List of universities in Wales

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][needs update]). 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 2024–25 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 250 in all three and also places within the top 50 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 the 2023–24 academic year, approximately 150,700 students studied at universities or institutes of higher education in Wales. Included in the figure are 68,900 students normally domiciled in Wales, 52,100 from the rest of the United Kingdom and a further 27,800 international students.[12] Welsh universities generate over £5.3 billion for the Welsh economy.[13]

## Universities

[edit]

English Name  | Welsh Name | Image  | Year of
foundation  | Location  | Total HE
students
(2023/24)[14] | Academic
staff
(2023/24)[15] | Teaching Excellence Framework | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Aberystwyth University | Prifysgol Aberystwyth |  | 1872  | Ceredigion | 8,320  |

720

| Gold  | Founded as the University College Wales
Bangor University | Prifysgol Bangor |  | 1884  | Gwynedd | 10,835  |

960

| Gold  | Founded as the University College of North Wales
Cardiff University | Prifysgol Caerdydd |  | 1883  | Cardiff | 33,020  |

3,975

| 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 | 11,445  |

885

| 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 | 23,670  |

1,860

| 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 | 21,225  |

1,740

| 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 | 15,660  |

965

| 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, Northop, St Asaph | 8,990  |

240

| Silver  | Founded as the Wrexham School of Science and Art and later became a university as Glyndŵr University.

## Funding and finances

[edit]

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:[16]

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

[edit]

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:[17]

| Quality profile %

|

University  | 4*  | 3*  | 2*  | 1*  | Unclassified  | GPA ranking  | Research Power ranking
Aberystwyth University | 26 | 50 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 65 | 76
Bangor University | 40 | 45 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 77
Cardiff University | 45 | 45 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 14
Cardiff Metropolitan University | 20 | 50 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 81 | 99
University of South Wales | 16 | 45 | 30 | 6 | 3 | 101 | 95
Swansea University | 35 | 51 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 41
University of Wales Trinity Saint David | 15 | 34 | 37 | 12 | 2 | 112 | 117
Wrexham University | 6 | 30 | 44 | 19 | 2 | 123 | 129

## Rankings

[edit]

See also: Rankings of universities in the United Kingdom

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 2025 (National)[18] | Guardian 2025 (National)[19] | Times/Sunday Times 2025 (National)[20] | ARWU 2024 (Global)[7] | QS 2025 (Global)[8] | THE 2025 (Global)[9]

|
|
|
|
|
|

Aberystwyth University | 44  | 66  | 48  | —  | 661–670  | 601–800
Bangor University | 75  | 73  | 64  | 601–700  | 474=  | 401–500
Cardiff University | 27  | 46  | 32  | 151–200  | 186  | 201–250
Cardiff Metropolitan University | 63  | 82  | 66=  | —  | —  | 1001–1200
University of South Wales | 94  | 51  | 94=  | —  | —  | 1201–1500
Swansea University | 39  | 29  | 37  | 401–500  | 198=  | 301–350
University of Wales Trinity Saint David | 117  | 80  | 110  | —  | —  | —
Wrexham University | 130  | 111  | 115  | —  | —  | —

## See also

[edit]

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

## References

[edit]

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. ^ a b "Academic Ranking of World Universities 2024". Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. 15 August 2024.
8. ^ a b "QS World University Rankings 2025". Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd. 4 June 2024.
9. ^ a b "THE World University Rankings 2025". Times Higher Education. 9 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
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. ^ "Higher Education Student Statistics: UK, 2023/24 - Where students come from and go to study". HESA. Figure 7 - HE student enrolments by HE provider and permanent address. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
13. ^ "Higher education in Wales". uniswales.ac.uk. Universities Wales.
14. ^ "Where do HE students study?". Higher Education Statistics Agency. Students by HE provider: HE student enrolments by HE provider. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
15. ^ "Who's working in HE?". Higher Education Statistics Agency. Staff numbers by HE provider: HE staff by HE provider and activity standard occupational classification. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
16. ^ "What is the income of HE providers?". hesa.ac.uk. Higher Education Statistics Agency. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
17. ^ "REF 2021 Main Online Table". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
18. ^ "Complete University Guide 2025". The Complete University Guide. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
19. ^ "Guardian University Guide 2025". The Guardian. 7 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
20. ^ "Good University Guide 2025". The Times. 20 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.

