About the University Bangor University is a long-established institution, with over 120 years' dedication to academic excellence. Over half of the Schools assessed to date in the teaching quality assessments have received the top rating of 'excellent', and the most recent Research Assessment Exercise confirms its status as a world-class research institution with an international reputation. Bangor is also rated the top university in the UK for help and support provided to students, reflecting the priority given to enhancing the student experience for those from all backgrounds and of all ages.
Bangor has over 9000 students, 26 academic schools and over 600 teaching staff, and is rated the top university in the UK for the help and support provided to students (The Times Higher Educational Supplement (June 17, 2005).
Bangor University's satisfied students have placed the University in 11th position and in the top 20% of UK Universities and Further Education Colleges according to results if the National Student Satisfaction (NSS) survey published on 11th September 2008.
A £20m redevelopment of the campus has recently taken place, including a £10m business and management centre and a new building for environmental sciences, and to meet the high demand of contemporary living accommodation, the University is currently working on phase 1 of a £35M upgrade at its main student accommodation site. 700 new en-suite rooms will be available from September 2008.
Bangor enjoys a low cost of living - cheaper accommodation and lower living costs than in most university cities. According to The Independent's A-Z of Universities and Higher Education Colleges, Bangor is "one of the cheapest places in Britain". The Independent also placed Bangor 4th most cost effective location for students in their Student Living Index Guide for 2008
Bangor University was recognised as the best in the UK for fostering successful partnerships with business at the KTP Awards in 2007, and is currently working with business and industry on:
- the establishment of a £10M world class Management Centre at the University; and - high profile projects such as Technium CAST (Centre for Advanced Software Technology) at Parc Menai, Bangor and the Technium OpTIC at St Asaph Business Park.
Bangor University has close links with the NHS in Wales, and is a major provider of training and education for the NHS, and also one of the main partners in the new North Wales Clinical School. As a major provider of teacher training in Wales, Bangor also has close links with schools, local education authorities and the teaching profession
The University has one of the largest widening access programmes in the country - the Talent Opportunities Programme - involving over 1500 pupils in schools across North Wales, and is involved in the Reaching Higher, Reaching Wider programme operating in the region. It also runs one of the largest Peer Guiding schemes and enjoys one of the lowest drop-out rates compared to other UK universities. Bangor's Centre for Careers and Opportunities Careers is recognised nationally as being one of the most active careers services in the UK.
Location Living in Bangor enables students to combine a high-quality educational experience with a wonderful living environment. Bangor is regarded to be amongst the UK?s best university locations, situated between the mountains of Snowdonia and the Irish Sea and offering some of the finest beaches and most dramatic scenery in the country, as well as an abundance of historical sites of national importance. North Wales is an area of outstanding natural beauty, yet close to major cities such as Manchester and Liverpool, so travelling to and from Bangor is easy, with London also easily accessible by direct train. All this, plus the cosmopolitan atmosphere and amenities of a thriving university city, makes Bangor a fascinating place to live, and offers an unrivalled environment for study. The crime rate in North Wales is believed to be one of the lowest in the whole of the UK
Resources The University?s constituent academic schools and research centres enjoy excellent resources, which includes the rare and outstanding facility of the £3.5 million Prince Madog ocean-going research ship. Other specialist equipment and facilities include the functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scanner, nanotechnology development laboratories and clean-rooms, dual energy x-ray absorptiometry room, underwater weighing room, climate chamber, motion analysis room, neuroscience laboratories, and botanic gardens. The University also benefits from several large and well-stocked libraries, which provide essential cross-discipline support in meeting the intellectual aspirations and development of its students, from essential textbooks and periodicals to electronic and microfilm resources, in addition to a wealth of specialist material available in the University Archives.
