Swansea University

Swansea University has been at the cutting edge of research and innovation since 1920. We have a long history of working with business and industry but today our world class research has a much wider impact across the health, wealth, culture, and well-being of our society.

We have achieved an extraordinary level of success in recent years and our research activity exceeds that of many larger universities yet this has not compromised the friendly and relaxed atmosphere that has always characterised the “Swansea experience”. As we approach our centenary we look forward to a bright future.

Our values

Equality of opportunity

Swansea University aims to provide an inclusive and supportive working and learning environment, which is free from unfair discrimination and enables staff and students to fulfil their personal potential.

The University's Equal Opportunities team actively supports staff and students to identify and  remove any potential barriers, and ensures that the University offers equality of opportunity to all staff and students, regardless of race, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion and belief, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity status, or marriage and civil partnership status. 

Ongoing university equality projects include Athena SWAN, the Workplace Equality Index, the Race Charter Mark, and the Stonewall University Guide (AKA Gay By Degree).  Further information is available on the Equal Opportunities web pages.

Dignity at work and study

The Dignity at Work and Study policy promotes the dignity of all students and staff at the University by eliminating all forms of offensive behaviour, and establishing a working and learning environment that is free from harassment and aggression.  Members of the University are to be treated with dignity and respect and to be protected from harassment and intimidation at work and study.

Supporting the Welsh language

We are committed to actively supporting, promoting and enriching Welsh culture and the Welsh language.

As part of our vision, we aim to enhance our student experience by increased opportunities to study through the medium of Welsh and improved take up of the provision.

We will also increase the opportunities for all members of the University who can, to use the Welsh language and so strengthen the University’s image in Wales as a bilingual institution.

Enriching the lives of others

Discovery is a volunteer-led, charitable organisation that aims to enrich the lives of people in Swansea. The organisation envisages a community where people are treated as equals and are not discriminated against or disadvantaged by society.

Discovery aims to:

• Enrich the lives of people in Swansea in order that they may fulfil their potential as empowered individuals and as members of groups and communities.
• Offer new experiences and opportunities through a broad range of student led activities in the community leading to increased mutual understanding and equality.
• Actively support students to be aware of their personal development and the impact on themselves and the lives of others through their involvement in community based activities.

The University's foundation stone was laid by King George V on 19 July 1920 and 89 students (including eight female students) enrolled that same year. By September 1939, there were 65 staff and 485 students.

In 1947 there were just two permanent buildings on campus: Singleton Abbey and the library. The Principal, J S Fulton, recognised the need to expand the estate and had a vision of a self-contained community, with residential, social and academic facilities on a single site. His vision was to become the first university campus in the UK.

By 1960 a large-scale development programme was underway that would see the construction of new halls of residence, the Maths and Science Tower, and College House (later renamed Fulton House). The 1960s also saw 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.

Work began on the student village at Hendrefoelan in 1971, the South Wales Miners' Library was established in 1973 and the Taliesin Arts Centre opened on campus in 1984. The Regional Schools of Nursing transferred to Swansea in 1992, and the College of Medicine opened in 2001. Technium Digital was completed in 2005 and, barely two years later, the University opened its Institute of Life Science, which commercialises the results of research undertaken in the Swansea University Medical School. Work commenced on a second Institute of Life Science in 2009.

In 2012 we began an ambitious campus expansion and development project, including the opening of our Bay Campus in 2015; which is home to the College of Engineering and the School of Management. In 2018 we opened the doors to two further projects, The College; Swansea University's joint venture with Navitas (The International College Wales Swansea, ICWS) and the Computational Foundry; the home of the College of Science's departments of Computer Science and Mathematics. 

At Swansea University we offer students, staff and the local community opportunities to get involved in our work to improve practices across our campuses and help us continue to lead the way in developing a more sustainable future for all.

Attending one of our events is the perfect opportunity to meet new people, increase your employability, and further your understanding of today’s most pressing issues.

Do you have any thoughts for an event? Maybe you would like to raise awareness of a particular issue. Contact us to discuss your ideas or to hear about our past events. There are countless ways you can help us reduce our environmental impact across campus. Keep reading to find out how you can get involved.

Our Sustainability Award is available to any student, of any subject, in any year of their degree! It's formally recognised alongside your degree, and even contributes towards your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR)

Sport Facilities

Our state-of-the-art facilities are ideal, whether you’re an elite athlete in training or simply want to stay fit - or get fit. With our two locations across the city, you are never far away from a Sport Swansea gym or playing field. We provide opportunities to test your limits or try new activities like tennis, track, or a fitness class.

