The College of St Mark and St John is a Church of England voluntary college. Its constituent colleges, St John's (1840) and St Mark's (1841), merged in 1923. The college moved from London to its present site in Plymouth in 1973.The college is a founding member of the consortium responsible for the Urban Learning Foundation in East London.
In 2007 Marjon received Taught Degree Awarding Powers which provided it University College Status and the ability to accredit its own degrees. With this new status, the college was once again re-titled as it is now known, University College Plymouth St Mark & St John.