Cardiff University

There are currently eight universities operating in Wales, all of which receive funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW).[1][2] Although university status in Wales only requires taught degree awarding powers (since 2004),[3] most Welsh universities have the power to award both taught and research degrees (research degrees at Wrexham University are validated by the University of Chester[4]). University status in Wales is conferred by the Privy Council following advice from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.[5][6] 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 2022–23 global rankings, three Welsh universities (Bangor, Cardiff and Swansea) featured in all three of the major global rankings: the Academic Ranking of World Universities, the QS World University Rankings, and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.[7][8][9] No Welsh university features in the top 100 of any of the global tables, although Cardiff makes the top 200 in all three and also places within the top 40 universities of all three major domestic rankings.

All Welsh universities are public universities and funded in part by the Welsh Government through HEFCW, with an allocation of just over £217 million in 2022-23.[10] Welsh universities also charge tuition fees capped at £9,000 per year for UK students, unlike other parts of the UK which have fees capped at £9,250, on undergraduate courses.[11] In 2021–22, approximately 149,000 students studied at universities or institutes of higher education in Wales, 25,090 of which are international students.[12] Welsh universities generate over £5.3 billion for the Welsh economy.[13]

Universities

English Name Welsh Name Image Year of
foundation		 Location Numbers of
students
(2021/22)[12]		 Teaching Excellence Framework Notes
Aberystwyth University Prifysgol Aberystwyth 1872 Ceredigion 7,845 Gold Founded as the University College Wales
Bangor University Prifysgol Bangor 1884 Gwynedd 10,505 Gold Founded as the University College of North Wales
Cardiff University Prifysgol Caerdydd 1883 Cardiff 33,985 Silver Founded as the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire.
Merged in 1988 with the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology.
Merged in 2004 with the University of Wales College of Medicine.
Cardiff Metropolitan University Prifysgol Fetropolitan Caerdydd 2011
(origins 1865)		 Cardiff 12,620 Silver Founded as the South Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education in 1976, formed from the merger of four earlier institutes including the Cardiff School of Art & Design (1865).
University of South Wales Prifysgol De Cymru 2013
(origins 1841)		 Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd 23,270 Did not enter Formed by the merger of University of Wales, Newport (1975, with origins in 1841) and the University of Glamorgan (1992, with origins in 1913) in 2013.
Also incorporates the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
Swansea University Prifysgol Abertawe 1920 Swansea 22,290 Gold Founded as the University College, Swansea
University of Wales Trinity Saint David Prifysgol Cymru, Y Drindod Dewi Sant 2010
(origins 1822)		 Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion,
London and Swansea		 15,045 Bronze Formed in 2010 by the merger of University of Wales, Lampeter (1822), Trinity University College (1848) and Swansea Metropolitan University (2008, with origins in 1853)
Wrexham University Prifysgol

Wrecsam

 1887 Wrexham 7,490 Silver Founded as the Wrexham School of Science and Art and later became a university as Glyndŵr University.

Funding and finances

The total consolidated annual income for Welsh universities for 2020–21 was £1.78 billion of which £230.0 million was from research grants and contracts, with an operating surplus of £74.2 million. £332.2 million was received from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales via grants and £356.7 million was received from tuition fees of Home-domiciled students. The table below is a record of each university's financial data for the 2020–21 financial year as recorded by the Higher Education Statistics Agency:[14]

University Government funding body grants (£m) Funding Body income as % of total income Home-Domiciled Teaching income (£m) Overall Teaching income (£m) Teaching income as % of total income Research income (£m) Research income as % of total income Total income (£m) Operating surplus (£m) Surplus as % of total income
Aberystwyth University 22.1 18.6% 16.0 54.0 45.4% 20.2 17.0% 118.8 —2.0 —1.70%
Bangor University 30.3 19.8% 27.6 75.8 49.4% 23.4 15.2% 153.4 —1.5 —1.01%
Cardiff University 109.5 18.1% 66.6 306.9 50.8% 112.6 18.6% 604.6 31.4 5.19%
Cardiff Metropolitan University 14.8 12.1% 42.3 90.2 73.8% 2.4 2.0% 122.3 2.9 2.34%
University of South Wales 32.7 16.3% 77.1 140.0 69.9% 7.5 3.8% 200.2 5.8 2.89%
Swansea University 50.4 14.0% 66.8 184.3 51.1% 62.1 17.2% 360.8 27.8 7.72%
University of Wales Trinity Saint David 63.3 36.4% 40.1 87.0 50.0% 0.6 0.4% 173.9 8.2 4.72%
Wrexham University 9.2 19.6% 20.1 31.6 67.2% 1.1 2.4% 47.1 1.7 3.68%

