University in United Kingdom
Pontypridd, Wales, United Kingdom
University profile
The University of South Wales (USW) is a public university with campuses in Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd. It was formed in April 2013 by the merger of the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport, and traces its roots to the Newport Mechanics' Institute of 1841. It is a vocationally focused university: curricula are co-created with employers and learning spaces are modelled on the industries graduates enter. It has more than 20,000 students and 2,800 staff (HESA 2024/25), and almost half of its students come from areas in the bottom two quintiles of the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation.
Teaching is organised in three faculties. The Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science covers Applied Science, Built Environment and Sustainability, Computing and Engineering. The Faculty of Business and Creative Industries covers Accounting and Finance, Business and Management, Design, Fashion, Film and Media, Games, Animation and Visual Effects, History and Buddhist Studies, Law, Marketing and Advertising, Music, Drama and Performance, and Photography. The Faculty of Life Sciences and Education covers Art and Creative Wellbeing, Chiropractic, Criminology, Policing and Public Services, Education and Teaching, Health and Social Care, Health Professions, Nursing, Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling, and Sport. Awards run from foundation years and HNDs to masters and the PhD.
The Pontypridd campuses (Treforest, Glyntaff and the USW Sport Park) hold the main residential community, while the Cardiff Campus in the city centre concentrates the creative industries and is home to the Games and Animation Academy of Wales and the School of Business and Innovation, Cardiff. The riverside Newport Campus houses business and professional programmes. The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff and The College Merthyr Tydfil are wholly owned subsidiaries.
Student life centres on the Students' Union (USWSU), with over 100 societies and clubs, and a competitive sport programme in the BUCS leagues. Accommodation is available at all three locations: over 1,200 rooms in halls on the Pontypridd campus, university-arranged housing in Cardiff, and Newport Student Village five minutes from the Newport Campus.
USW welcomes nearly 2,000 international students each year from around 100 countries, with international foundation programmes, pre-sessional English through the Centre for International English, and January/February intakes for over 40 courses. It is a University of Sanctuary and many of its courses carry professional body accreditation. USW ranks as the top university in Wales and 24th of 123 UK universities in the Guardian University Guide 2027.
From September 2026 the full-time undergraduate tuition fee for new UK students on eligible courses is £9,790 a year; UK foundation year fees range from £5,760 to £9,790 depending on course. International fees for September 2026 and February 2027 entry are £16,800 a year for undergraduate courses in Business or Creative Industries and £17,200 for Computing, Engineering, Sciences or Education (placement year £3,230); £17,900 for most MBA, MA, MSc and LLM courses and the DBA; and £18,970 for the MBA Global, LLM Legal Practice and PhD/MPhil/Masters by Research. For September 2027 and February 2028 entry, undergraduate fees are £17,600 a year, most taught postgraduate courses and the DBA £18,300, and the MBA Global, LLM Legal Practice and PhD £19,400.
Scholarships are considered automatically on application, confirmed in the offer letter and applied to every year of study, provided the minimum deposit is paid by the stated date. They do not apply to sponsored students, placement years or English language courses. USW also accepts Chevening Scholars (including 3 Chevening/USW Partnership Awards covering tuition and living costs) and Commonwealth Scholarships. Students from British Columbia and Ontario can use provincial student aid, and US students can use US Federal Loans. International scholarships
USW graduates receive a 20% reduction in postgraduate tuition fees (terms apply). Postgraduate research applicants can apply for funded studentships through the Graduate School. Undergraduate scholarships and bursaries | International fees
USW International Office Scholarships →
USW Chancellor's International Development Scholarship →
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View scholarships for University of South Wales →Full-time undergraduate degrees and foundation degrees are applied for through UCAS; music undergraduate courses at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama go through Conservatoires UK, and graduate teacher training through UCAS Teacher Training. Part-time undergraduate courses, top-up degrees and progression from HNDs or foundation degrees are applied for directly on the University's online application. Entry requirements are set per course and appear on each course page and on UCAS. Each application is considered individually, taking account of a wide range of formal qualifications and relevant work or life experience, and non-traditional qualifications are welcomed. Interviews, auditions or portfolio reviews are held for some courses, including those where a professional body requires them, and teaching, health and social work courses require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Deferred entry is accepted for most courses. Recognition of Prior Learning and credit transfer can allow direct entry to year two or three. Applications in Welsh are welcomed.
International applicants apply directly online or through UCAS, or via an approved agent using the University's Agent Portal. Country-specific entry requirements and in-country representatives are listed by country, and applications are processed within 5 working days. Applicants who do not meet year 1 requirements can take a one-year International Foundation Programme leading to degrees across all three faculties. Students on courses below degree level (pre-sessional English, foundation programmes, HNDs and foundation degrees) need a Home Office approved Secure English Language Test for the student visa.
A small number of programmes require higher scores. Applicants below the required level can take pre-sessional English with the Centre for International English, and USW also uses the Password test.
Postgraduate taught applications are made directly through the University's online application; course-specific entry requirements appear on each course page. Many courses are offered full-time, part-time or by distance learning.
Research degrees (PhD, PhD by Portfolio, PhD by Publication, MPhil, Masters by Research, DBA and Professional Doctorate) normally require an upper second-class (2:1) degree or a masters; candidates from non-traditional backgrounds with equivalent skills and experience are also considered. Applications need a research proposal of about 2,000 words (unless for a funded studentship with a set project), two references, transcripts and English evidence, and shortlisted applicants are interviewed online by the proposed supervisory team. Closing dates are 1 May for October entry (decision 1 July), 1 October for January entry (decision 1 December) and 1 January for April entry (decision 1 March). Decisions can take up to six weeks.
Self-funding international applicants pay a minimum 50% deposit to secure a place; sponsored students provide a financial guarantee letter. After the deposit is paid and CAS Shield has been completed and reviewed, the University issues a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for the student visa application, with the balance due on arrival.
Free regular shuttle buses connect Treforest, Glyntaff and the Sport Park.
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