About the University

Image of the University of Wales, Bangor

A history of excellence...

Bangor University was founded in 1884, making it one of the oldest and most prestigious degree awarding institutions in the UK. For more than 120 years students from all over the world have graduated from Bangor and as a result gone on to achieve great success in their chosen careers.

Innovative research and supportive teaching methods...

In the most recent Research Assessment Exercise carried out on behalf of the UK Government, world leading research was identified in all of our 19 assessed subject areas with nearly 50% given the top grading of 3* and 4*. Areas of particular excellence include Accounting & Finance within the Business School which is rated as the best in the UK and Electronic Engineering which is rated second in the UK. In addition, Sports Science and Welsh are placed in the top 10 in the UK in their respective units of assessment and Psychology 11th in the UK.

In the Arts & Humanities, the School of Music for example had 90% of its research staff rated as world leading or of international quality. And 90% of research staff in the Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences field which includes Ocean Sciences were also rated as world leading or of international quality.

More than 50% of the departments assessed to date in the Teaching Quality Assessment (TQA) have achieved the top rating of 'excellent' and the rest were found to be operating at a high standard. Bangor is consistently ranked amongst the top 50% out of more than 140 state-recognised universities in surveys conducted by leading UK newspapers such as The Guardian and The Times.

The International Student Barometer (ISB) is a nation-wide survey carried out each year by an independent research organisation called "i-graduate". Students are asked to rate their institutions in terms of important factors such as facilities, environment, teaching and living costs. The survey is completely anonymous in order to allow students to be as honest as possible in their answers and opinions.

Over 60 top UK universities took part in the ISB 2008 including Edinburgh, Sheffield, Oxford, Cardiff, Sussex, SOAS, Liverpool, Imperial College London and Loughborough. The main overall results for Bangor:

The University was:

"Ranked Top 10 for teaching quality and learning support"
"Ranked Top 10 for employability and careers advice"
"Ranked Top 10 for financial support"
"Ranked Top 15 for research quality and lecturer expertise"
"Ranked Top 20 as a multicultural study environment" "

Bangor - a unique study environment...

With students from over 70 countries world-wide, the city is a thriving international community. We pride ourselves on the quality of the overall student experience at Bangor: the education and the lifestyle. Situated near to the spectacular mountains of Snowdonia and with the sea close by, Bangor is one of the most attractive study locations in the UK. The city is safe, compact and cost effective with one of the lowest crime rates and cost of living of any university city. Everything in Bangor can be reached on foot, students do not need to purchase a car or rely on public transport. Libraries, lecture theatres, seminar rooms and other academic buildings are located near to each other and within walking distance of the city centre and accommodation.