Bangor University

Summary

University Environment

The University occupies a substantial proportion of Bangor, with academic departments, libraries, sports facilities and accommodation dotted around the city, and it also has some departments in Wrexham. 

Bangor

Buildings include the Main Arts Building, which was built for the University in 1911. It occupies a highly visible position overlooking Bangor and is known as The College on the Hill. The redbrick University Hall, built in a Queen Anne style, was opened in 1897, whilst the largest accommodation site is the Friddoedd Site, about ten minutes’ walk from Top College, the Science Site and the city centre. 

The Pontion Arts & Innovation Centre has recently been opened as the new  social hub for students as well as an internationally significant centre for learning, innovation and the performing arts. In addition to being a new home for the Students' Union, it also houses a theatre, studio theatre, cinema, lecture theatres, exhibition spaces, bar and café.

The Normal Site, on the shores of the Menai Strait is next to the School of Education and the School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences and is close to the School of Ocean Sciences. The St Mary’s Site overlooks the centre of Bangor and is close to the Science Departments and the School of Informatics. 

Bangor's stunning location nestled between Snowdonia and the Menai Straits looking out to the Isle of Anglesey means that those who enjoy the outdoors are in for a treat. The mountains of Snowdonia is known as the adventure capital of the UK and offers exceptional rock climbing, scrambling and hill walking whilst the numerous beaches to choose from around the University offer an abundance of water sports including, canoeing, kayaking, surfing, sailing and sea kayaking and sunbathing for the more faint-hearted. 

Wrexham

The Wrexham Campus on the border with England close to Liverpool is home to the School of Healthcare Sciences and offers the Bangor University experience including a library and accommodation for those studying nursing, midwifery and radiography. 

History

Bangor was founded as the University College of North Wales (UCNW) on 18th October 1884 as a result of a campaign for better provision of higher education in North Wales. Local quarrymen donated more than £1,200 to develop the University, which offered degrees from the University of London until 1893 when it became a founding constituent institution of the federal University of Wales. 

In the 1960s the University underwent an expansion, with a number of new departments and new buildings, and in the 1970s it merged with two local colleges of education in Bangor: St Mary’s College, a college for women studying to become schoolteachers, and the larger Normal College.

In 2009 the University changed its name to Bangor University when the federal University of Wales disbanded and it began awarding its own degrees. 

Academics

Colleges & Schools

College of Arts, Humanities and Business

• Bangor Business School
  
  • The Management Centre
• School of History, Philosophy and Social Science
• School of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics
• School of Law
• School of Music and Media
• School of Welsh
• Centre for Research on Bilingualism

College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering

• School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering
• School of Natural Sciences
• School of Ocean Sciences
• The BioComposites Centre

College of Human Sciences

• School of Education and Human Development
• School of Health Sciences
• School of Medical Sciences
• School of Psychology
• School of Sport, Health & Exercise Sciences.

Research

Bangor University is in the top 40 in the UK for research with the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 recognising that more than three-quarters of its research was either world-leading or internationally excellent.

Research in the schools of Sports Science; Modern Languages; Welsh; Education; Linguistics; Social Sciences; Ocean Sciences; Biological Sciences; Environment, Natural Resources and Geography; Psychology; Healthcare Sciences and Medical Sciences were all ranked in the top twenty in the UK, whilst the University more than doubled the amount of 4* research carried out since the last research analysis conducted in 2008. 

International & Industrial Opportunities 

The International Experience Programme offers students the option of studying or working overseas for one extra year in a wide variety of destinations and students who undertake the programme will have ‘with international experience’ added to their degree title.

If you do not want to spend such a long time abroad, you still have the option of studying for one year or one semester with a partner institution either in Europe via Erasmus+ or worldwide. The University also offers industrial placements. 

Fees & Finance

Scholarships

Bangor offers a number of Entrance Scholarships each year in order to assist students with their studies. Some of these scholarships are open to all candidates and others are restricted to candidates from specific geographical areas or applicants for specific courses, and students must sit an extra exam in the subject of their choice in order to be considered. 

In an extension to the Entrance Scholarships scheme, approximately 40 Merit Scholarships are available of up to £3,000 to those who excel in the Entrance Scholarships examinations.

The University have a number of Sport Scholarships available, worth up to £3,000 a year each. The scholarships will not be restricted to any particular sport, and will be awarded to those who have already displayed excellence in their chosen sport, or show promise of excellence in the future.

Bursaries

The Bangor Bursary means you could receive up to £3000 in extra financial help over the duration of a three-year course if your household income is £40,000 or below. Bangor bursaries are available on top of any state-funded maintenance grants and loans, as well as any other University bursaries you may be eligible for, and do not need to be paid back.

Facilities

Learning Facilities

There are five libraries dotted around campus as well as an archive service. Bangor’s libraries were rated top in Wales for ‘good library and good library opening hours’ in the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2015 whilst their score means their library services are equal 5th in the UK.

Microsoft Office is free to download to all students and can be installed on up to five personal machines. 

The University’s Study Skills Centre provides help with the transition to university and on-going support with academic progression. The support provided by the Centre includes help with academic writing, reading and exam skills, mathematics and statistics, team-work, presentation skills, and project-planning.

Other learning resources include a £1.5M MRI scanner, a multi-media language centre, a natural history museum and a £3.5-m research vessel, The Prince Madog.

Sporting Facilities

The University boasts excellent sports and recreation facilities. Canolfan Brailsford is the University’s Sport Centre and provides sport and recreation facilities for both members of Bangor University and the general public.

