Aberystwyth University

Founded in 1872, Aberystwyth University was the first university college to be established in Wales. A royal charter followed in 1893, and in 1894 it was among the institutions that founded the federal University of Wales; it has been independent since 2007. The town sits on the western coast of Wales, with Cardigan Bay on one side and the Cambrian Mountains on the other. Most teaching takes place at Penglais, a hillside campus looking out over the town and the sea. Llanbadarn provides a second site, and Gogerddan is home to a rural research centre. Enrolment stands at around 9,000 students.

Set up in 1919, the Department of International Politics is considered the oldest of its kind anywhere in the world, while IBERS, the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, is an important centre of agricultural and environmental research. Directly beneath Penglais stands the National Library of Wales, which is among the UK's legal deposit libraries. Some courses are taught through the medium of Welsh. Aberystwyth also became the first university in the world to achieve Plastic Free University status.

Information for International Students

Admission for overseas applicants is guided by the International Recruitment and Development Office, while a dedicated visa support service gives advice on the CAS and deposit arrangements, on the Student visa, and on the Graduate Route once students graduate. For those not yet eligible for direct entry, the International Foundation Programme is taught by university staff on the main campus and guarantees progression to the chosen degree. Its pathways are computer science; science and engineering; business, economics and finance; and humanities and social sciences. Pre-sessional English courses are run by the International English Centre, and the typical requirement for undergraduate study is IELTS 6.0 to 6.5, with no component lower than 5.5.

University accommodation is not guaranteed, as rooms are allocated in order of application. However, new international fee-payers who submit their application in time may receive an International Accommodation Award, which either covers the full cost of a first-year room or reduces it substantially. For the September start, a free coach collects arriving new international students from Birmingham International Airport. Scholarships are open to international students at undergraduate and postgraduate level, among them awards connected to the foundation programme.