TEACHING
QUALITY
University of the West of Scotland
118
th
NATIONAL
RANK
RANK
58.5%
FIRSTS
2:1s
2:1s
67.8%
COMPLETION
RATE
RATE
Key Stats
n/a
102nd=
STUDENT
EXPERIENCE
EXPERIENCE
67th=
RESEARCH
QUALITY
QUALITY
92nd
GRADUATE
PROSPECTS
PROSPECTS
Contact details
ADDRESS
Paisley Campus, Paisley, PA1 2BE View on map >
Telephone
Email
Website
Open days
January 13, 2015 (Paisley); January 14 (Ayr and Dumfries); January 15 (Hamilton)
University Profile
Undergraduate enrolments at The University of the West of Scotland (UWS) have declined for three years in a row, but they started from an unusually high base with the merger of Paisley University and Bell College, in Hamilton, prompting the biggest increases in applications at any UK university for two successive years.
However, UWS pays for this with the highest dropout rate in the UK, running at more than 30% and close to three times the benchmark set according to the subject mix and entry qualifications. This contributes significantly to its low standing in our overall rankings.
UWS is now among the largest modern universities in Scotland, and has been adapting to its increased size with a new £81m campus in Ayr for 3,500 students. This will be followed by a transformation of the Hamilton campus, which has already seen the construction of a new engineering centre.
The developments are part of a £200m plan for the university’s four bases in Dumfries, Paisley, Ayr and Hamilton. A library and student services centre was added in Dumfries soon after the merger and an employment centre serving
The university is based in an area of low participation in higher education and is within reach of nearly 40% of the population of Scotland. UWS has continued its parent institutions’ strong record in attracting under-represented groups onto courses, with almost all of its students state educated and 40% from working-class homes. Hundreds of youngsters aged 14 and 15 attend the “university experience” to sample a week of student life.
Growth since the merger has been fuelled mainly by the move to an all-graduate nursing profession – the School of Health, Nursing and Midwifery is the largest north of the border – but degrees in subjects such as computer animation, commercial music, computer games technology, sports studies and music technology have all been popular.
More than £9m was invested in student facilities in Paisley in the early years of UWS. The main campus, 20 acres in the town centre, has also benefited from a new library and learning resource centre, a £5m students’ union building, and recently upgraded indoor and outdoor sports facilities. UWS is bringing more students into Paisley town centre with the completion of a £17.6m student accommodation development.
The investment includes the refurbishment of some 160 university-owned flats, as well as the construction of a new student residence with 336 bed spaces, divided into flats for six students, each with large ensuite bedrooms and with a shared kitchen and lounge.
The Dumfries campus, which is operated in partnership with Glasgow University, has more than 500 students. The Hamilton campus contains a students’ union, an upgraded leisure centre and some accommodation, as well as teaching space. The Ayr campus is shared with SRUC (Scotland's Rural College) and has a prize-winning library with flexible space for individual or group study, presentation and seminar areas.
Paisley pioneered credit transfer in Scotland, including credit for non-academic achievement, and the modular course system covers day, evening and weekend classes. Most students either take sandwich degrees or have work placements built into their courses, earning an average of £10,000 in the process, but the impact on graduate employment has not been as great as elsewhere.
Courses are strongly vocational, with business, multimedia and health subjects by far the most popular choices. There are close links with business and industry and all students are offered hands-on computer training. Paisley was the first UK university to be approved by Microsoft, Macromedia and Cisco, and has the status of Microsoft Academic Professional Development Centre. A games development laboratory, supported by Sony, is part of a £300,000 package of investment in multimedia and games facilities.
Research grades improved in the last assessments, although UWS made only a small submission. A quarter of the work was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent, with biomedical sciences and social policy and social work producing the best results. The university returned to The Times league table three years ago after blocking the release of data until all the statistics related to the new institution.
Paisley is Scotland’s largest town, while Hamilton ranks fifth. In both places, the university draws a high proportion of the students from the local area, many on part-time courses. Numbers at Paisley have grown particularly rapidly in recent years and there are almost 1,000 international students, thanks to a growing number of Chinese and Indian nationals and long-established links with over 50 EU institutions.
However, UWS pays for this with the highest dropout rate in the UK, running at more than 30% and close to three times the benchmark set according to the subject mix and entry qualifications. This contributes significantly to its low standing in our overall rankings.
