Universities in Wales

There are currently eight universities operating in Wales, all of which receive funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW). Although university status in Wales only requires taught degree awarding powers (since 2004), most Welsh universities have the power to award both taught and research degrees (research degrees at Wrexham Glyndŵr University are validated by the University of Chester). University status in Wales is conferred by the Privy Council following advice from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. The criteria for university status were set by the UK government in 2004; since then higher education in Wales has become a devolved matter under the Government of Wales Act 2006 and is the responsibility of the Minister for Education & Skills in the Welsh Government.

In 2016–2017 global rankings, four Welsh universities (Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff and Swansea) featured in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (covering a total of 981 institutions, 91 from the UK); the same four also featured in the QS World University Rankings (916 institutions, 71 from the UK); while Bangor and Cardiff are in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (500 institutions, 37 from the UK). No Welsh university features in the top 100 of any of the global tables, although Cardiff makes the top 200 in all three.

All Welsh universities are public universities funded by the Welsh Government through HEFCW, with an allocation of just under £120M in 2016–2017, covering teaching and research. Welsh universities also charge tuition fees, capped at £9,000 per year for UK and EU students on undergraduate courses, although international students and postgraduate students may pay more.

Universities

Research Excellence Framework ranking

The below lists the outcome of the latest UK Research Excellence Framework undertaken in 2014 (the next REF was scheduled for 2021). The quality of research was rated 4* (world leading) to 1* (recognised nationally). The rankings are out of 128 institutions.

International rankings

A list of Wales' universities in 2019–20 as per four major international ranking platforms ARWU, QS, Leiden, and THE (Times Higher Education).

See also

* Armorial of UK universities
* Education in Wales
*List of further education colleges in Wales

References

{{Education in the United Kingdom

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Universities