University of Essex

John Constable's painting of Wivenhoe Park in 1816

The University of Essex is a university in Essex, England. It was started in 1963. The university's main campus is at Wivenhoe Park in Essex. It is less than one mile (1.6 km) from the town of Wivenhoe and 2 miles (3.2 km) from the city of Colchester.

Apart from this main campus, there are also branch campuses in Southend, Loughton (home of the East 15 Acting School), and Ipswich. The University of Essex has 18 main teaching departments and 36 centres and institutes, teaching a wide range of subjects. Its motto is Thought the harder, heart the keener. The motto comes from the East Saxon poem, The Battle of Maldon.