The University of the West of Scotland is one of Scotland's largest modern universities, with four campuses in Paisley, Ayr, Lanarkshire and Dumfries. The Dumfries Campus is run in partnership with the University of Glasgow.
The university has close links with industry and commerce which is reflected in course design and the employability of its students.
Courses and students
It teaches a wide range of courses through the following departments:
You may be able to complete part of your undergraduate course abroad, through the European Erasmus+ programme or exchange schemes with universities in the USA.
The university has around 19,900 students of whom over 3,000 are international students from more than 70 countries across the world.
The university operates a Buddy Project on all four campuses; newly arrived students are matched with an established student to help them settle in.
Facilities and Services
The new Lanarkshire Campus opened in 2018, offering modern and innovative learning and social spaces. It is also one of the UK’s greenest education environments, with 100% windfarm-generated renewable energy and a rainwater harvesting system.
Facilities across the campuses include engineering workshops; nursing simulation wards; specialist technology labs for computing, animation and music technology; interdisciplinary science labs; and performance studios.
Each of the four campuses has a well equipped library and computer labs with free email and internet access.
The Students’ Association has unions at all four campuses, with Paisley being the largest, offering a variety of entertainment and leisure opportunities. There are a range of sports facilities including gyms, sports halls, football and rugby pitches and jogging routes.
Ranking
In the Complete University Guide 2022, UWS have 2 subjects in the UK top ten: it is 4th in the UK for Childhood and Youth Studies, and 8th for Education.
In the National Student Survey (NSS) 2018, UWS scored 100% student satisfaction for a number of courses: Aircraft Engineering; Applied Bioscience; Childhood Practice; Civil Engineering; and Midwifery.
