History, Affiliations, and Rankings

The University of Aberystwyth was founded in 1872 when it became the "people's University," and welcomed its first 26 students. It became the first University institution in Wales to offer courses in Arts and Sciences.  It was named the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth in 1894 after becoming a founding member of the University of Wales and the institution changed its name again in the mid-1990s, becoming the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. The University of Wales ceased to be a federal university on September 1, 2007, and Aberystwyth University regained its independent status. The university is also affiliated with the University of Wales, Association of MBAs (AMBA), Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), Universities UK, HiPACT, Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA), and HEA. In the QS World University Rankings 2022, THE World University Rankings 2022, and US News & World Report Best Global Universities 2022, the University is placed in the brackets #541-550, #501-600, and at #902, respectively. The University of Aberystwyth is placed #58 in the Complete University Guide University League Table 2022 and #64 in the Guardian Top UK Universities 2022 rankings.

Infrastructure, Campuses, and Courses

Aberystwyth is located in west Wales, between the Cambrian Mountains and the Cardigan Bay shoreline, and is a beautiful place to study. The University of Aberystwyth offers a variety of modern facilities, the majority of which are conveniently located on the main campus in Aberystwyth. Penglais, Llanbadarn, and Gogerddan are the three campuses that make up Aberystwyth University. Aberystwyth University's main campus is located atop Penglais Hill, with views of Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay. 12 of the University's 17 departments, as well as the majority of the student living halls, are located on the Penglais Campus. Most of the University's administration, as well as the Welsh and Education Departments, are housed in the old Aberystwyth University building, known as "Old College”. The university offers more than 300 pre-professional degrees, single honors, joint honors, major/minor, distance learning programs, Bachelor's, Master's, integrated Master's, MPhil, Doctoral, and other specialized certificate programs to its students in a plethora of fields of study.

Accomplishments and Alumni 

The university is investing to improve the student experience and revitalize its historic Old College campus on the seafront for the benefit of the entire community as it approaches its 150th anniversary in 2022. Aberystwyth Institution is the only university in the UK to provide every student with a year of work experience as part of their degree, resulting in higher employability than the national average. It was the first institution to be selected "University of the Year for Teaching Quality" for two years in a row by The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide in 2019, which also named Aberystwyth as the Welsh University of the Year in 2020. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), Aberystwyth University submitted 95% of its research activities as being of an "internationally recognized quality" or above, with "world-leading" research acknowledged in all 17 of the Units of Assessment. Charles, Prince of Wales (eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II), Carwyn Jones (Former First Minister of Wales), Robert Minhinnick (Welsh Poet), Hugh Owen (Educator), and many others are among the university's prominent graduates.

Student Diversity and Visiting Companies

Aberystwyth University has a student population of over 6,000 students, out of which nearly 2,000 are international students. There is a separate international office that addresses issues about visas, housing, and banking for foreign students. To assist foreign students in settling in further, the Student Union offers an international buddy program as well as a unique orientation session in the first few days of term. Aberystwyth is an inclusive University, where students are allowed to prosper by upholding their unique identities. Students get plenty of opportunities to get involved in, including Arts and Culture, Sports, as well as a variety of food and dining options that are available on the campus. This allows students to socialize and connect outside the classroom, thereby fostering cross-cultural interactions. BBC, HSBC, Deloitte, EY, Amazon, Capgemini, PwC, Oracle and Google are some of the top recruiters at Aberystwyth University.