It has transformed the delivery of higher education in Suffolk and beyond. Then, on August 1, 2016, Suffolk's first independent university officially launched. The story actually goes back to Tudor times, when Cardinal Wolsey founded Cardinal College (now Christ Church College), where he planned several transfer colleges. Its main campus was to be in Ipswich. Some 500 years later, Suffolk now has its own university, and Cardinal Wolsey's legacy is inextricably linked to the history of education in Ipswich. They recognise the important role the student body plays in this transition and are sure that the students and graduates will have many fond memories of the Ipswich campus and each university of which it is a part.

With its main campus located in the historic town of Ipswich, the University of Suffolk operates at three other locations in Suffolk and the UK: Lowestoft, Bury St. Edmunds, and Great Yarmouth. It also has an extensive website in Ipswich. The Waterfront Building is the central block of the main campus and houses three lecture halls and 34 small teaching rooms. The institution opened the six-story James Hehir Building on campus in 2011, which also houses the Cult Cafe. Adjacent to this building, Athena Hall is an on-campus student residence with approximately 600 accommodations in apartments and studios. The Learning Resource Centre or University Library, with its large collection of rare and unique resources in print and digital form, is the primary source of information for teaching, learning, and research. Both teachers and students have access to these resources. The campus also features a collection of contemporary art from the East on display at the Waterfront Gallery.

It consists of four academic schools and a professional services department located in two faculties. They offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as a wide range of professional programmes in the arts, sciences, education, humanities, social sciences, mathematics, natural sciences, engineering, law, and business. In addition, the university offers more than 50 study abroad programmes at its Madrid campus. It is a diverse community of more than 5,080 students from 108 different countries around the world. The student body consists of 22% international students. It is proud to be home to a vibrant and active research community with many highly specialised academic experts.

As a student-centered university, all of their undergraduate and graduate courses are based on high-quality practical, professional, and applied research. They have a thriving, multidisciplinary doctoral college that works alongside their four academic schools and offers a variety of new doctoral research opportunities supported by leading academics.