univercity international

Welcome to the International section of Aberystwyth University. Studying at Aberystwyth for international students is an opportunity not to be missed. A friendly welcome, great student satisfaction and a superb high-quality learning environment in a beautiful location on the west coast of Wales, awaits our international students!

The IRC (International Recruitment and Collaboration) is responsible for promoting the University overseas and co-ordinates student recruitment, the development and nurturing of institutional and other links worldwide, and the enhancement of study abroad and student exchange opportunities.

One important section of the IRC involves the work of our newly named International English Centre (IEC). The IEC runs a number of courses to improve the English Language competency of international students for whom English is a second or foreign language including an International Foundation programme, a pre-Masters course, year-round English courses, and summer and pre-sessional courses. The IEC also runs a number of teacher training programmes for aspiring teachers of English as a Foreign Language.

Aberystwyth University is committed to the view that international collaborations, and the presence in Aberystwyth of a diverse range of international students, strengthens the University’s academic profile, enriches the student experience and makes a positive cultural and economic contribution to the broader community. Aberystwyth has a long history of international engagement. It has over many decades developed strong international links, both in research and teaching, across a wide span of the curriculum. We value internationalisation and hope the information our web pages give you will encourage you to find out more.

The IRC forms part of the University’s Admissions and Recruitment, working closely with our undergraduate and postgraduate admissions teams.

English Language Summer School
Summer Courses

We all look forward to the summer, when we can relax and do things that we would like to do. A lot of people choose to travel abroad for a holiday, and many of these would like to learn a language at the same time.

At the International English Centre we understand how important it is to know that you will have a high quality experience when you travel abroad for a language vacation.

That is why we have British Council accreditation for our English language courses, and use only University accommodation for you to stay in. In this way, we can control the quality of your experience in Aberystwyth.

Our fee-paying summer courses all include a free social programme, with a half-day excursion each Wednesday, and a full-day excursion every Saturday (except, of course, the days that you arrive and depart). There are also a variety of evening functions arranged for you, including welcome evenings and farewell evenings, discos, and beach walks.

Students on the Free English Courses can also join the social programme, for a small fee.

Aberystwyth is a seaside town, on the west coast of Wales. This is the perfect environment for learning English. There are no other language schools in our town, so you will always be very special to our local population.
A Wide Range of Courses

There are courses to suit the needs of everyone. The only conditions are that we do not have courses for Beginners, and we cannot accept children because we are a University.

We do have
English & Communicative Skills. Improve your listening and speaking skills, as well as your reading and writing. There are students from many countries, and you will have to speak English with them in the classroom, the social programme and your living place.
Teacher Training Courses (Cert. TESOL). These are courses which train you to become a teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages. The courses are validated by Trinity College London, so your certificate can be used all over the world. You will have 5 weeks of tuition and teaching practice. The students that you teach will have a Free English Course.
Free English Courses. These courses are for language learners who are quite happy to be taught by our trainee teachers, supervised by our expert teacher-training staff.
Teacher Development Course. English language teachers who are not native speakers of English can develop new skills and ideas from this course, which attracts teachers from all over the world.
Pre-Sessional Courses. These 12-week, 6-week and 3-week courses in English for Academic Purposes prepare students for joining a degree course at our University.
Accommodation and Facilities

All of our summer students stay in self-catering University accommodation on the main campus, only a few minutes walk from the teaching rooms. The campus has all facilities, including cafes, restaurants, libraries, award-winning Arts Centre, Sports Centre and Swimming Pool.
Social Programme

As we mentioned above, there is a full and busy social programme every week of the summer. This is included in the cost of your course, so make the most of it and join our Wednesday and Saturday trips and evening functions.
Public Holiday

Monday 29 August is a public holiday, and there are no lessons on that day. Classes will start again on Tuesday 30 August.