* v
* t
* e

Universities and colleges in Wales

Universities|

* Aberystwyth
* Bangor
* Cardiff
* Cardiff Metropolitan
* South Wales
* Swansea
* Trinity Saint David
* Wrexham

Further education colleges|

* Bridgend
* Cambria (Deeside, Yale, Llysfasi and Northop)
* Cardiff and Vale
* Ceredigion
* Cymoedd
* Gower College Swansea
* Gwent
* Llandrillo Menai (Llandrillo, Menai and Meirion-Dwyfor)
* Merthyr Tydfil
* NPTC
* Pembrokeshire
* Sir Gâr

Sixth form colleges|

* Cardiff Sixth Form College
* St David's Catholic

Conservatoire|

* Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama

* Schools
* Wales

* v
* t
* e

Education in Wales

Progression steps|

| Progression step 1|

* Nursery
* Playgroup
* Reception

|

Progression step 2|

* Year One
* Year Two
* Year Three

Progression step 3|

* Year Four
* Year Five
* Year Six

Key Stage 3/Progression step 4|

* Year Seven
* Year Eight
* Year Nine

Key Stage 4/Progression step 5|

* Year Ten
* Year Eleven

Further Education|

* Sixth Form
* Year Twelve
* Year Thirteen
* Further Education college
* Sixth form college
* List of further education colleges in Wales

University|

* Undergraduate degree
* Bachelor's degree
* Postgraduate degree
* Master's degree
* Doctorate
* List of universities in Wales

School type|

| Funding and Governance arrangements|

* State-funded schools
* Community school
* Voluntary controlled school
* Voluntary aided school
* Foundation school
* Private schools

|

Age group|

* Primary Education
* Primary school
* Infant school
* Junior school
* Secondary Education
* Secondary school
* Comprehensive school
* All-through school

Exams and qualifications|

* GCSE
* A-Level
* Welsh Baccalaureate
* BTEC

Pedagogy|

* Curriculum for Wales (2022–present)
* Language of instruction
* English-medium
* Welsh-medium
* Teaching of Welsh history

Oversight|

* Cabinet Secretary for Education
* Estyn
* WJEC (among other exam boards)
* Qualifications Wales

| Historic|

* Curriculum Council for Wales
* Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales

|

History|

* Overview
* before 1701
* 1701–1870
* 1870–1939
* after 1939
* Welsh Not
* History of infant schools
* Treachery of the Blue Books
* School boards
* Raising of school leaving age
* National Curriculum for Wales (2008–2026)

Defunct school types|

* Grammar school
* Charity school
* Endowed schools
* British and Foreign school
* National school
* Elementary school
* Central school
* Secondary technical school
* Secondary modern school

Major legislation|

* Elementary Education Act 1870
* Elementary Education Act 1880
* Welsh Intermediate Education Act 1889
* Education Act 1902
* Education Act 1918
* Education Act 1944
* Education Reform Act 1988
* Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998
* Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021

Related|

* Welsh devolution
* Welsh Government
* Welsh Office
* Welsh Language Act 1993
* History of education in England

* v
* t
* e

Universities in the United Kingdom

England|

| East of England|

* Anglia Ruskin
* Bedfordshire
* Cambridge
* Cranfield
* East Anglia
* Essex
* Hertfordshire
* Norwich University of the Arts
* Suffolk

|

London|

| University
of London|

* Birkbeck
* Brunel
* City St George's
* Courtauld
* Goldsmiths
* Institute of Cancer Research
* King's
* London Business School
* LSE
* LSHTM
* Queen Mary
* Royal Academy of Music
* Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
* Royal Holloway
* Royal Veterinary College
* School of Advanced Study
* SOAS
* UCL

|

Other|

* East London
* Greenwich
* Imperial
* Kingston
* London Met
* London South Bank
* Middlesex
* Northeastern University – London
* Ravensbourne
* Regent's
* Richmond, The American International University in London
* Roehampton
* St Mary's
* University of the Arts London
* Westminster
* West London

