The University of Portsmouth is a public university in the city of Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. It is one of only four universities in the south-east of England to be rated Gold in the Government’s Teaching Excellence Framework. The university’s origins can be traced back to the Portsmouth and Gosport School of Science and Art, which was founded in 1870. It became a university in 1992. The university is known for its strengths in a number of areas, including marine science, criminology, and pharmacy.