Known as International College Wales Swansea (ICWS), the college is the result of an innovative partnership between Swansea University and Navitas, a global organisation with colleges in eight countries, and a leader in the provision of university preparation courses for international students.

ICWS offers overseas students a direct pathway to a Swansea University degree via its range of Foundation, 1st Year Degree and Pre-Masters Programmes, all fully taught on the magnificent Swansea University campus in state-of-the-art facilities.

ICWS students gain access to the Navitas added benefits of smaller class sizes, additional teaching sessions, a 24/7 emergency hotline to ICWS staff, high levels of personalised attention and dedicated support services that better equip them for life at University, as well as enjoying all the benefits of the wider University campus and facilities.

All ICWS programmes are University designed, thereby making the transition to the University smoother, and allowing students to adapt much quicker to University life according to ICWS Director of Marketing and Recruitment, Donal O’Connor.

He said: “At ICWS our vision is to provide an alternative pathway for international students into Swansea University, and to ensure that these students receive additional support during their first year of study in the UK. With the increasing numbers of students wanting to study in the UK, from all corners of the globe, this pathway option is becoming increasingly important.”

Already home to 130 students since September, the ICWS launch forms part of Swansea University’s ambitious internationalisation programme.

Vice Chancellor, Richard B. Davies said: “Swansea University’s new internationalisation strategy will see the University expand its activities on a truly global scale and become an important window and door to the world.  To prepare young people to cope with and help shape the world of tomorrow, modern higher education has to adopt a global perspective.  This is a key driver for our future development and perhaps one of the biggest challenges we face.

“Our partnership with ICWS provides students with an alternative path to university life and together we will enable students to come to Swansea University from every corner of the globe.”

Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Alan Lloyd said: “The City and County of Swansea has a strong history of attracting skills and students from around the world.

“The ICWS higher education pathway along with many other initiatives at Swansea University is a first for Wales and we would like more of this type of collaboration which not only benefits students, but also our city in the future.”

ICWS currently offers a range of Foundation, 1st Year Degree and Pre-Masters courses ranging from Business, Economics, Computer Science and Engineering, to Law, Politics and International Relations, Developments Studies and Mathematics.

The International Foundation Programme, for example, is a pre-University qualification designed to prepare students for further study in the ICWS 1st Year Degree Programme and then onto the 2nd and 3rd year of the Swansea University undergraduate degree Programmes. 

ICWS offers three intakes per year thereby enabling students to start when it suits them best and all courses offered lead directly to Swansea University programmes. ICWS is currently accepting applications for January 2009.

For more information about ICWS visit www.swansea.ac.uk/icws, www.navitasworld.com