The university, with its 25 000 students, has five campuses in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape and one in George in the Southern Cape. It incorporates the former PE Technikon, University of Port Elizabeth, and Vista University's Port Elizabeth campus.
As a comprehensive university, it offers vocational and professional training across the faculties of arts; business and economic sciences; education; engineering, the built environment and information technology; health sciences; law; and science.