Studyportals

Swansea University

Find More Courses
Multiple locations
Swansea University is a research-led university that has been making a difference since 1920. The University community thrives on exploration and discovery, and offers the right balance of excellent teaching and research, matched by an enviable quality of life.

Swansea University Key Statistics & Highlights

  • #292 Ranking
  • 17 Courses
  • 1,620 Academic Staff
  • 17,744 Students
  • 3,641 Students (int'l)
  • Public Institution Type

Swansea University Distance Learning Courses

View more programmes

History

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.

Education

The sharing of knowledge to nurture independent, critical thinking is fundamental to our purpose. It enables our students to be resilient in the face of global challenges and to adapt to the changing world of work. We celebrate our Welsh heritage and are proud to be part of a bilingual nation. 

Swansea University offers award-winning postgraduate study in a stunning coastal location. From master's degrees to PhD study, we offer postgraduate programmes in a wide variety of subject areas.

Research

Swansea University is fully engaged with the Research Excellent Framework (REF) and aims to provide relevant, up-to-date information on the REF to colleagues and external stakeholders alike. 

Through the REF, the UK funding bodies aim to develop and sustain a dynamic and internationally competitive research sector that makes a major contribution to economic prosperity, national wellbeing and the expansion and dissemination of knowledge.

Career

From the moment you arrive in Swansea, specialist staff in Careers and Employability will help you plan and prepare for your future. They will help you identify and develop skills that will enable you to make the most of your postgraduate degree and enhance your career options.

Housing services

Moving into your student home is one of the most exciting things about starting University, and we are here to help make sure the journey is as smooth as possible, whatever your circumstances or stage of study. Our residences offer a safe and welcoming place to return to after a day of study, giving you plenty of opportunities to make yourself at home.

Library services

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. 

The Libraries and Archives offer a comfortable, spacious environment with the latest facilities and technology for learning and research. 

ICT services

The Customer Service Team can help with:

  • Connecting to Swansea University Wi-Fi
  • Device Troubleshooting Support
  • Setting up your Swansea University email on your devices
  • Laptop loans
  • SPSS, NVivo and Mathematica installation
  • Printing, photocopying and scanning services

Medical services

We provide a range of wellness programmes including:

  • Sports massage
  • Physiotherapy
  • Health ‘MOTs’ and healthy weight check

Campus life

Swansea University spans two stunning campuses at each end of Swansea’s waterfront. Singleton Park Campus is set in mature parkland and botanical gardens, overlooking Swansea Bay beach. Bay Campus is located on the beach on the eastern approach into Swansea.

Sports facilities

We offer state-of-the-art gyms on both campuses, with a large variety of weight and cardio machines to round out your training.

The International Sports Village incorporates the 50m Wales National Pool, which is home to one of British Swimming’s high-performance centres. It is equally suited for a relaxing swim and top-level competition or training.

Swansea University Overview

Swansea University Rankings

Study Portals Meta Ranking

Top 5.2% United Kingdom
Top 5.1% Worldwide

Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.

QS World University Rankings

292

By TopUniversities

Climbed 6 places compared to 2025

QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.

3 year trend QS World University Rankings

2024 2025 2026
307 298 292

World University Rankings

301

By Times Higher Education

The university hasn’t moved up or down in the rankings over the past year.

World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.

3 year trend World University Rankings

2024 2025 2026
251 301 301

Best Global Universities Rankings

427

By U.S. News & World Report

Climbed 12 places compared to 2025

Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.

3 year trend Best Global Universities Rankings

2024 2025 2026
463 439 427

Academic Ranking of World Universities

701

By Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Dropped 200 places compared to 2024

ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.

3 year trend Academic Ranking of World Universities

2023 2024 2025
401 501 701

Swansea University Campus Locations

#1 Main Campus
United Kingdom Country
Swansea City
#2 Branch Campus
United Kingdom Country
Wales City

Swansea University Student Reviews & Awards

4.2

Based on 100 reviews

  • 5 Star
    33 Reviews
  • 4 Star
    57 Reviews
  • 3 Star
    8 Reviews
  • 2 Star
    0 Reviews
  • 1 Star
    2 Reviews

How Students Rated This University

  • Overall Satisfaction 4.3
  • Student Teacher Interaction 4.5
  • Student Diversity 4.4
  • Admission Process 4.2
  • Quality of Student Life 4.5
  • Career Development 4.4
5/5

A wish come true, to save life and humanity!

Satisfactory and a ladder to assist, keep and save life generally. Keeps me up and doing in pursuant of excellence

Posted by Confidence Emeribe
Studied from Jan 2026 - Nov 2027
Posted on Feb 2026
5/5

Excellent University

Great experience with lectures and labs. Easy to understand and staff was very helpful throughout the course.

Posted by Anonymous
Studied from Sep 2022 - Jun 2026
Posted on Dec 2025
5/5

Needs more labs

It's a good institution, though I think there needs to be more computer labs open for general use and more student parking as well as better transportation links. However, the faculty are lovely and the campus has some really pretty areas and I felt my education was really good.

Posted by Zoe
Studied from Unknown
Posted on Jul 2025
Studied here? Share your experience

Global Student Satisfaction Awards 2025

The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2025. Universities with a score above 4.0 (out of 5) in any of the 7 award categories, receive Badges of Excellence. Congratulations!

  • Overall Satisfaction badge
    Overall Satisfaction

    How would you rate your overall study experience?

  • Student Teacher Interaction badge
    Student Teacher Interaction

    How helpful were your teachers?

  • Student Diversity badge
    Student Diversity

    How diverse was the atmosphere at your university?

  • Admission Process badge
    Admission Process

    How simple was it to apply to your programme?

  • Quality of Student Life badge
    Quality of Student Life

    How was your everyday life?

  • Career Development badge
    Career Development

    Did the university provide support for your career development?

Read more

Other programmes from this organisation

Wishlist

Go to your profile page to get personalised recommendations!