University of South Wales Information

The University of South Wales (Welsh: Prifysgol De Cymru) is a public university in Wales, with campuses in Cardiff, Newport, Pontypridd and Dubai. It was formed on 11 April 2013 from the merger of the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport. The university is the second largest university in Wales in terms of its student numbers, and offers around 200 courses. The university has four main faculties across its campuses in South Wales.

The university can trace its roots to the founding of the Newport Mechanics Institute in 1841. The Newport Mechanics Institute later become the University of Wales, Newport. In 1913 the South Wales and Monmouthshire School of Mines was formed. The school of mines was later to become the Polytechnic of Wales, before gaining the status of University of Glamorgan in 1992. The name for the new merged university was chosen following a research exercise amongst interested parties and announced in December 2012 by the prospective vice-chancellor of the university, Julie Lydon.

At formation it was reported that the university had more than 33,500 students from 122 countries and was then the sixth largest in the United Kingdom and the largest in Wales. Following the decline in student numbers reported by the HESA over the years since the formation of the university, for the academic year 2016/17 the University ranking was 31st largest in the UK and the 2nd largest in Wales when measured by the numbers of students enrolled.

Source:- The Higher Education Statistics Agency

The university is part of the University of South Wales Group comprising the university, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and the Merthyr Tydfil College.

The university has a band of 106 partner colleges, universities, FE institutions or organisations, who deliver University of South Waless higher education programmes or access courses in the UK and 18 other countries.

The university has four faculties spread over its campuses in South East Wales.

Faculty of Business and Society

Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science

Faculty of Creative Industries

Faculty of Life Sciences and Education

The university has a film school, animation facilities, broadcasting studios, a photography school, a reputation for theatre design, poets, scriptwriters and authors as well as the national music and drama conservatoire, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, as a wholly owned subsidiary. It offers a range of qualifications from further education to degrees to PhD study. As a Post 92 University it delivers a range of STEM subjects.

The university has three main campuses located across South Wales:

The Faculty of Creative Industries is based at the Cardiff Campus, along with a smaller number of courses from the Faculty of Business and Society. The Atrium Building is the main building at the campus, originally opened by the University of Glamorgan in 2007 the building was recently extended at a cost of £14.7 million to replace the Caerleon campus. The building re-opened during September 2016. The campus also includes the Atlantic House building.

The new campus in Dubai opened in September 2018 at Dubai South located near Al-Maktoum International Airport. The courses offered will be British Bachelor degrees which include Aviation Maintenance Engineering. In 2018 the University was criticised by human rights campaigners when it awarded honorary doctorates to two senior figures in the UAE government, Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, at the campus opening ceremony.

The universitys newest campus is the £40 million campus on the west bank of the River Usk in Newport city centre. The City Campus was built for the University of Wales, Newport and was opened in 2011 by Sir Terry Matthews. Originally built to house a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses for the Newport Business School, Newport Film School and the universities art and design department, it now hosts courses from the Faculty of Life Sciences and Education, including teaching, social work and youth work as well as some courses in business together with the National Cyber Security Academy.

This was formerly the main campus of the University of Glamorgan. Currently the universitys largest campus, with a range of facilities, including an indoor sports centre and students union. The campus is located in three parts:-

1) Treforest – Which hosts a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses notable in engineering and related subjects.

2) Glyntaff – Where nursing, science and sport courses are based.

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