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Singleton Park, Sketty, Swansea

Swansea University (Prifysgol Abertawe) is a research-led university that is dedicated to building academic excellence, relating its graduates to employability opportunities and being relevant to the local community and the needs of the wider economy. The university boasts two campuses: the historic Singleton Campus and the pictorially beautiful and modern Bay Campus.

Swansea University was established in 1920. In 2012, the University began an ambitious campus expansion and development project, including the opening of our Bay Campus in 2015; which is home to Engineering, Management and the Computational Foundry.

Scientifically, the leadership of Swansea was due to extraordinary research achievements such as the development of the "finite element method" by Professor Olek Zienkiewicz. His technique revolutionised the design and engineering of manufactured products, and Swansea was starting to stake its claim as an institution that demanded to be taken seriously. The Philosophical Department at Swansea University has also an outstanding history. It was often visited by the renowned philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, who openly preferred Swansea to Cambridge as an intellectual milieu. Ludwig Wittgenstein was friend and collaborator of the American philosopher Rush Rhees, who worked at Swansea University from 1940 to 1966.

Nowadays, Swansea University plays an important role in the socio-economic philosophy of regional economic analysis and planning for the benefit of the local community. Swansea University is part and partner of the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research and Data (WISERD). Using innovative approaches, its research spans the fields of economics, sociology, geography and political science. Its research effects change by influencing the development of policy and practice across a range of sectors, encompassing the private, public and third sector.

Swansea University is also home to a lifelong learning programme through its Department of Adult Continuing Education (DACE). Judith James and Jean Preece of this Department were responsible for initiating the Swansea Learning City. Swansea was awarded the Learning City Award by UNESCO in 2015 and continues as an active Learning City in UNESCO’s Global Network of Learning Cities.

The Swansea University Lifelong Learning programme is especially sensitive to the needs of the local community and its linguistic needs. The Academi Hywel Teifi community program provides educational opportunities for Welsh-medium learners and higher-level Welsh learners.

Now, a total of 20,000 students attend the university, enrolled in about 330 undergraduate courses and 120 post-graduate courses. Everyone is accepted at Swansea University as equally entitled to become part of the world academic elite based on real effort and acquired merit. The university provides a range of scholarships to ensure that students with ability can be supported to develop fully to their potential. 

The university is regularly ranked among the top 30 universities in the country and some of its departments enjoy even higher esteem. Winner of Gold Standard for teaching and 6th position for students’ satisfaction in the country, Swansea University boasts a high research output and wide recognition among international academia.

Swansea University’s participation in PASCAL’s Learning Cities Networks is now supported by Annie Tubadji ([email protected]).