Midlands|

* Aston
* Birmingham
* Birmingham City
* Birmingham Newman
* Bishop Grosseteste
* Coventry
* De Montfort
* Derby
* Harper Adams
* Keele
* Leicester
* Lincoln
* Loughborough
* Northampton
* Nottingham
* Nottingham Trent
* Staffordshire
* University College Birmingham
* Warwick
* Wolverhampton
* Worcester

North|

* Bradford
* Central Lancashire
* Chester
* Cumbria
* Durham
* Edge Hill
* Greater Manchester
* Huddersfield
* Hull
* Lancaster
* Leeds
* Leeds Arts
* Leeds Beckett
* Leeds Trinity
* Liverpool
* Liverpool Hope
* Liverpool John Moores
* LSTM
* Manchester
* Manchester Metropolitan
* Newcastle
* Northumbria
* Salford
* Sheffield
* Sheffield Hallam
* Sunderland
* Teesside
* York
* York St. John

South|

* Arts University Bournemouth
* Bath
* Bath Spa
* Bournemouth
* Brighton
* Bristol
* Buckingham
* Buckinghamshire New
* Canterbury Christ Church
* Chichester
* Creative Arts
* Exeter
* Falmouth
* Hartpury
* Gloucestershire
* Kent
* Oxford
* Oxford Brookes
* Plymouth
* Plymouth Marjon
* Arts University Plymouth
* Portsmouth
* Reading
* Royal Agricultural
* Solent
* Southampton
* Surrey
* Sussex
* UWE Bristol
* Winchester

Northern Ireland|

* Queen's
* Ulster

Scotland|

* Aberdeen
* Abertay
* Dundee
* Edinburgh
* Edinburgh Napier
* Glasgow
* Glasgow Caledonian
* Heriot-Watt
* Highlands and Islands
* Queen Margaret
* Robert Gordon
* Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
* St Andrews
* Stirling
* Strathclyde
* West of Scotland

Wales|

* Aberystwyth
* Bangor
* Cardiff
* Cardiff Metropolitan
* South Wales
* Swansea
* Wales Trinity Saint David
* Wrexham

Overseas territories|

* Bermuda College
* Cayman Islands Law School
* Gibraltar
* International College of the Cayman Islands
* Saint James School of Medicine
* St. Matthew's University
* University College of the Cayman Islands
* University of Science, Arts and Technology
* University of the West Indies Open Campus

Crown dependencies|

* University of the Channel Islands in Guernsey

Non-geographic|

* Arden
* BPP
* Law
* London International Programmes
* Open

Related|

* 2010 United Kingdom student protests
* List by date of foundation (Ancient; Third-oldest in England; Redbrick; Plate glass; Post-1992)
* List by endowment
* List by enrolment
* Colleges within universities
* Degree abbreviations
* HEFCW
* Office for Students (HEFCE)
* Rankings
* Scottish Funding Council
* Student loans and grants in the United Kingdom
* Student Radio Association
* Student television in the United Kingdom
* Student unionism in the United Kingdom
* Tuition fees in the United Kingdom
* Undergraduate degree classification
* UCAS
* University and College Union
* Polytechnic

* Category
* List

* v
* t
* e

List of universities in Europe

Sovereign states|

* Albania
* Andorra
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Georgia
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
*   * Italy
* Kazakhstan
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
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* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* England
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales
* Vatican City

States with limited
recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Kosovo
* Northern Cyprus
* South Ossetia
* Transnistria

Dependencies and
other entities|

* Åland
* Faroe Islands
* Gibraltar
* Guernsey
* Isle of Man
* Jersey
* Svalbard

* v
* t
* e

Education in the United Kingdom

Modern systems|

* England
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales

History|

* England
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales
* Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

Higher education|

* England
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales
* UK
* International students

Topics|

* Academies
* Comprehensives
* Free school (England)
* Grade inflation
* Grammar schools
* Languages of instruction
* English
* Gaelic
* Irish
* Welsh
* Mathematics education
* Maths schools
* Specialist schools
* Studio schools
* UTCs

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