Aberystwyth University is one of the oldest universities in Wales with over 150 years of academic excellence. It's built an impressive reputation in that time for its research, teaching and innovation.
Aberystwyth is a university town and community on the west coast of mid-Wales and is often referred to as the culture capital of Wales. It sits within a beautiful environment, between Cardigan Bay and the Cambrian Mountains, just south of Snowdonia National Park. You'll find a lively seaside town with a student-friendly culture among a rugged landscape of rolling hills, valleys, sand and sea.
Easy access to beaches and coastline provides great opportunities for outdoor activities and water sports like walking, hiking, surfing, bodyboarding, kitesurfing and kayaking. There are also some interesting local attractions to explore, such as the Ceredigion Museum and Aberystwyth Castle, while the Rheidol Valley steam train offers a fun day out to Devil's Bridge and a series of waterfalls.
The uni is spread across two campuses, the main teaching campus being Penglais which overlooks the town and seafront from Penglais Hill. The town centre and train station are a 10-minute walk away, meaning students have easy access to uni facilities, all the town has to offer and transport.
There's a National Express route that runs daily services to London and Birmingham, as well as Megabus routes to London and Cardiff. The town is also well-connected by road.
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3.1Aberystwyth has a careers service that gives students advice and support in realising their career goals, improving their employability skills and making informed choices, all of which help to increase job prospects. Services are offered on a one-to-one basis through drop-in sessions, online webinars and events.
You'll also get access to an online portal with informative web pages and other careers-related resources. You'll be able to get help with identifying relevant work experience opportunities, recognising your skills, choosing a career path and improving your interview technique. You'll also be able to find guidance and help with writing an effective CV and job applications.
Also at Aberystwyth, each academic department's careers staff give lectures and workshops alongside the taught curriculum. This means subject-specific guidance is given about career planning.
Using the ABERcareers online portal, you'll be able to find local, national and international work opportunities, including part-time work, summer internships, 12-month placements and full-time graduate roles.
Events, such as careers fairs are also regularly held and provide a great way to explore different industries and start to make professional contacts.
All first-year students are guaranteed uni accommodation, as long as they meet the eligibility criteria and apply for accommodation before the deadline.
A lot of Aberystwyth's accommodation is based on or near the Penglais campus. Many are within 5-10 minutes of the campus on foot, while there are also options in town and on the seafront.
There are three main accommodation types – ensuite rooms, the standard accommodation type with shared bathrooms and kitchens, and studio accommodation that comes with private kitchen and bathroom facilities. There are both self-catered and catered options to choose from, depending on your meal time preferences.
Rent prices vary depending on the level of accommodation you choose, but in all cases what you pay includes all utility bills, as well as WiFi costs and contents insurance. Halls facilities include study spaces, communal areas and bike storage, either on-site or close by. All students in uni-managed accommodation also get a platinum gym membership which gives access to fitness facilities and sports centre classes.
There's generous additional funding available at Aberystwyth uni in the form of scholarships and bursaries. This funding can go towards living and studying costs and doesn't need to be repaid. Scholarships and bursaries are awarded based on several factors, like academic and extra-curricular merit, as well as personal circumstances, such as household income and ethnic background.
Undergraduate funding includes Aberystwyth University Scholarships and Merit Awards (Exam-based), which reward excellent exam results before starting uni. There are also various subject-specific awards, as well as support for care leavers, young carers and estranged students, and scholarships for students who want to study in Welsh.
There are also numerous scholarships for undergraduate students, based on sporting and musical achievements. For example, there are scholarships worth £1,000 a year for students who are top performers in football, mountain biking, netball and rugby.
Academic Excellence scholarships are worth £2,000 in a student's first year of study and apply to those who achieve AAA at A-level (or equivalent qualification), while care leavers, young carers and estranged student bursaries are worth £1,500 per year.
You can find out about all the scholarships and bursaries available, as well as their eligibility criteria, by visiting the uni's online funding pages.
There are a few ways to study an undergraduate degree at Aberystwyth University. Most students study full-time and you can choose from several types of degrees, including a single honours degree (one subject), a joint honours degree (two subjects) and a course with an integrated master's year. The uni also provides major/minor bachelor's degrees, which focus mainly on one subject but allow you to study a secondary subject alongside in lesser detail.
Typically, undergraduate degrees at Aberystwyth take three years to study, but a number of courses can include a placement year, study abroad option, foundation year or an integrated master's year. These courses usually take four years to complete.
Most degrees include optional modules, as well as core modules, meaning you can study the degree topics you're most interested in.
As we've said, it's also possible to combine more than one subject within an undergraduate degree in what's called a combined honours degree. For example, you could study creative writing and history.
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