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University of South Wales

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Not to be confused with University of New South Wales.

University of South Wales
Prifysgol De Cymru
Coat of Arms
University of South Wales
Former names
University of Glamorgan, University of Wales, Newport
MottoSuccess Through Endeavour
TypePublic
Established11 April 2013 (origins 1841)
Endowment£3.3 million (2019)[1]
ChancellorRowan Williams[2]
Vice-ChancellorBen Calvert
Administrative staff
2,780 [3]
Students26,180 (2022/23)[4]
Undergraduates16,395 (2022/23)[4]
Postgraduates9,785 (2022/23)[4]
Location
Wales
CampusCardiff, Newport and Pontypridd
AffiliationsUniversity Alliance
Universities UK
Websitesouthwales.ac.uk

The University of South Wales (Welsh: Prifysgol De Cymru) is a public university in Wales, with campuses in Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd. It was formed on 11 April 2013 from the merger of the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport.[5] The university is the second largest university in Wales in terms of its student numbers, and offers around 500 undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The university has three main faculties across its campuses in South Wales.

History

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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.[6] 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,[7] who retired in 2021.[8]

In 2020 the university entered a strategic alliance with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David through a deed of association. A joint statement said that the two universities would be "working together on a national mission to strengthen Wales’ innovation capacity, supporting economic regeneration and the renewal of its communities", while retaining their autonomy and distinct identities.[9][10]

A data breach in 2019 impacted 30,000 students causing the student record system to be taken offline.[11][12]

Notable dates

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  • 1841 Opening of Mechanics Institute, Newport
  • 1913 Opening of South Wales and Monmouthshire School of Mines, Treforest
  • 2013 Merger between the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport
  • 2014 Rowan Williams appointed Chancellor
  • 2015 London Campus closes
  • 2016 Caerleon Campus closes
  • 2020 Dubai Campus closes

Student numbers

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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.[13][14][15][full citation needed] Following the decline in student numbers reported by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) over the years since the formation of the university, for the academic year 2022/23 the university was the 36th largest in the UK and the second largest in Wales when measured by the numbers of students enrolled.[4]

University 00-01 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10–11 11–12 12–13
Glamorgan 17,530 Increase 18,875 Increase 19,820 Increase 20,595 Increase 21,325 Decrease20,825 Increase 21,535 Increase 22,710 Decrease20,900 Increase 21,070 Decrease20,210 Increase21,190 Decrease20,345
Newport 8,185 Increase 8,505 Increase 8,980 Increase 9,065 9,065 Increase 9,380 Increase 9,535 Decrease 9,120 Decrease 9,065 Increase 9,290 Increase 10,040 Decrease 9,990 Decrease 9,780
Total 25,715 Increase 27,380 Increase 28,800 Increase 29,660 Increase 30,390 Decrease30,205 Increase 31,070 Increase 31,830 Decrease29,965 Increase 30,360 Decrease 30,250 Increase 31,180 Decrease 30,125
South Wales 12-13 13–14 14–15 15–16 16–17 17–18 18–19 19–20 20–21 21–22 22–23
Numbers Baseline Decrease29,195 Decrease27,710 Decrease25,265 Decrease23,465 Decrease22,860 Decrease22,330 Increase 23,090 Increase 23,150 Increase 23,270 Increase 26,180
% Change University Claim 33,500 Decrease-11% Decrease-17% Decrease-25% Decrease-30% Decrease-32% Decrease-33% Decrease-31% Decrease-31% Decrease-31% Decrease-25%
% Change HSE Figures 30,125 Decrease-1% Decrease-8% Decrease-16% Decrease-22% Decrease-24% Decrease-26% Decrease-23% Decrease-23% Decrease-23% Decrease-16%

Source:- The Higher Education Statistics Agency[3]

Organisation

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Associated organisations

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The university has a band of 106 partner colleges, universities, FE institutions or organisations, who deliver University of South Wales's higher education programmes or access courses in the UK and 18 other countries.[16]

Faculties

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The university has three faculties[17] spread over its campuses in South East Wales.

Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science

Faculty of Business & Creative Industries

Faculty of Life Sciences and Education

  • School of Psychology and Therapeutic Studies
  • School of Education, Early Years and Social Work
  • School of Health, Sport & Professional Practice
  • School of Care Sciences

The university has a film school, animation facilities, broadcasting studios, a photography school, 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.[citation needed]

Campuses

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The university has three main campuses located in South Wales:

Cardiff

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The Faculty of Business & Creative Industries is based at the Cardiff Campus. The Atrium Building is the only building at the campus, originally opened by the University of Glamorgan in 2007 the building was extended at a cost of £14.7 million[18] to replace the Caerleon campus. The building re-opened during September 2016. The campus also included the Atlantic House building, which was closed due to declining student numbers.[citation needed]

  • ATRiuM, Adam Street
    ATRiuM, Adam Street
  • Atlantic House, Tyndall Street
    Atlantic House, Tyndall Street

Newport

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The university's 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.[19] Originally built to house a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses for the Newport Business School, Newport Film School and the university's art and design department, it now hosts departments and courses primarily 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.[citation needed]

Pontypridd

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This was formerly the main campus of the University of Glamorgan. Currently the university's largest campus, with a range of facilities, including an indoor sports centre and students' union. The campus is located in three parts:[citation needed]

  • Main buildings
    Main buildings
  • Hirwaun building
    Hirwaun building
  • Students' Union building
    Students' Union building
  1. Treforest: School of Engineering, School of Computing and Mathematics and the South Wales Business School. Graduate school, main library and administrative departments
  2. Glyntaff: Nursing and science departments. Divided into Lower Glyntaff, where nursing is focused, and Upper Glyntaff where Applied Sciences is based. The Alfred Russel Wallace building, named after the Welsh naturalist, is an impressive example of South Wales architecture, having been an Edwardian boys' grammar school and built in typical dramatic style.
  3. Sport Park: in the Treforest Industrial Estate, the location of several teaching spaces and facilities for sports courses.

Former campuses

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Caerleon

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Caerleon is located on the northern outskirts of Newport. Formerly the second largest campus, it hosted a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including education, sports, history, fashion design, art and photography. The campus had extensive sports facilities, library, students' union shop and a students' union bar. It was formerly the main campus of the University of Wales, Newport. In 2014, it was announced by the University of South Wales that the Caerleon campus would close in 2016.[20] The university cited the need to invest around £20 million to improve and upgrade facilities as the primary reason for its closure.[21] The university relocated courses to the Newport City campus and the Cardiff Campus where it invested £14.7 million[18] to extend and upgrade the Atrium building. The campus opened during 1914 and closed for the last time on 31 July 2016, after 102 years.

The university sold the campus for £6.2 million to Redrow [22] for housing development despite the strong opposition to the planned re-development from local residents.[23] The Caerleon Civic Society asked Cadw, the body that looks after historic monuments and buildings in Wales, to give the Edwardian main building Grade II Listed building status to save it from demolition.[24] On 7 August 2016 the Welsh Government announced that they would recommend that the main building, gatehouses and gate-piers be listed as 'buildings of special architectural and historic interest'. The University of South Wales expressed their continued opposition to the proposed listing but the announcement was welcomed by local politicians and the Caerleon Civic Society.[25] Grade II listing of the Main Building, the Principal's Residence, Gate Piers and Caretaker's / Gardener's Lodge was confirmed on 3 March 2017.[26]

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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A new campus in Dubai was opened during September 2018 in Dubai South located near Al-Maktoum International Airport. The courses offered were British bachelor's degrees which include Aviation Maintenance Engineering and postgraduate courses including MSc International Logistics and Supply Chain Management. From September 2020 it was announced that the campus would not accept further applications and would close.[27] 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.[28][29][30]

