Glamorgan’s plans to establish one of the largest universities in Britain, by merging with nearby UWIC, are on the back burner.

But the desire for a foothold in the Welsh capital was fulfilled in September 2007 with the opening of a striking new campus in Cardiff.

The university’s new School of Creative and Cultural Industries offers an “eclectic mix of teaching and research in the theory and practice of media, design and the arts”.

Students work in an ultramodern new building and have access to 1,350 rooms in privately run halls of residence. Most of Glamorgan’s 21,000 students will remain on the Treforest campus, 20 minutes by train from Cardiff, overlooking the market town of Pontypridd.

Linking

Collaborative linking programmes operate in five overseas centres, while in Wales a growing number of further education colleges offer the university’s courses.

Four have become associate colleges, guaranteeing places on degree courses if students meet set conditions. Originally based in a large country house, Glamorgan now has purpose-built premises for the science and technology departments.

Teaching accommodation for mathematics and computing has also had a £5-million refurbishment. The law school and Faculty of Health Sport and Science are on the Glyntaff site, a short walk from the main campus.

They are housed in new buildings and specially restored tramsheds, a reminder of the industrial past of the area. The Institute of Chiropractic was the first university-based centre for training chiropractors in the UK, while the Film Academy for Wales is another unique development, built on a successful range of film-related courses.

Vocational

Glamorgan is committed to retaining its vocational slant, tailoring a diploma in management to the needs of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, for example. The business school is the largest in Wales, and the university was among the first providers of the two-year Foundation degree, focusing on human resources management and marketing, business and accounting.

The range of courses has since expanded rapidly, covering subjects as diverse as nursing and product design, with a strong representation of Foundation degrees. The vocational approach pays dividends for graduate employment, which is consistently good, although the dropout rate has been the highest among the university institutions in Wales.

Almost three in ten students starting degree courses in 2004 were not expected to complete their course in the normal period, although the university has launched initiatives to improve retention. The intake is more socially diverse than elsewhere in Wales.

Access

More than 40 per cent of undergraduates come from working-class homes and 30 per cent are from areas with no tradition of higher education – one of the highest figures at any UK university. The 13 per cent increase in applications by the official deadline for courses starting in 2006 was the biggest in Wales and the following two years have also been healthy.

Glamorgan was one of the top scorers among the former polytechnics in teaching quality assessments: 12 subjects were rated as Excellent at degree level, and there have also been awards for the remaining further education course provision. The university also did well in the first national student satisfaction survey, especially in health subjects and the creative arts.

The success of the English and creative writing programmes is reflected in the establishment at the university of the National Centre for Writing, which opened in 2002. The Faculty of Advanced Technology has been designated a centre of excellence for Wales, while three National Partnership awards testify to high standards in course design and delivery.

Accommodation

Degrees in computer forensics, computer games development, lighting and design technology and aerospace courses are all designed with employers’ needs in mind. Many of the 9,000 full-time undergraduates live around Pontypridd, while others choose Cardiff, which is both livelier and a better source of accommodation.

However, the Pontypridd campus has been under development, with the addition of a recreation centre and an extension to the students’ union, which is the focus of social life. Its bars are the only part of the university where smoking is allowed. The sports facilities are good enough for Glamorgan to have been awarded the 2001 British University Games and to become one of six centres of excellence in cricket.

The university is successful in student competitions, especially in rugby, and offers a number of sports bursaries for students with international potential. But there is also a wide range of health and fitness classes for those with lower aspirations.

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