post-92 university in Hatfield, England, ranked 49th in the UK by the Guardian 2026, known for animation, healthcare, and aerospace.

The University of Hertfordshire is a public university in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England, founded in 1952 as Hatfield Technical College on land donated by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It gained university status in 1992 and now enrols approximately 53,880 students, of whom more than 19,000 are international, representing over 110 countries, the highest proportion of international students outside London among English universities.

The university has particular strengths in health sciences, creative arts, and engineering. In the Guardian University Guide 2026, it placed 49th overall in the UK and ranked first nationally for animation and game design, with eight healthcare disciplines (including physiotherapy, social work, and mental health nursing) in the UK top 10. Its roots in aerospace engineering, through the historic de Havilland connection, give it specialist facilities including advanced flight simulators on the de Havilland campus.

Hertfordshire operates two main campuses at College Lane and de Havilland, both in Hatfield, roughly 20 miles north of central London with direct rail access. The campus includes a dedicated astronomical observatory at Bayfordbury. Over 78% of the university's research was rated 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent' in the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.