University of South Wales

The University of South Wales (USW) is one of Britain’s most exciting and ambitious universities.

Innovative, thriving, and sustainable, we work to build better futures for our students, our communities, and our partners economically, socially, and culturally. USW places engagement, collaboration, and partnership working at the heart of everything we do, working alongside business, industry, and the social economy, to address identified needs and achieve the best outcomes for individual learners and organisations.

We work in collaboration with industry, researching and innovating to tackle some of the biggest global challenges, from energy and health to security and sustainability.

USW is a vocationally focused university, preparing students to support key industries now, and in the future. Employers work closely with USW to co-create curriculum that supports their future needs. This provides them with a skilled and relevant workforce that they can rely on with a large pipeline of graduates coming out of USW and our partner institutions each year. We are generating the workforce that employers tell us they want and need.

We are a multi-disciplinary university with a strong record for our partnerships, widening access, and student success, with almost half of students at USW coming from areas within the bottom two quintiles of the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) - significantly above average for higher education institutions in Wales and the UK. With three campuses in Cardiff, Newport, and Pontypridd, we are well placed for our staff and students to enjoy all that South Wales has to offer. We also provide a range of inclusive study pathways, supporting life-long learning and flexible options for our students.

We work closely with our partner colleges, and have two wholly owned subsidiaries, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and The College Merthyr Tydfil. USW offers wide range of foundation degrees, undergraduate degrees, Masters, and PhD courses (see link below). USW offers Sandwich degree options for many courses in addition to part-time study for those working or with other commitments We also offer, through Network 75, access to degree apprenticeships (see link below).

USW has a commitment to promoting the development of women in STEM. USW has been recognised for its commitment to gender equality by achieving the Athena SWAN Bronze award. Athena SWAN is Advance HE’s gender charter, and acknowledges the actions undertaken by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with relation to gender equality issues. We have a number of groups dedicated to supporting women in STEM - e.g. Women in Science & Women in Engineering (see some of the links below).

We also regularly highlight the successes of women in the STEM field. In the links below, you can find some of the individuals who have featured. We were named Cyber University of the Year for four years in a row – between 2019 and 2022. The University’s cyber department is led by and support the development of women and girls to thrive in the sector.