London

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In 2014, USW spent an estimated £300,000 developing a campus in the Docklands area of London, but in January 2015 cancelled the project before taking on any students. The university described this as a test of the market, but cited problems created by new UK visa regulations.[31]

Academic profile

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Awards

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The University of Wales, Newport received the 2013 Guardian Higher Education Award (with the University of Glamorgan) for widening participation through its Universities Heads of the Valleys Institute (UHOVI) initiative.[32][33] The University of Glamorgan was recognised for providing outstanding student support, winning the 2012 Times Higher Award for Outstanding Support to Students.[34]

The former vice-chancellor of the university, Julie Lydon, was appointed an OBE for services to higher education in Wales in the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours.[35]

Rankings and reputation

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Rankings
National rankings
Complete (2025)[36]95=
Guardian (2025)[37]51
Times / Sunday Times (2025)[38]94=
Global rankings
THE (2025)[39]1201–1500

In 2017, the university entered the top five percent of universities in the world in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.[citation needed]

In the 2017 National Student Survey the university was placed equal 140th out of 149 universities and institutions surveyed.[40][41][42]

The Complete University Guide 2016/7 ranked the university as 99th out of 127 UK universities;[43] the ranking declined to 110th out of 129 UK Universities in 2017/8 but has since risen to 101th.

The university came 81st in the 2022 What Uni Awards[44]

USW, along with all other Welsh universities, did not participate in the 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework (a government assessment of the quality of undergraduate teaching in English universities and other higher education providers).

Year 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17–18
National Student Survey 80% Decrease79% Increase80% Decrease78% -
Complete University Guide 91 Decrease100 Decrease102 Increase99 Decrease110
The Guardian - 102 Decrease113 Increase111 Decrease116
Times/Sunday Times - 114 Increase112 Decrease115 -
WhatUni? Student Choice Awards 79 Decrease95 Increase8 Decrease35 -

National Cyber Security Academy

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In 2016, the university launched its National Cyber Security Academy. This academy is a joint venture with industrial partners and Welsh Government and has been recognised by the UK's national security organisation GCHQ. [45]

Research

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The university is one of Wales's five major universities and a member of the St David's Day Group.[46] Its precursor institutions have been recognised for producing some world-leading and internationally excellent research in specialist areas, such as mechanical, aeronautical & manufacturing engineering, social work, social policy & administration, education, history, art and design,[47] nursing and midwifery, architecture and the built environment, English language and literature, communication, cultural & media studies, sports-related studies.[48]

The university has provided a partnership platform for think-tanks such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation[49] to develop debate on public policy reform in the UK.

The most recent Research Excellence Framework in 2021 found an overall improvement to the university's research performance, with a 49% increase in world leading research since 2014.[50] The university is joint first in the UK for impactful research in Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy; in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences; in Computer Science and Informatics; in Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure, and Tourism; in History; in Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies and in Social Work and Social Policy.[50]

Student life

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Students' Union

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University of South Wales Students' Union is the students' union of the university. It exists to support and represent the students of the university. It is a member-led organisation and all students are automatically members.[51]

Accommodation

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Pontypridd has halls of residence and facilities on its Treforest campus. Students studying at the university's Cardiff campus have access to private halls of residence, which are shared with the city's other universities. The Newport City building has nearby private student halls of residence.[citation needed]

Notable alumni

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Main category: Alumni of University of South Wales
See also the categories Alumni of the University of Glamorgan and Alumni of the University of Wales, Newport

Artists and photographers

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Authors and creative writers

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Film

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Healthcare professionals

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Media personalities and performers

