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Aberystwyth University

NATIONAL
RANK

63.2%

FIRSTS
2:1s

86.1%

COMPLETION
RATE

Key Stats

n/a

TEACHING
QUALITY

111th

STUDENT
EXPERIENCE

35th=

RESEARCH
QUALITY

113th

GRADUATE
PROSPECTS

Contact details

ADDRESS

Reception,
Penglais, Aberystwyth, SY23 3FL View on map >

Telephone

01970 622 021

ug-admissions@aber.ac.uk

Website

www.aber.ac.uk

Open days

October 18

University Profile

It can be wild out west as the students in Aberystwyth’s seafront residences discovered last January when a severe storm and tidal surge brought the beach and sea to their doorsteps – quite literally. Aber’s geographic location (a long way from anywhere and taking a long time to get to anywhere else) also assists in students enjoying their time at university, making full use of social and cultural facilities that are the best the remote town and surrounding area can offer. Until last year, Aber had scored consistently well in both the National Student Survey and other measures of student satisfaction such as the International Student Barometer, which compares Aberystwyth favourably with other institutions – not only in Wales, but the UK as a whole. And the university is working hard to combat the present downturn in applications by making the student experience better still. Aberystwyth has doubled the investment it is planning in its residences and teaching and research facilities, taking total spending to £100m. The first students

have moved into new residences close to the existing student village and within walking distance of the Penglais and Llanbadarn campuses. They provide self-catering accommodation for 1,000 students in flats for six or eight, with a central hub that houses social and learning facilities. The Llanbadarn Centre has been reconfigured and refurbished to provide improved teaching accommodation for management, business, law and information studies; a new innovation and research campus is due to open in 2015 at Gogerddan; and an upland agricultural research centre is being developed outside the seaside town. After that, the original Old College Building is to be redeveloped into an arts centre, with accommodation and study space for postgraduates. The attractive seaside location remains a draw for applicants and there had been strong growth in the demand for places over several years before the fees went up. Although the oldest of the Welsh universities, Aberystwyth has long prided itself on a modern outlook: it was among the pioneers of the modular degree system and allowed students flexibility between subjects even before that. Uniquely in the UK, every student is offered the opportunity of a year’s work experience in commerce, industry or the public sector, either at home or abroad. Those who have taken advantage of the scheme have achieved better than average degrees and enhanced their employment prospects – although the average graduate salary here is among the lowest in the UK. Welsh-medium teaching is thriving, with more courses available in the language. Aberystwyth has set itself the goal of becoming one of the top 30 universities in the UK and the top 250 in the world by 2017. It is a tall order where The Times and The Sunday Times league table is concerned, with the university presently in danger of falling out of our top 100, dropping 11 places this year after last year’s 35-place fall. Applications were down 9% in 2013, in spite of the fee concessions offered to Welsh students, who make up about a third of Aber’s intake, although there was only a small drop in the numbers taking up places. Over 90% of the undergraduates come from state schools or colleges – a higher proportion than the mix of subjects would suggest likely – but the proportion of entrants from working-class homes was only 30% in the latest figures. The projected dropout rate of less than 10% is one of the lowest in Wales, however, suggesting good pastoral support and student contentment. A Student Welcome Centre continues to offer advice on everything from money problems to learning difficulties long after undergraduates have enrolled. Recent developments include a building on the main Penglais campus for the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, which serves more than 1,000 undergraduate and research students and has a remit to look for creative solutions to some of the major challenges facing the world in sustainable land use, climate change, renewable energy and the security of food and water supplies. The institute, which has a link with Bangor University, has over 300 staff and an annual budget in excess of £25m, making it one of the largest groups of scientists and support staff working in this field in Europe. Aber has the widest range of land-related courses in the UK. Entrance scholarships and bursaries are available in a range of subjects, even though Welsh students have been spared the full impact of top-up fees. Aber boasts one of higher education’s most informative websites and also publishes a special guide for parents. There is 24-hour access to the computer network, and the four university libraries are complemented by the National Library of Wales. International politics produced the best results in the 2008 research assessments, when computer science was the leader in Wales, while geography and earth sciences, Welsh, and theatre, film and television also did well. Overall, the university ranked well inside the top third of institutions in the UK for the strength of its research. The students’ guild is the largest entertainment venue in the region. The seaside town of 25,000 people was voted the best university location in Wales and eighth in the UK in one survey. There is plenty of out-of-season accommodation to supplement the university’s extensive stock. Sports facilities are good for the size of institution and well used. There is a 400-metre running track, 50 acres of playing fields, a new 3G pitch, refurbished swimming pool, a climbing wall and specialist outdoor facilities for water sports.

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PERFORMANCE