Research Excellence Framework

The below lists the outcome of the latest Research Excellence Framework undertaken in 2021 (the next REF is scheduled for 2028) by the four UK higher education funding bodies. The quality of research was rated 4* (world leading), 3* (internationally excellent), 2* (recognised internationally), 1* (recognised nationally) and unclassified. GPA measures the quality of research and Research Power is calculated by the GPA score of a university multiplied by the full-time equivalent number of researchers submitted. The rankings are out of 129 institutions across the UK:[15]

Quality profile %
University 4* 3* 2* 1* Unclassified GPA ranking Research Power ranking
Aberystwyth University265022206576
Bangor University404513204277
Cardiff University45459102214
Cardiff Metropolitan University205026508199
University of South Wales1645306310195
Swansea University355114004841
University of Wales Trinity Saint David153437122112117
Wrexham University63044192123129

Rankings

The following table is a list of Welsh universities by their performance in the three main domestic and three main global university rankings.

University Complete 2024 (National)[16] Guardian 2024 (National)[17] Times/Sunday Times 2024 (National)[18] ARWU 2023 (Global)[7] QS 2024 (Global)[8] THE 2024 (Global)[19]
Aberystwyth University 39 45 39 — 661–670 501–600
Bangor University 52 54 44 601–700 481= 401–500
Cardiff University 21 29 25 151–200 154= 190
Cardiff Metropolitan University 71 100 78 — — 1201–1500
University of South Wales 101 72 97 — — 1001–1200
Swansea University 40 25 41 401–500 307= 251–300
University of Wales Trinity Saint David 118 105 117 — — —
Wrexham University 130 109 122 — — —

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Higher education institutions". HEFCW. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  2. ↑ "Universities". Universities Wales. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  3. ↑ "Applications for the Grant of Taught Degree Awarding Powers, Research Degree Awarding Powers and University Title" (PDF). Department for Business Innovation and Skills. August 2004. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  4. ↑ "Studying for a Research Degree". Wrexham Glyndŵr University. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  5. ↑ "The Privy Council, Standard Note: SN/PC/3708" (PDF). The Privy Council. 5 July 2005. pp. 5–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 December 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  6. ↑ "A brief guide to QAA's involvement in degree-awarding powers and university title". Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. Archived from the original on 15 July 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  7. 1 2 "Academic Ranking of World Universities 2023". Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. 15 August 2023.
  8. 1 2 "QS World University Rankings 2024". Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd. 27 June 2023.
  9. ↑ "THE World University Rankings 2023". Times Higher Education. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  10. ↑ "Funding for higher education in 2022/23". hefcw.ac.uk. Higher Education Funding for Wales. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  11. ↑ "Universities' finances unsustainable - Cardiff vice-chancellor". BBC News. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  12. 1 2 "Where do HE students study?: Students by HE provider". HESA. HE student enrolments by HE provider. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  13. ↑ "Higher education in Wales". uniswales.ac.uk. Universities Wales.
  14. ↑ "What is the income of HE providers?". hesa.ac.uk. Higher Education Statistics Agency. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  15. ↑ "REF 2021 Main Online Table". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  16. ↑ "Complete University Guide 2024". The Complete University Guide. 8 June 2023.
  17. ↑ "Guardian University Guide 2024". The Guardian. 9 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  18. ↑ "Good University Guide 2024". The Times. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  19. ↑ "THE World University Rankings 2024". Times Higher Education. 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
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