Wrexham University (; ) is a

public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

in the

north-east The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, with campuses in

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...

Northop Northop () is a village, community and electoral ward situated in Flintshire, Wales, approximately 12 miles west of the city of Chester, midway between Mold and Flint, and situated just off junction 33 of the A55 North Wales Expressway. At th ...

and

St Asaph St Asaph (; "church on the Elwy") is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and community (Wales), community on the River Elwy in Denbighshire, Wales. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the community had a population ...

. It offers both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, as well as professional courses. The university had students in . The earliest predecessor of the university was the Wrexham School of Science and Art (WSSA), established in 1887, which after several mergers became the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education (NEWI) in 1975. The institute became a full member of the

University of Wales The University of Wales () is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff – the university was the first universit ...

in 2004. In 2008 it was granted full university status and renamed Glyndŵr University () after

Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (28 May 135420 September 1415), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr (Glyn Dŵr, , anglicised as Owen Glendower) was a Welsh people, Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the Wales in the late Middle Ages, late Middle ...

, a fifteenth-century Welsh leader who was born near Wrexham and suggested the establishment of universities in Wales. The term "Wrexham" was later added to the existing name in 2016, until the university adopted its current name in late 2023. The university's School of Creative Arts operates the Wall Recording Studio on its Plas Coch campus, the former home of Calon FM community radio station.

History

The university's origins date back to the opening of Wrexham School of Science and Art (WSSA) in 1887. At this time John Viriamu Jones called for a

. The WSSA began offering

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

-validated degrees in science in 1924. The original name of Wrexham School of Science and Art was changed several times. In 1927, it became Denbighshire Technical Institute, becoming Denbighshire Technical College in 1939 and North East Wales Institute of Higher Education in 1975 by the merger of

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, Flintshire to the east, Wrexham to the southeast, Powys to the south, and Gwynedd and Conwy to the west. Rhyl is the largest town, and Ruthi ...

Technical College, Cartrefle Teacher Training College and Kelsterton College of Connah's Quay,

Deeside Deeside () is the name given to a predominantly industrial conurbation of towns and villages in Flintshire and Cheshire on the England–Wales border, Wales–England border lying near the canalised stretch of the River Dee, Wales, River Dee t ...

. Initially, its degrees were validated by the

University of Salford The University of Salford is a Public university, public research university in Salford, Greater Manchester, Salford, Greater Manchester, England, west of Manchester city centre. The Royal Technical Institute, Salford, which opened in 1896, be ...

. Some famous alumni include

Andrew Gwynne Andrew John Gwynne (born 4 June 1974) is a British politician who is Member of Parliament (MP) for Gorton and Denton, previously Denton and Reddish, since 2005. He was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Preventi ...

(when it was North East Wales Institute of Higher Education), Gavin Roberts, and Brian Percival (as North Wales School of Art and Design). In 1993, NEWI became an associate member of the University of Wales and all

further education Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is additional education to that received at secondary school that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. It ...

courses in Wrexham were moved to

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

, Wrexham (now part of

Coleg Cambria Coleg Cambria in North East Wales is one of the UK's largest colleges, with over 7,000 full-time and 20,000 part-time students, and has international links covering four continents. Coleg Cambria was created following the merger of Deeside Colleg ...

). In 2004, NEWI became a full member of the University of Wales, with "University of Wales, Wrexham" touted as a potential future name, and in 2006 became accredited by the University of Wales and exercised devolved powers to validate and deliver its own degrees. The university was officially renamed "Glyndŵr University" in July 2008 after being granted degree awarding powers. The university was visited by the Queen in 2003 and by

Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester (born Birgitte Eva van Deurs Henriksen; 20 June 1946) is a Danish-born member of the British royal family. She is married to Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, a grandson of George V, King George V. Early life ...

in 2005. In June 2014, the

Home Office The Home Office (HO), also known (especially in official papers and when referred to in Parliament) as the Home Department, is the United Kingdom's interior ministry. It is responsible for public safety and policing, border security, immigr ...

suspended the University's authorisation to sponsor international students. On 24 November 2014 Glyndŵr University has had its right to sponsor international students reinstated by the Home Office. In 2016, the university underwent a minor name change and is now called "Wrexham Glyndŵr University" in English, and "Prifysgol Glyndŵr Wrecsam" in Welsh. Between 2008 and 2019, the main Wrexham campus of the University hosted

Wales Comic Con Wales Comic Con (''WCC'') is an annual fan convention in the United Kingdom, mainly held in North Wales. Founded in 2007, it held its first event in Wrexham in 2008, hosting there until 2018. From 2019 to 2023, the main event moved to Telf ...