With an extensive range of sports and exercise facilities for hire across two campuses, we're sure to have what you need. From court or pitch hire, to booking the sports hall for a tournament, or playing fields for a school sports day, we can help find the right facility for you. For information please contact one of our reception teams:

• International Sports Village Reception Team
• Bay Gym
• Athletics and Hockey Centre

Our Libraries

Swansea University Libraries and Archives provide high-quality information services for all students and staff, as well as the public, constantly developing these services to support the University's learning, teaching, research and corporate activities. All Libraries and Archives are open to all.

• Singleton Campus Library is the largest of our Libraries, located at the Singleton Campus.  The Library's collection is multidisciplinary, however it primarily serves the Colleges of Arts and Humanities, Science, Medicine, Law, and Human and Health Sciences.
• Bay Campus Library is new and modern Library situated at the Bay Campus.  It serves the needs of the College of Engineering, School of Management, Computer Science and Mathematics, and The College.
• South Wales Miners' Library is located at the Hendrefoelan Campus.  The collection supports the University's DACE programme, and includes special and historical collections.
• Banwen Library is a branch of the South Wales Miners' Library at the Dove Workshop in Banwen, 25 miles from Swansea.
• St David's Park Library is located in the College of Human and Health Sciences' campus building in Carmarthen.  The collection supports the health and human science courses at this site.
• Richard Burton Archives hold over 1.6 kilometres of material relating to the rich industrial, cultural and social heritage of Wales. These historic items, documents and photographs contribute to the learning, teaching and research of the University. The Archives are open to all.

The Libraries and Archives offer a comfortable, spacious environment with the latest facilities and technology for learning and research. Our friendly, professional staff provide a continually expanding range of support, training and subject services to ensure that all Library users make the best use of resources available.  Please click on the below locations for information on our services and opening hours.

Arts and Culture

The Taliesin Arts Centre sits at the heart of Swansea University's Singleton Park Campus. Taliesin hosts a broad programme of events including drama, traditional and contemporary dance and physical theatre, world music, jazz and fusion, and featuring cinema and live screenings too.  Taliesin is a key element of the arts infrastructure of the region; as a venue for students, staff and the public, and as an organiser of events such as Dance Days, an annual festival across the city.

Swansea University hosts a wealth of student musical talent and music societies. The Choral Society is a mixed choir performing a repertoire spanning classical and popular music; the Musicians Society's ensembles include Orchestra, Wind Band, Big Band, String Group, Flute Choir, Clarinet Choir and the Saxophone Ensemble; the Gospel Choir sings gospel and contemporary music; the Show Choir sing and dance through pop, rock and musicals; and the Live Music Society supports students to form bands of all styles and genres.

The Richard Burton Archives holds material of local, regional and national significance. The Archives holds collections covering a wide range of areas such as the South Wales coalfied and metallurgical industries, the papers of Wittgenstein's literary executor and emminent philosopher Rush Rhees, the papers of Raymond Williams, as well as many other delights. The Archives provides opportunities for students to work in and with the service through a range of academic modules and work experience.

The South Wales Miners' Library (SWML) houses material collected over the past 40 years including photos, posters, banners, oral histories and books rescued from miners' institute libraries and donated from private collections. Almost every large mining community in South Wales had its own miners' institute, serving as a recreational, social and political centre. Generations of miners educated themselves through the miners' institute libraries, but many libraries were destroyed or dispersed in the 1960's. The Coalfield History Project rescued some of these collections, seen by historians as part of the heritage of South Wales.

Do you fancy learning to write your name in hieroglyphs, practising the art of mummification or playing Tutankhamun’s favourite game? We even have real ancient objects over 3000 years old, which you can handle. The Egypt Centre is a small but lively museum of Egyptian antiquities with a collection of over 5000 objects including jewellery, weapons, coffins, mummified animals, etc. dating from 100,000BC to AD 500. It is free to visit and open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm.

This award winning museum works closely with the community but also with our academic communities. It is particularly well known for its innovative volunteer programme. If you want to go into heritage or education work, this is the perfect place to volunteer. We have a high success rate in our volunteers going on to paid employment in schools, museums and heritage centres.

The University’s History of Computing Collection contains equipment, software, archives, ephemera, oral histories, and videos. It was founded, in Autumn 2007, in order to study historically technological development and innovation and, especially, the relationship between computing technologies and people and society.

One important focus is the development of computing in Wales. We have found that by investigating the local history of computing we are better able to see and try to understand the complicated interplay of technical, social, economic and cultural "causes and effects".

The Collection is also interested in certain specialist areas of computing. The choice of these subjects reflects the interests of members of Swansea University and friends of the Collection. For example, we have an archive of L J Comrie, FRS (1893-1950), a pioneer of numerical methods, which contains notes and his collection of mathematical tables; and we have archives charting the development of theoretical computer science and formal methods for software engineering.

• Developing Futures Scholarship
• High Performance Sport Scholarship
• International Excellence Scholarships
• Music Scholarships
• Pharmacy Scholarship