University of Wales

The University of Wales, or Prifysgol Cymru in Welsh, is a federal university founded in 1893. It has member institutions in all parts of Wales, ranging from old Red Brick universities such as Aberystywth to post-1992 universities such as UWIC and Newport. The Chancellor of the University of Wales is HRH the Prince of Wales and the Pro-Chancellor is the ex-politician Dafydd Wigley. The senior Vice-Chancellor is Professor Antony Chapman, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff.

History

The University of Wales was founded in Wales in 1893 as a federal university with three foundation colleges: University Collge Wales (now UW Aberystwyth), which had been founded in 1872 and University College North Wales (now UW Bangor) and University College South Wales and Monmouthshire (now Cardiff University) which were founded following the Aberdare Report in 1881. Prior to the foundation of the federal University, these three colleges had prepared students for the examinations of the University of London. A fourth college, Swansea, was added in 1920 and in 1931 the Welsh School of Medicine was established in Cardiff. In 1967 the Welsh College of Advanced Technology entered the federal University as the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology (UWIST), also in Cardiff. In 1971 St David's College, Wales' oldest higer education institute, suspended its own degree-awarding powers and entered the University of Wales. A financial crisis in the late eighties caused UWIST and University College Cardiff to merge in 1988, forming the University of Wales College Cardiff (UWCC). In 1992 the University lost its position as the only university in Wales when the Polytechnic of Wales became the University of Glamorgan.

Related Topics:
Wales - 1893 - 1872 - 1881 - University of London - 1920 - 1931 - 1967 - 1971 - St David's College - 1988 - 1992 - University of Glamorgan

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The University was composed of colleges until 1996, when the University was reorganised with a two-tier structure of member institutions in order to absorb the Cardiff Institute of Higher Education (which became the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC)) and the Gwent College of Higher Education (which became University of Wales College, Newport (UWCN)). The existing colleges became constituent institutions and the two new member institutions became university colleges. In 2003, both of these colleges became full constituent institutions and in 2004 UWCN received permission from the Privy Council to change its name to the University of Wales, Newport.

Related Topics:
Colleges - 1996 - 2003 - 2004 - Privy Council

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Cardiff University and the University of Wales College of Medicine (UWCM) merged on August 1 2004. The merged institution, known as Cardiff University, ceased to be a constitutent institution and became a new category of 'Affiliated/Linked Institutions'. While the new institution will continue to award University of Wales degrees in medicine and related subjects, students joining Cardiff from 2005 to study other subjects will be awarded Cardiff University degrees.

Related Topics:
August 1 - 2004 - 2005

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At the same time, the University admitted four new institutions, helping to fill the void left by the loss of Cardiff and UWCM. Thus, North East Wales Institute of Higher Education (NEWI), Swansea Institute of Higher Education and Trinity College, Carmarthen (who were all previously Associated Institutions) along with the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (which was previously a Validated Institution) were admitted as full members of the University on July 27 2004.

Related Topics:
July 27 - 2004

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