UWS is now among the largest modern universities in Scotland, and has been adapting to its increased size with a new £81m campus in Ayr for 3,500 students. This will be followed by a transformation of the Hamilton campus, which has already seen the construction of a new engineering centre.
The developments are part of a £200m plan for the university’s four bases in Dumfries, Paisley, Ayr and Hamilton. A library and student services centre was added in Dumfries soon after the merger and an employment centre serving
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all four campuses was a new feature in Paisley.The university is based in an area of low participation in higher education and is within reach of nearly 40% of the population of Scotland. UWS has continued its parent institutions’ strong record in attracting under-represented groups onto courses, with almost all of its students state educated and 40% from working-class homes. Hundreds of youngsters aged 14 and 15 attend the “university experience” to sample a week of student life.
Growth since the merger has been fuelled mainly by the move to an all-graduate nursing profession – the School of Health, Nursing and Midwifery is the largest north of the border – but degrees in subjects such as computer animation, commercial music, computer games technology, sports studies and music technology have all been popular.
More than £9m was invested in student facilities in Paisley in the early years of UWS. The main campus, 20 acres in the town centre, has also benefited from a new library and learning resource centre, a £5m students’ union building, and recently upgraded indoor and outdoor sports facilities. UWS is bringing more students into Paisley town centre with the completion of a £17.6m student accommodation development.
The Dumfries campus, which is operated in partnership with Glasgow University, has more than 500 students. The Hamilton campus contains a students’ union, an upgraded leisure centre and some accommodation, as well as teaching space. The Ayr campus is shared with SRUC (Scotland's Rural College) and has a prize-winning library with flexible space for individual or group study, presentation and seminar areas.
Paisley pioneered credit transfer in Scotland, including credit for non-academic achievement, and the modular course system covers day, evening and weekend classes. Most students either take sandwich degrees or have work placements built into their courses, earning an average of £10,000 in the process, but the impact on graduate employment has not been as great as elsewhere.
Courses are strongly vocational, with business, multimedia and health subjects by far the most popular choices. There are close links with business and industry and all students are offered hands-on computer training. Paisley was the first UK university to be approved by Microsoft, Macromedia and Cisco, and has the status of Microsoft Academic Professional Development Centre. A games development laboratory, supported by Sony, is part of a £300,000 package of investment in multimedia and games facilities.
Research grades improved in the last assessments, although UWS made only a small submission. A quarter of the work was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent, with biomedical sciences and social policy and social work producing the best results. The university returned to The Times league table three years ago after blocking the release of data until all the statistics related to the new institution.
Paisley is Scotland’s largest town, while Hamilton ranks fifth. In both places, the university draws a high proportion of the students from the local area, many on part-time courses. Numbers at Paisley have grown particularly rapidly in recent years and there are almost 1,000 international students, thanks to a growing number of Chinese and Indian nationals and long-established links with over 50 EU institutions.
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Detailed Statistics
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
CATEGORY
SCORE
RANK
Ranking
-
118 (117)
Student experience
78.9
102nd=
Research quality
4.7
67th=
Ucas entry points
299
99th=
Graduate prospects
58.4
92nd
Firsts and 2:1s
58.5
102nd=
Completion rate
67.8
121st
Student-staff ratio
22:1
114th
Services/facilities spend (£)
1,279
96th=
VITAL STATISTICS
Undergraduates
(Full-time)
9,760
Undergraduates
(Part-time)
4,035
Postgraduates
(Full-time)
630
Postgraduates
(Part-time)
940
Applications/places
15,820/3,975
Applications/places ratio
4:1
STUDENT CITIES
Jack Douglas, students’ union president
Manic: people want to meet you 24/7, from fellow freshers to lecturers to student representatives.
The dodgy landlords: my colleague was about to move into his new flat only to discover someone was already living there.
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Cost of living
Nightlife
Transport
Culture
ACCOMMODATION
FEES
Scots/EU fees
£0-£1,820
RUK fees
£7,250
Fees (placement year)
£1,820 (RUK)
Fees (international)
£10,300-£10,815
Finance website
Graduate salaries
£19,184
BURSARIES/SCHOLARSHIPS
>
Scholarships and bursaries available.
SPORT
Sports points/rank
97, 101st
Sport website
Student satisfaction
93.4%
88.5%
87.8%
82.0%
81.9%
80.6%
78.3%
78.1%
77.7%
77.0%
75.4%
72.6%
70.9%
65.4%