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Musicians

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Politicians

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Scientists

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Sports people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "FS University of South Wales" (PDF).
  2. ^ "Rowan Williams named as University of South Wales chancellor". ITV.com. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  3. ^ a b "HESA - Experts in higher education data and analysis". www.hesa.ac.uk.
  4. ^ a b c d "Where do HE students study?". Higher Education Statistics Agency. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  5. ^ "University merger 11 April 2013". Southwalesargus.co.uk. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  6. ^ The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. John Davies, Nigel Jenkins, Menna Baines and Peredur Lynch (2008) pg896 ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6
  7. ^ "Preferred Name Announced For New University (press release)". Newport.ac.uk. 17 December 2012. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  8. ^ "Cyn Is-Ganghellor PDC, yr Athro Julie Lydon, yn cael ei gwneud yn fonesig yn Rhestr Anrhydeddau Blwyddyn Newydd y Frenhines". Prifysgol De Cymru (in Welsh). 1 January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  9. ^ "University alliance to deliver economic and social benefits to Wales". University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  10. ^ "University alliance to deliver economic and social benefits to Wales". University of South Wales. 30 July 2020.
  11. ^ Wightwick, Abbie (30 May 2019). "Police investigate data breach at Welsh university". Wales Online. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  12. ^ Bobby Hellard (31 May 2019). "Police investigate University of South Wales data breach". ITPro. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  13. ^ "University of South Wales opens for 33,500 students". The BBC. 11 April 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  14. ^ "University guide 2014: University of South Wales". The Guardian. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  15. ^ USW Annual Review 2013
  16. ^ "Collaborative Registers". A check of the listed documents on the university site yielded total number of partner colleges and their countries. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  17. ^ "Faculties and Schools". www.southwales.ac.uk.
  18. ^ a b "The Enhanced Cardiff Campus". www.southwales.ac.uk.
  19. ^ "Sir Terry Matthews opens Newport university campus". BBC. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  20. ^ "Campus Changes". University of South Wales Campus Changes. Archived from the original on 17 November 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  21. ^ "Caerleon Campus £20m repair bill claim 'bogus'". Swindon Advertiser. 14 October 2014.
  22. ^ "Drone footage shows the hundreds of new houses being built on iconic college site". 9 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  23. ^ "Campus Changes". 13 April 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  24. ^ "Open Letter". June 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  25. ^ "Lifeline for part of Caerleon Campus after minister says building should be listed". 8 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  26. ^ "Historic Caerleon college campus given listed status by Cadw". 3 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  27. ^ "Applications are closed". University of South Wales. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  28. ^ Lo, Joe (16 November 2018). "Welsh Uni accused of "whitewashing UAE's appalling human rights record"". Left Foot Forward. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
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  30. ^ "British academic Matthew Hedges released on bail in UAE". telegraph.co.uk. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
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  33. ^ Tickle, Louise (28 February 2013). "Commitment to widening participation winner: University of Wales, Newport with the University of Glamorgan". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
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  35. ^ Rupert Denholm-Hall (13 June 2014). "Business leaders across Wales recognised in Queen's Birthday Honours". walesonline. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  36. ^ "Complete University Guide 2025". The Complete University Guide. 14 May 2024.
  37. ^ "Guardian University Guide 2025". The Guardian. 7 September 2024.
  38. ^ "Good University Guide 2025". The Times. 20 September 2024.
  39. ^ "THE World University Rankings 2025". Times Higher Education. 9 October 2024.
  40. ^ "The National Student Survey website". Retrieved 9 August 2017.
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  42. ^ "National Student Survey on HEFCE website". Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  43. ^ "Complete University Guide website". Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  44. ^ "WhatUni 2022". Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  45. ^ David Williamson (23 May 2016). "Intelligence agency GCHQ gives its seal of approval to Welsh university". walesonline. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  46. ^ "St Davids Day Group". stdavidsdaygroup.ac.uk.
  47. ^ "Newport RAE 2008 : Quality profiles". Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  48. ^ "Glamorgan RAE 2008 : Quality profiles". Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  49. ^ Fred Robinson (12 September 2012). "How can universities support disadvantaged communities?". Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  50. ^ a b "Research Excellence Framework | University of South Wales".
  51. ^ "University of South Wales Students' Union". Retrieved 14 August 2017.
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  68. ^ "Kevin Brennan MP – Cardiff West". Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
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