, reduced to one-day events from 2022 following a brief absence. In August 2022, the university announced it was considering re-naming itself to "Wrexham University" () dropping "Glyndŵr" from its name. On 27 April 2023, the university confirmed its plans to rename to "Wrexham University", following consultations with staff, students and other organisations, and approval by the Privy Council. The Privy Council legally changed the name of the university on 9 February 2023. The university stated the increased attention of Wrexham due to

Wrexham A.F.C. Wrexham Association Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Wrexham, Wales. Formed in 1864, it is the oldest club in Wales and the third-oldest professional association football team in the world. The club compe ...

, '' Welcome to Wrexham'' and Wrexham's awarded city status, as reasons for the move. The university also made plans to "continue celebrat ng lyndŵr'slegacy". The name change became official in September 2023, and the university maintains links with the Owain Glyndŵr Society to offer one of its top graduate awards.

Campuses

The university has various sites in Wrexham and north east Wales. From 2011 to 2018 it ran a campus in London.

Wrexham

Plas Coch

The university has two sites in Wrexham. The main site at

Plas Coch Plas Coch () is an area of the community of Rhosddu, in the city of Wrexham, Wales. A major retail and educational area of Wrexham, it lies to the north-west of Wrexham city centre. Formerly known as Lower Stansty, the term has fallen out of ...

covers , and was inherited from the former Cartrefle TTC which moved there in 1953. It houses over 70 seminar suites, conference suites, lecture theatres, workshops and laboratories, complemented with a library (the Edward Llwyd Centre) and learning resource facilities, as well as a sports centre, a Centre for the Creative Industries, the Centre for the Child, Family and Society, the Glyndŵr University Racecourse Stadium, a human performance lab, the Terry Hands studio, the Catrin Finch Centre, William Aston Hall, the Oriel Sycharth Gallery and the Welsh international hockey team. The educational charity North Wales Science, owned by the university, operated a science discovery centre on the Plas Coch campus. The centre was open to schools and the general public, and in a partnership with Techniquest in Cardiff, was branded as 'Techniquest@NEWI' and later 'Techniquest Glyndŵr', from 2003 to 2020. In 2019, the charity decided to relocate to a site in

Wrexham city centre Wrexham city centre is the administrative, cultural and historic city centre of Wrexham, in North Wales and is the area enclosed by the inner ring road of the city. It is the largest shopping area in north and mid Wales, and the administrative c ...

, with their Henblas Street site opening on 3 October 2020, rebranding as ' Xplore! Science Discovery Centre'.

Regent Street

The other Wrexham site on Regent Street, is near to Wrexham city centre and is home to its North Wales School of Art and Design (NWSAD). It formerly housed the Denbighshire Technical College, who moved to the site in 1927 (under their previous name of Denbighshire Technical Institute). In 2011, the university acquired the

Racecourse Ground The Racecourse Ground (), is a football stadium in Wrexham, Wales. It is the home of Wrexham A.F.C., Wrexham AFC. It is the largest stadium in North Wales and the List of football stadiums in Wales, fifth-largest in Wales. It is the world's o ...

, the home of Wrexham FC, renaming it the ''Glyndŵr University Racecourse Stadium''. The university sold the stadium back to the club on 29 June 2022. The university has its own music recording facilities, notably The Wall Recording Studio.

Northop

The university shares the former Welsh College of Horticulture in

Flintshire Flintshire () is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, the Dee Estuary to the north-east, the English county of Cheshire to the east, Wrexham County Borough to the south, and Denbighshire to the west. ...

, with Coleg Cambria. It specialises in the teaching of animal behaviour, equine science, welfare and conservation, and veterinary nursing, with a clinical suite for the latter based at the campus. Northop hosts around a hundred students of the university annually.

St Asaph

The university has a campus in

Business Park. It contains a research centre specialising in opto-electronics technology. It also houses other science laboratories and other facilities for research, conferences and meetings.

Academic profile

The university runs 150 programmes, offering foundation, HND/Cs, honours and master's degrees and doctorates over a broad variety of qualifications. In addition to professional courses such as nursing and social work, the university offers a range of postgraduate and undergraduate qualifications in Art & Design, Engineering, Science, Humanities, Health and Social Care, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Sports Sciences, Computing and Communication Technology, Music technology and Business. Although all courses are offered in English there are options to study or to be assessed in Welsh. A foundation degree in professional Welsh is also available. The North Wales School of Art and Design at Wrexham Glyndŵr University was named as the best place to study Art in Wales in the Guardian University League Tables 2017 and also ranked 12th out of all UK universities. Wrexham Glyndwr University is also number one in North Wales for getting its students jobs after graduation. The institution achieved an employability figure of 92.1% and is also above the sector average for graduate level employment, according to the latest Destination of Leavers Survey (DLHE).

