Swansea University will charge up to £9,000 a year for all undergraduate degree courses from 2012/13, following fee plan approval from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW).
The University submitted its application to HEFCW after an extensive consultation exercise with a wide range of stakeholders, including the Students’ Union.
The new fee plan will enable the safeguarding and sustainable improvement of teaching and learning standards that current students enjoy and prospective students expect, despite reduced government funding.
Swansea University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Richard B Davies, commented: “Swansea University provides a high quality, supportive campus environment for students. We focus on life-enhancing and career-enhancing courses with teaching by acknowledged experts in their fields. We will now be able to continue to offer an excellent academic student experience. The approved fee plan also allows us to offer a comprehensive financial support package to students from lower income families, together with the ability to expand our outreach programme.”
Full details of the Fee Plan, including information on Swansea University’s package of support, will be published on the University’s website (http://www.swansea.ac.uk).
The website will also provide information and useful links for students from England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the rest of the EU considering studying at Swansea University.
In addition to the website information, student finance talks at University Open Days will provide clear information on fee levels, statutory funding packages and bursaries available.
Bursaries will form a key part of financial support. A bursary will be available for all care leavers; mobility bursaries will help to subsidise the cost of working or studying abroad; an increase in Excellence Bursaries will ensure that the most able students are recruited and retained, regardless of their financial circumstances, and Postgraduate Pathway Bursaries will support those from low income households to progress to postgraduate study.
A planned increase in Hardship Funds is designed to prevent the withdrawal of students due to financial difficulties.
Commitment to the employability of graduates will be further developed through increased engagement with business and industry. In the mentoring, sponsorship, design and delivery of student learning, the University will maintain the global relevance of its programmes.
The Welsh Government announced in November 2010 that students resident in Wales will be eligible for a Tuition Fee Grant to cover costs over and above the current fee of approximately £3,500 per year.
