DRIVE west from the heart of London and after two hours you will cross a bridge into another country. It has snow-capped mountains and sunny beaches, lively cities and relaxed villages. It has two national languages, three national parks and more than 600 historic castles.
This is Wales, the country that produced Hollywood stars Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta Jones, author Roald Dahl, fashion designer Juien Macdonald and countless musicians from Tom Jones and Dame Shirley Bassey to the Stereophonics and Manic Street Preachers. It is also home to world-class universities that welcome 18,000 new international students a year.
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| Coastline near Swansea University |
Culture
Wales (or Cymru as it is called in Welsh) has traditions, festivals and music that are distinct from the rest of Britain. English is spoken by everyone, but one in five inhabitants also speaks Welsh, which developed from an ancient Celtic language. The country is often called the Land of Song and is famous for its male choirs and solo artists, including Charlotte Church and Katherine Jenkins. Islam is the largest non-Christian faith in Wales and there are about 40 mosques in the country, including on some university campuses such as Swansea University.
Cost of living
With the exception of the capital city Cardiff, the cost of renting a room or flat in Wales is well below the UK average. Most students stay in budget university accommodation in the first year. There are also a number of scholarships, bursaries and other funding options available. Visit university websites for details.
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| Aerial view of Cardiff Bay near Cardiff Met University |
Getting around
Cardiff International Airport has flights to 50 direct destinations and more than 400 worldwide connecting flights. Cardiff is also only a two-and-a-quarter hour drive from Heathrow, the UK’s biggest airport. Another half an hour and you’re in London where the Eurostar offers a high speed train service into Europe. Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham are all within easy reach by road and there are regular ferry links to Ireland.
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| The pier at Bangor. Photo by Ben Powell |
Activities
Rugby is the national sport in Wales. And the dramatic countryside makes it a magnet for fans of hiking, biking, fishing, horse-riding and pretty much every watersport you can think of, from kite-surfing to bog snorkelling. Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, the second largest stadium in the world with a retractable roof, hosts both national rugby and football games as well as a speedway grand prix circuit.
What do students think of Wales?
Lijun Zhao, from China, is studying for a phD in law at Bangor University.
"I chose Bangor because it has a long tradition of academic excellence and a good reputation of caring and supporting undergraduate and postgraduate students. I received help and assistance from the moment I first got in touch with Bangor to enquire about the course through to when I finally arrived at Bangor. This gave me a very positive impression of the university."
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| Bangor University student Lijun Zhao, from China |
"During my first year in Bangor, I took part in day trips to Liverpool, Chester, Snowdonia and Manchester, organised by the International Office and previous International Student Ambassadors. I was also present at the traditional Welsh dancing party and Carnival party. By being involved in these activities I quickly got used to my new environment and made friends here.The environment and people here have impressed me the most. It is a friendly city, full of history."
Priyesh Thar, from India, is doing an MBA in Project Management at Cardiff Metropolitan University:
"I always had a dream – to become one of the most successful entrepreneurs in India, be it my own family business or a completely new venture.
Cardiff Met has the largest number of full-time MBA students in UK. I have many friends who graduated from the same university and are now working as highly qualified professionals in multinational companies.
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| Cardiff Metropolitan University student Priyesh Thar, from India |
"Wales is popular for its enduring spirit with a fascinating blend of history and new-world sophistication. It’s relatively smaller size makes it easier to explore – hiking, adventure sports like rock climbing, kayaking, mountain biking; or looking around mystical castles and ancient cathedrals. What I find the most beautiful part of Wales is locals are very friendly and lovely to chat with. It offers students with unique experiences and opportunities for self-exploration."
Swansea University
AN EXTRAORDINARY track record in the fields of engineering, medicine and computer science makes this traditional university a prolific producer of world-leading research.
The university balances its research focus with teaching excellence and 93 per cent of its graduates are in work or further study within six months of graduating, making it one of the UK’s top 20 universities for graduate job prospects. Swansea University’s six colleges are home to business, economics, law, engineering, science, arts and humanities. Situated less than an hour from the Welsh capital Cardiff and just over three hours from London, Swansea is on the edge of the breathtaking Gower peninsula, an area of outstanding natural beauty famed for its beautiful beaches and bays. Despite being the second largest city in Wales, after Cardiff, it is one of the safest in Britain and is small enough to walk around easily.
The university has an award-winning mosque and the Welsh Islamic Cultural Associations Swansea annually presents Eid in the Park – a free family day out popular with people of all faiths. The university also offers English language training courses, accredited by the British Council, throughout the year. Read the Full Profile...
Bangor University
SNOWDONIA’s stunning mountains on one side and the sea on the other; no wonder Bangor claims to have the most beautiful university setting in the UK.
The university in the north-west of Wales is also one of the oldest in the country, founded in 1884. But there is nothing old-fashioned about this friendly and multicultural institution which will open a new £45million Arts and Innovation centre this year and has recently opened brand new student residences. Ranked number one in the UK for accounting, banking and finance research, and number two for electronic engineering research, it also specialises in environmental sciences, ocean sciences, psychology and music.
One in five of the students comes from abroad and, unlike most universities, English language support is offered free of charge, including classes, drop-in sessions and a writing advice service. Bangor is a compact, safe city and one of the cheapest places to rent in the UK. However, all international students are guaranteed a place in university accommodation in their first year.
Glyndŵr University
DEGREES at Glyndŵr are not only tailor-made for industry but actually designed in partnership with some of the world’s corporate giants.
The likes of Airbus, Kellogg’s, JCB, Toyota and the BBC, have fed their expertise into courses, ensuring students have relevant skills for the 21st century jobs market.
Glyndŵr is one of the UK’s newest universities, founded in 2008 and with around 9,000 students. However, it developed from a science and art school that has been offering degrees since 1924. With campuses in a town, two villages and central London, Glyndŵr offers lively city life and peaceful countryside. The main Wrexham campus is in a growing town in north-east Wales within easy reach of the cities of Liverpool and Manchester while also close to the stunning mountains and coast of North Wales. It boasts a £5million Centre for the Creative Industries, supporting courses in art, music, journalism, media, TV, film and theatre.
The St Asaph village campus is a hub for high technology and scientific innovation where scientists are taking part in the European Extremely-Large Telescope project. Northop village campus offers courses in equestrian psychology, landscape for garden design, and organic horticulture. And the London campus specialises in courses in management and computing.
Cardiff Metropolitan University
IT’s official - Cardiff Metropolitan’s international students are the most satisfied in Britain. For the past four years, the university has been ranked overall top in the UK for international student satisfaction in the International Student Barometer. All those happy students must have told their friends because Cardiff Met has 1,200 student visitors from 143 countries, making it the most cosmopolitan university in Wales.
The institution has links with 5,000 employers and has established an international reputation for the provision of professional and vocationally-focused courses, supported by a broad programme of applied research and consultancy. There are five academic schools over three campuses, situated in and around the vibrant Welsh capital: Cardiff School of Art & Design; Cardiff School of Education; Cardiff School of Health Sciences;Cardiff School of Management and Cardiff School of Sport.
Only two hours from London by road or train and with beautiful hills and coast on its doorstep, Cardiff is a lively, multicultural capital city, yet small enough to get around easily. That compactness is reflected in the university’s emphasis on small-group teaching, with an overall staff-student ratio of 1:10.