International links

The University has international partnerships across

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

and is a member of the Fair Trade Coalition.

Administration

The first principal of the then North East Wales Institute was Glyn O. Phillips. He retired in 1991 and was replaced by John O. Williams. Following the retirement of Williams in 2000, NEWI appointed Michael Scott, a former student of the

University of Wales, Lampeter University of Wales, Lampeter () was a university in Lampeter, Wales. Founded in 1822, and incorporated by royal charter in 1828, it was the oldest Academic degree, degree awarding institution in Wales, with limited degree awarding powers sinc ...

in 2001. He was succeeded by

Graham Upton Graham Upton DL (born 30 April 1944) was chair of the board of Experience Oxfordshire from 2013 to 2017 having previously been chair of the board of Oxford Playhouse for 8 years. Born in Birmingham, he moved to, and was educated in, Australia, w ...

in January 2015 who served as interim vice-chancellor until 31 March 2016. Maria Hinfelaar, who was previously the President of the

Limerick Institute of Technology The Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT; ) was an institute of technology, located in Limerick, Ireland. The institute had five campuses that were located in Limerick, Thurles, Clonmel, as well as a regional learning centre in Ennis Enn ...

, replaced Upton from April 2016. In August 2024, Joe Yates replaced Hinfelaar as vice-chancellor.

Companies

Wrexham University has two subsidiaries, Glyndŵr Innovations Ltd (established in 2015) and the North Wales Science charity, which operate the

Xplore! Xplore! Science Discovery Centre, branded simply as Xplore!, is a science centre in Wrexham, Wales. It is currently based between Henblas Street and Chester Street, Wrexham, Chester Street in Wrexham city centre. Formerly known as Techniquest@ ...

science centre (formerly known as Techniquest Glyndŵr). Collaborative partners include:

: (

& Deeside College), Coleg Menai, Coleg Llandrillo Cymru, Coleg Powys

Student life

Wrexham University's students come from all over the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

. WU is also popular with mature students. Around 54% of Wrexham University students are over twenty-one with 17% over the age of forty.

Accommodation

There are three main halls of residence in Wrexham, namely the Student village, Wrexham Village and Snowdon Hall as well as Corbishley Hall at Northop. The main student village is separated into houses and the houses into flats. Snowdon Hall, Bath Road and Clwyd House are near Wrexham city. The student village and Snowdon Hall are en suite and the rest are shared facilities. All of Wrexham Glyndwr University's accommodation is self-catering. Snowdon Hall is separated into five separate blocks of lockable flats and is currently leased from and run by the Opal Group.

Sports, clubs and traditions

Wrexham University sport teams compete in British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS). In the 2017 – 18 academic year, Wrexham University have 9 teams competing in the BUCS structure. Team sports played at the university are; Men's Rugby Union, Women's Netball, Men's Basketball, Men's Hockey, Men's and Women's Football, Men's and Women's Futsal. Wrexham University Sports Centre houses a 1000sq. m. hall. The hall is overlooked by an open balcony and an enclosed spectator area on the first floor. The facility complies with national competition standards for badminton, netball, basketball, volleyball, futsal and handball. There is also provision for table tennis and matting for martial arts. Wrexham University has a radio studio, sound recording studio, engineering laboratories, art gallery, IT facilities, theatre studios, motor racing team, a dedicated scene of crime lab and notably the unusual asset of a

Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence of effectiveness or ...

clinic. The Plas Coch site hosts an active

student union A students' union or student union, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, organizatio ...

as well as the student union bar, now housed in the football stadium's Centenary Club. Wrexham University has its own car racing team which is run by the engineering school's Car Performance degree course students. Also in the Plas Coch area of Wrexham are

North Wales Crusaders The North Wales Crusaders () is a professional rugby league club based in Colwyn Bay, Wales. They are the successors to the former Super League club Crusaders Rugby League. Crusaders compete in League 1, the third tier of English rugby leagu ...

and the North Wales Regional Hockey Stadium. In August 2011, the university agreed a deal to buy Wrexham FC's

. In October 2014, former Welsh international footballer Robbie Savage was given an honorary fellowship at the university for services to sport.

References

External links

Wrexham University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wrexham Glyndwr University Universities and colleges in North Wales Wrexham Educational institutions established in 2008 2008 establishments in Wales Education in Wrexham County Borough Universities UK