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November 16th, 2006
UK's Best Student Experience
As many of you will know, Swansea University was shortlisted for the 2006 Times Higher Education Supplement Award for the UK's Best Student Experience. To have made the shortlist for a second year in succession is an exceptional achievement - especially considering that last year's runners up failed to get a mention this year.
Although Swansea did not retain its 2005 title, just look at the company we are in! The other nine shortlisted institutions included Cambridge, Leeds, Liverpool, Oxford, St Andrews, Sheffield, Stirling, and Warwick. The award eventually went to Loughborough, but to be included alongside the likes of Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick and St Andrews is success in itself.
Despite not being recognised as the UK's best student experience this year, we can justifiably lay claim to offering the best student experience in Wales. Once again, Swansea is the only Welsh institution to have made the shortlist. I believe we have much to be proud of.
There is no doubt that the record number of high quality admissions this year reflects the rise in the University's popularity, and winning the 2005 Times Higher Award has undoubtedly helped to raise our profile in the UK and overseas.
This year, the University welcomed more than 2,750 new first year degree students this year. In the last five years, the number of students applying to the University has increased significantly and the University enjoyed a 10% increase in applications this year, against a UK fall of around 3%.
Virtually all subjects at Swansea saw an increase in applications and some appear to have bucked the overall UK trend. For instance, English saw a rise of 21% against a UK decline of 4% and Media Studies a 20% rise against a 9% decline. Business increased its applications by a massive 45% (against a UK decline of 3%), Physics by 23% against a UK rise of just 2%. It is also interesting to note that, while it was reported there was a national decline of 8% in the number of students taking up modern foreign languages, Swansea saw a 26% rise. Clearly, we are doing a lot of things right, and we are doing them well.
My congratulations and thanks to all those who have worked hard to make Swansea University such a great place to study, and thanks in particular to all involved in student recruitment and admissions for their work in attracting students to Swansea.
Professor Rhys W Williams
Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Admissions
Download the full-colour supplement here: Times Higher Awards 2006 Shortlist (PDF: 477KB)
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