Information for Applicants - FAQs

If your application is to a course which requires an interview, but this can be assessed in another way such as via an online portfolio, we will request this information in order to process your application without inviting you to interview. For all courses where an interview is essential, we will invite you to attend a video or telephone interview so that this assessment can still take place.

If you have any questions about a video or telephone interview in relation to your application, please email admissions@southwales.ac.uk.

We are hosting virtual Open Events where you can see our campuses, facilities and find out more about our courses. Information about our virtual Open Day and how to book a place can be found here.

If you have any questions about life at USW, helpful information can be found on our website for the following areas:

Accommodation

Campuses

Careers

Courses

Fees and funding – undergraduate

Fees and funding – postgraduate

International

The University is reviewing non-academic entry requirements for our courses in relation to where consideration or compensation can be made. The following course have amended their entry criteria:

Chiropractic

Applicants who are joining us in September 2021 but who are currently unable to fulfil observation of a minimum 3 hours of a chiropractor in clinical practice in light of the Covid-19 situation, will have this taken into consideration. It will not be necessary to contact us if you are unable to undertake this observation.

BA (Hons) Counselling and Therapeutic Practice

Applicants, providing they meet or are expected to meet academic requirements, can be invited to interview with at least 80 hours work experience, rather than the advertised 150 hours. Applicants who are successful in obtaining a place will still be required to secure the remaining 70 hours before the start of the course, which can be undertaken via online volunteering or telephone work; however, this will be revised if the situation continues. 

BSc (Hons) Social Work

Applicants, providing they meet or are expected to meet academic requirements, can be invited to interview if they do not yet meet the 455 hours work experience requirement. Applicants who are successful in obtaining a place will be required to secure these hours before the start of the course; however, this will be revised if the situation continues.

If your course entry criteria requires working with others and is not listed above, please contact us on admissions@southwales.ac.uk for advice.

The wellbeing and health and safety of our students and staff is paramount to us. We are committed to delivering our courses, research opportunities and other services as safely as possible. The ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic means that we are having to make changes to the way in which we deliver our courses and services. 

Your student experience is important to us and we have been working and continue to work to ensure your overall experience. We are currently delivering our courses in a blended format; with a proportion of the teaching and learning being delivered digitally, and where it is safe to do so, some teaching and learning being delivered in person and using social distancing and/or mitigating measures as deemed appropriate in line with government guidance. 

 The nature and balance of learning and teaching methods and activities are sufficiently flexible to adapt and enable you to succeed in your studies. Due to the pandemic, the methods and activities adopted for the coming year may differ from those previously published and may be subject to further change through the course of your study if such change is necessary due to public health concerns, health and safety guidance or in response to Government Guidelines. Please note that if you are hoping to join us to study from a country outside of the UK, your options/studies may also be impacted by Government guidelines or decisions of that country. 

Any changes to your course have been considered and approved through the University Quality Assurance processes, which include student and external scrutiny. If any further changes are necessary we will inform you at the earliest possible opportunity. 

As a student at USW you will be fully supported, whether you are studying remotely or via a blended format, not only by your course and faculty teams, but by the wider provision of student services. From our libraries who have recently increased the number of online materials by 180,000 ebook titles to the Advice Zone and Study Skills Support, we will be there for you as you start your academic life at USW.   

We provide a range of online and on-campus academic and social activities to help our students become familiar with the University and their course teams, as well as to get to know each other and get used to University life.   

The Students’ Union is open, and they have organised a calendar of virtual events for students to take part in, either individually to help meet new friends, or with flatmates or friends in larger groups.  

Applications for halls remain unaffected and you can find out more about accommodation options and submit an application here.

If you have any questions about accommodation, please e-mail accom@southwales.ac.uk.  

Our accommodation is open, and we are accepting applications for halls of residence. You can find out more about accommodation options and submit an application here. 

Flats with a shared kitchen will be classed as a household. We have no more than six students in each of our flats, which are classed as one household. Social distancing will need to be observed outside of the household, including in communal areas such as The Hub and laundry facilities. 

If students need to self-isolate, then our accommodation team is on-hand to support them, including to access food supplies, should they need support accessing any. Outside of their flats, students must wear face coverings in all indoor public places, including in some of the shared areas such as the laundry facilities, and students must maintain two-metre social distancing at all times with anyone who doesn’t live with them.  

If you are looking to book a room with a private accommodation provider or landlord, we would encourage you to check the terms and conditions carefully. You can find out more information about the various accommodation options available here.

We are working with our two main providers of private accommodation - Unite for our Cardiff Campus and Campus Living Villages for our Newport Campus. Unite have put together a short video to explain to students the steps they are taking to keep people safe, and Campus Living Villages have published information on their website. 

In line with Welsh Government guidance, it is mandatory for face coverings to be worn indoors at all of our sites. They can be removed in teaching spaces if desired, where two metre social distancing is securely in place, and where PPE hasn’t been deemed mandatory for a specific task. We ask students and staff to be mindful of the interests of other people and if in doubt please wear a face covering.  

There will of course be some exemptions for people wearing face coverings, and this may be because of a physical or mental illness, or because of a disability or impairment. Whether somebody has a reasonable excuse not to wear a face covering will not always be obvious.  

Students do not of course not need to wear face coverings when they are in their own accommodation within University-owned halls of residence on our Treforest campus. Students still need to wear them outside of their accommodation in shared facilities such as the laundry facilities.  

Where PPE is required, because of a specific task or because sufficient social distancing cannot be achieved, then clinical standard personal protective equipment will be issued after a relevant risk assessment of tasks has been carried out. 

The normal pattern of field trips are not currently possible. No international field trips will take place until at least January 2021. However, some UK field work may be possible if the safety of students and staff can be maintained, and if it complies with current Government guidance. Each field trip will be considered individually by the course teams to evaluate whether they will be possible later during the academic year, taking into consideration the wider situation with the Covid-19 pandemic at that time, as well Government guidelines, travel restrictions and social distancing protocols.

We are delivering a full and interactive blended teaching and learning experience and we will be supporting you with your studies. The blended learning approach that we are providing, which includes a blend of virtual and on-campus delivery, will ensure you continue to receive good experiences and a high-quality education.  As a result, we will not be reducing our fees.

Gap year study is beneficial in so many ways and we value this experience and what it allows you to bring to your course in the future. The University will consider deferrals for many of our courses and you should e-mail admissions@southwales.ac.uk to check whether this is possible for your course. Deferrals are unfortunately not accepted for our nursing courses.
If you want to apply for September 2022 entry, you will still need to meet all the conditions of your offer by September 2021.