Outdoor facilities include a synthetic pitch for football or hockey, floodlit grass football pitches, rugby pitches, an athletics track and a rowing club. They are found throughout the Bangor campus, centred upon the Canolfan Brailsford site and the Treborth outdoor facility.

There are indoor facilities for a whole range of sport and fitness activities, including weight training, aerobic classes, indoor cricket, and trampolining. Indoor tennis can be played in the Sports Dome, whilst there are three gyms for resistance and cardiovascular training. Further facilities also include a multi-purpose gymnastics hall, climbing wall and squash courts. 

The indoor facilities are located at the Canolfan Brailsford site and the Normal site. 

Students' Union

Students’ Union

At Bangor there are around 150 Students’ Union Clubs and Societies covering a range of interests, activities and sports and Bangor was named best university in the UK for its Clubs and Societies at the What Uni Student Choice Awards 2015. Student membership is free – which means all students can take advantage of the extra-curricular opportunities offered.

The Pontio centre is the new home for the Students’ Union and boasts a theatre, studio theatre, cinema, lecture theatres, exhibition spaces, bar and café. Academi nightclub provides the focus for much of the University’s night-time entertainment. As well as the nightclub, Academi has two bars, a café and a shop. Bar Uno Cafe Bar provides a social hub for students and is an integral part of the Ffriddoedd site. It has three large screens and offers events including sports nights, pool tournaments and entertainment.

Student Support

Religion & Spirituality

The Rathbone Annexe on College Road has a Quiet Room available during teaching hours for individuals to use for silent prayer and contemplation. There is also a meeting room in the Rathbone Annexe which is available for groups to book for faith-based activities. The Rathbone Annexe has separate male and female toilets as well as an accessible toilet all with ritual washing facilities.

Spiritual support is available to students of all faiths and none through the Chaplaincy Team. The Team is made up of representatives from local faith groups who work within the Student Support Network of the University.

The Chaplaincy Team aims to offer a listening ear and to help University members explore faith and spirituality. It can also signpost towards other religious activities in the area.

Health & Wellbeing

Bangor University has been rated 5th in the UK for support and welfare (WhatUni? Student Choice Awards 2015). It offers one of the largest Peer Guiding schemes in the country, which supports new students and ensures an easy transition to University life. The scheme has been shortlisted for the Times Higher Education Awards in the Outstanding Student Support Category.

The Student Counselling Service offers a variety of resources to support students during their time at University. The Service offers groups and workshops for students throughout the academic year including Mindfulness Taster sessions. It offers the opportunity to talk through personal and troubling issues in a safe, confidential environment with a professional, trained counsellor.

The Disability Service provides advice and guidance on a range of disability-related matters ensuring the full inclusion of disabled students within the academic and social community, enabling you to engage with your studies and to function in the wider university environment. They can help those with a wide range of physical and sensory impairments, including specific learning difficulties, enduring health conditions and mental health difficulties. 

Career Facilities

The Careers Service at Bangor offer a variety of facilities and resources to help you find your perfect career. You can request a personal confidential career advice session; attend workshops, such as job-hunting skills, employer-led skills development sessions and presentations, and careers fairs; and make use of a variety of online resources specifically tailored by subject and stage of your academic career.

Bangor Prospects advertises a variety of jobs and career opportunities including local, national and international graduate jobs; full-time, part-time and temporary jobs; work experience and internships; and voluntary opportunities. 

The Bangor Employability Award provides a framework to enable you to build on your transferable skills through the recognition of activities you become part of during your time at University. 

The University also supports entrepreneurial activity leading up to and post start-up and provide a collaborative environment where businesses can flourish. This includes the B-Enterprising project which helps students and graduates to be more enterprising through activities, workshops and event that involve a variety of external partners. B-Enterprising also supports students and graduates who want to start their own businesses. 

Accommodation

Bangor’s halls were rated 3rd in the UK for quality by the What Uni Student Choice Awards and are within easy walking distance of University buildings and the city centre. In recent years the University has opened new halls of residence as part of a  £35m upgrade. A new development of 600 rooms opened on the St Mary's Site in 2015, with the range of accommodation including studio apartments and townhouses. It also offers café bar, shop, laundrette, common rooms and sports and fitness facilities on site.

Students can choose from standard rooms (shared bathroom), en-suite rooms, studios (own bathroom and kitchenette), female only corridors or flats and disabled access rooms, whilst there are options for Welsh speaking students and those on a tight budget. All rooms are self-catered and range from £96-£189 per week. 

All hot water, electricity, heating and internet bills are included in the price and halls are supported by wardens and 24/7 security staff. 

International

English Language Requirements

The English Language level required to study at Bangor University will vary according to the course and level of study. In general, the minimum level required for degree level is: IELTS 6.0 with no element below 5.5.

International Support

There are approximately 1,500 international students studying at Bangor from over 80 different nationalities. 

The International Student Support Office is available to help you get the most out of your time at Bangor. They can provide advice and guidance on a range of welfare-related matters, and offer an airport pick-up service from Manchester International Airport for students arriving at 'peak times'.  You can also speak to any of the International Student Ambassadors if you need help during your time at Bangor or join an international society. 

The University English Language Centre for Overseas Students (ELCOS) provides a series of modules designed to develop your skills in English for Academic Purposes (EAP), often in conjunction with academic schools. These modules include grammar and writing, vocabulary, speaking and listening, business English and near native English.

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