Study at Bangor University

Why study at Bangor University

The university holds a Teaching Excellence Framework Gold rating and received a 2023 Queen's Anniversary Prize for its wastewater-based public-health surveillance system. Set in a compact city between the mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia) and the Menai Strait, Bangor suits students who want a smaller, close-knit university with straightforward access to the coast and countryside.

Location and student life

The university's buildings and two main accommodation villages, St Mary's and Ffriddoedd, sit in and around Bangor, a small cathedral city on the North Wales coast a few miles from Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park. The School of Ocean Sciences is based across the Menai Strait at Menai Bridge on Anglesey. Bangor is well connected by road and rail, with direct trains from London, Manchester, Crewe and Cardiff; Liverpool and Manchester airports are about 1.5 to 2 hours away, and ferries from nearby Holyhead link to Ireland. The compact setting keeps teaching buildings, halls, the Pontio arts centre and the Students' Union within easy reach, with mountains, beaches and the strait close by.

Courses and subjects

Teaching is organised into three colleges: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Science and Engineering; and Medicine and Health. The portfolio includes business, law, history, languages and Welsh studies; ocean and environmental sciences, forestry, computer science and engineering; and health sciences, psychology, sport science and medicine through the North Wales Medical School. International applicants who need extra preparation can enter through Bangor University International College, which offers International Year Zero, International Year 1 and Pre-Masters routes with English-language requirements from IELTS 5.5.

Entry requirements for international students

Entry requirements depend on the course and the applicant's country, so international students should check the relevant course page and country information. For English language, many undergraduate and postgraduate courses ask for IELTS 6.0 overall with no element below 5.5, while some courses require 6.5 with no element below 6.0. Applicants below the required level can take pre-sessional English through the university's English Language Centre, and Bangor University International College provides foundation and Pre-Masters pathways from IELTS 5.5.

Accommodation

University accommodation is self-catered and mostly en-suite, spread across two villages, St Mary's and Ffriddoedd, within walking distance of the teaching buildings. All international offer holders for full-time undergraduate degrees starting in September at the Bangor campus are guaranteed a room in the first year if they apply before the published deadline. Postgraduate applicants are also guaranteed a place when they meet the stated conditions, including applying for halls by the August deadline.

Scholarships and funding

All international applicants are considered for the Bangor International Scholarship when they submit their application: at least £4,000 per year for undergraduates and £6,000 for postgraduate taught students. High-achieving students can be considered for the Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship of £10,000, and former students and their close family can receive an Alumni discount of £1,000 per year on top of the International Scholarship. Chevening and Commonwealth Master's Scholarships are also available for eligible postgraduates. Award values and criteria change each year, so check the university's scholarships pages for current details.