THE LOCATION: The University of Wales, Aberystwyth, is located on Cardigan Bay in the town of Aberystwyth, population 13000, 210 miles from London and 110 miles from Cardiff, the capital of Wales. There is regular bus and train service from London. Aberystwyth is home to the National Library of Wales, one of Britain's five great libraries. The area is known for the quality of its natural environment; the landscape, flora, and fauna are outstanding. Bottle-nosed dolphins can be seen offshore and the beach has been consistently awarded the European Union blue flag for cleanliness.
 
 

 

 

THE EXCHANGE AGREEMENT: Each spring semester, two Aberystwyth students attend SUNY Oneonta as part of the US experience required of all American Studies majors. Two SUNY Oneonta students also attend Aberystwyth during the spring semester. Other US exchange partners include Kansas, Penn State, Pittsburgh, and Washington State. Aberystwyth also has links with various European institutions through the European Union's ERASMUS program.

COURSE OFFERINGS: Oneonta students are especially encouraged to enroll in the Faculty of Arts, which offers the following courses of study: art; art history; drama; education; film & television studies; English; European Studies; European languages (including Welsh, Celtic Studies, & Irish); geography; and history (politics & modern history, economics & social history, Welsh history). Students may also enroll in the other Faculties.

CLASS STRUCTURE: The spring semester is from February to June with a break for Easter. Students are required to enroll in 60 Aberystwyth credits per semester. Specific courses are called modules and have a range of values from 10 to 30 credits. A ten-credit module is considered to have a workload of eighty hours, including class time and study outside the classroom. There is a wide variety of assessment, including an examination at the end of each course.

UNIVERSITY FACILITIES: Aberystwyth has two main campuses, about one mile apart. The Penglais Campus, which comprises most of the University buildings, including the Arts Centre, the Student's Union, the award winning Owen Library, and Physical Sciences building. The views from the Penglais Campus, which overlooks the town of Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay are among the most spectacular of any university location in the United Kingdom. The Llanbadarn Campus also overlooks the town and the bay, with the magnificent backdrop of the Cambrian Mountains to the east.
 

 

 

HOUSING: Aberystwyth guarantees campus housing to all new students. There are fifteen residence halls, including some where Welsh is the main medium of communication. Oneonta exchange students are offered single rooms at the Penbryn Halls on the Penglais Campus. The University offers a nineteen meals per week plan.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: There is so much happening on the campus and in the community that students tends to stay in Aberystwyth over weekends. Over 400,000 people visit the campus' Arts Centre each year to enjoy a wide range of events. Aberystwyth is the top University in the country for the number of music concerts. There are 160 student clubs and societies. Community service is important - Aberystwyth has Europe's largest student charitable fundraising event.

PROGRAM COSTS: Participants in the exchange program will pay tuition, fees, room, and board to SUNY Oneonta and therefore will not have to pay such costs at Aberystwyth. Students will be responsible for all costs not covered by the exchange; such as transportation, books, international health insurance, and incidental expenses. A program fee of $200 to cover administrative expenses will be assessed to all participants. For complete program costs, click here. PLEASE NOTE: It is advisable to stay in contact with SUNY Oneonta's Office of International Education. If no students are coming from the Aberystwyth campus to Oneonta for the spring semester, Oneonta students will have to pay costs at Aberystwyth.

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY: The program is open to juniors and seniors in good academic standing. Non-SUNY Oneonta students must enroll at SUNY Oneonta during their semester at Aberystwyth.

APPLICATION FORM & DEADLINE: Applicants must use the SUNY Overseas Academic Program application forms which are available at the Office of International Education at SUNY campuses or on our Web page (click here for PDF version of form).  The deadline for application is October 1.  For further information or to apply, contact the SUNY Oneonta Office of International Education.
 

The following calculations are based on the assumption that the participant does not need to purchase SUNY health insurance. Please see the "Payment Schedule" regarding coverage and costs.
 

 

 

*Tuition and fees for the 1999-2000 academic year have not yet been announced.
These are subject to change.

NOTE: The above estimates do not cover room and board during vacation periods nor a Eurail pass. A Eurail pass must be purchased in the United States before going overseas. See your local travel agency for more information.

EXPLANATIONS:

Tuition and Fees: The tuition costs & fees shown are for 1998-99; tuition and fees for 1999-2000 have not yet been announced and may increase. SUNY Oneonta students should be aware that the Athletic, College & Technology fees are mandatory, even for study abroad students.

Program Fee: This covers administrative costs of the Office of International Education.

Books & Supplies: This is generally a less costly budget item in Wales than at SUNY, because British institutions tend to rely more heavily on library resources than textbooks.

Rooms and Meals: Students studying at Aberystwyth will be housed in single rooms in Penbryn Hall, with a nineteen meal plan. All bedding is provided, as well as one towel per week.

Personal Expenses: This amount allows for such things as entertainment, some weekend and local travel, laundry, postage, and other incidentals. These expenses will vary greatly from student to student. Some students could probably get by on less, while others could easily spend substantially more.  The estimated program costs do not include gifts and souvenirs or any expenses before the first day or after the last day of the term, including during vacation periods.

Foreign Exchange Rate: The dollar equivalents of expenses in Britain assume an exchange rate of $1.70 to the Pound Sterling. In your planning, you must allow for fluctuations in the exchange rate that could cause your total expenses to vary considerably.

The cost estimates are only as good as the information program participants provide us.
Please let us know if you find an estimate to be inaccurate so that we may revise it
for the benefit of future participants.

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