Living in Falmouth and Studying on Penryn Campus

This article was written by Sustainable Festival Management BA(Hons) student Sam.

One common misconception about Falmouth Uni is that it isn’t possible to live in accommodation in Falmouth when your course is based on the Penryn Campus.

In fact, I’ve found that it’s not only easy, but it's a really nice way to approach things that many students opt for! In this blog, I’ll do some myth-busting and hopefully provide some key information to help you with your accommodation decisions.

Sometimes there can be confusion around being a ‘Falmouth University’ student yet studying on a campus which isn’t *technically* in Falmouth (Penryn Campus is in Penryn). The truth is, Falmouth and the neighbouring town of Penryn are often treated as one place by locals, as the two closely adjoin each other and share convenient public transport links. There are regular buses between Falmouth and the Penryn Campus (around every 15 minutes) throughout the day and late into the evening. It’s also possible to take a short 5-minute train ride from Falmouth into the centre of Penryn, with a quick walk up to the campus. Travel via car, bike or foot is also very straight-forward.

If you know you’ll be studying on the Penryn Campus, but you get allocated student halls in Falmouth, please don’t panic! It’s actually very common, and many students actively choose this - myself included. 

This is because Falmouth is a great place to live. It’s really nice to be so close to Falmouth’s town centre, with easy access to social activities, the amazing beaches, bars, music venues, clubs, and all the shops. Penryn is great too, but it’s a bit smaller than Falmouth and you have less easy options for things to do when you’re not at uni. As someone who studies on the Penryn Campus, but has lived in both Falmouth and Penryn, I like having the best of both worlds by living in Falmouth - it keeps things varied, and means you get to enjoy both places more.

One thing you should know if you’re moving to student halls in Falmouth is that you’re never far from public transport links to Penryn: Tuke House is right next to The Moor bus terminal and The View is only a short walk away. Ocean View and Maritime Studios are situated right outside Falmouth Docks train station.

I take the bus from Falmouth to the Penryn Campus for all my lectures and seminars, and I find it really convenient. The bus to/from Penryn takes around 15-20 minutes and drops you off right in the middle of Penryn Campus for easy access to wherever you need to be. The regularity of the bus service also means that if you’re running late and miss one, you won’t be waiting for too long! Some students decide to take the train - this is especially convenient if you live in Maritime Studios or Ocean View, however there is a short 10-minute walk from Penryn Station to the campus once you arrive, and sometimes you need to plan ahead a little more as the trains only run every 30 minutes.