Consumer Information

The University is approved by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council (SFC) to deliver education to the required standards.

The University is responsible for its academic standards and the quality of the student learning experience. It is committed to reflecting on and systematically reviewing its provision and taking action to enhance it. The Quality Framework supports the management of academic standards and the student experience across the University’s academic provision and student services and aligns with external body requirements, including the Scottish Quality Enhancement Framework (QEF).

Find out more about QAA Scotland

View the latest QAA report on the UWS

University of the West of Scotland is committed to providing transparency, fairness and consistency in our admissions processes and practices and ensuring that a quality service is given to all applicants.

The link below provides an overview of the University's general admissions procedure. This procedure sets out the process we will follow in determining admission to the University so that we can make sure we act in line with this commitment.

The UWS Admissions Procedure (pdf) can be found in the Students section of the Policies, Procedures & Guidance webpage.

More detail is available in Chapter 2 (pdf) of the University Senate Regulatory Framework.

UWS will distribute annually a notice of the availability of consumer information to all students, via their individual student email address. Such information will be provided in an electronic form and students will be able to receive a paper copy on request.

Students requiring further information should contact the FSA Funding Team at FSA-Funding@uws.ac.uk.

UWS handles a large amount of personal data, and takes its responsibilities for data privacy seriously. The University is committed to the principles and obligations set out in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as implemented in the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA).

Further information about this is set out in the University’s Data Protection Code of Practice.

All UWS enrolled students are directed to our Student Privacy Notice when they enrol. This sets out in more detail how the University processes any personal data we hold about our students.

The University writes to all students each year outlining the process to review the data held and, if necessary, correct any inaccuracy.

The University publishes details of the cost of attendance, along information on the funding that may be available to help you meet these costs and help support your living costs during your studies. UWS also provides information on any additional funds that might be available, and advice and guidance on how to make the most of funds while at University.

Find out more ABout Additional FUNDS

Refer to estimated costs in section: #Chapter 6 - Cost of Attendance (COA)

[Link req'd]

Up-to-date Cost of attendance information

Students found guilty within the legal jurisdiction of the UK during their period of study, will lose their eligibility for Federal Direct Loans.

The University’s expectations in relation to student behaviour are set out in the University Senate Regulatory Framework: Student Success Policy Statement and Procedure for Student Discipline.

Copies of these documents are located in the Students section of the Policies, Procedures & Guidelines webpage.

This policy statement and procedure will apply to all students on programmes that are not subject to conduct, competence and fitness to practise requirements. Students on programmes subject to conduct, competence or fitness to practise requirements will be subject to the Conduct, Competence and Fitness to Practise Procedure. A copy of this document can also be found via the link above.

UWS is committed to providing, creating and maintaining an atmosphere which is conducive to the academic and social well-being of the university community. UWS has a duty of care to staff, students, visitors and clients.

In order to discharge this duty, it is incumbent upon UWS to consider the impact of any criminal convictions declared by its applicants or students. You can view a copy of the Criminal Convictions and Charges Procedure using the link above.

Additionally, for those students who chose to live in University Residential Accommodation, the following Terms and Conditions apply to their tenancy.You can find more information on UWS Accommodation including Residential Accommodation Conditions & General Information by clicking below:

UWS Residential Accommodation

Information on the University’s completion and transfer-out rates is available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Due to the very low non-continuation rate, the University is unable to supply a breakdown of completion or transfer-out rates by gender, ethnicity or recipients of need-based Subsidised loans, as this may reveal personally identifiable information about an individual student, which would break the Data Protection Act.

For the latest rates please refer to the links below. In tables where information is available at an institutional level you will find data for UWS in the Total Scotland section.

HESA Performance Indicators

HESA Non-Continuation Rates

There are extremely few scholarships linked to athletic sports and therefore the University will not disclose data about the recipients’ ethnicities, gender, transfer-out rate or completion rate.

University of the West of Scotland has a strong, and improving, retention and progression record. In the UK successful progression is recorded as students who are retained or progression at the same University, or who transfer to another University to continue their studies.

In 2017-18, 90.8% of full-time undergraduate entrants in 2016-17 continued or progressed their studies at UWS (or another institution). This was improvement from 90.1% in 2016-17. (source: Higher Education Statistical Agency, Table T3, UK Performance Indicator non-continuation following year of entry).

UWS graduates are successful. Completion of a degree at UWS opens a number of doors; to further study or entry to graduate-level employment.

In 2016-17 (most recent data available), 85.7% per cent of UWS graduates from 2016/17 were in professional or managerial employment or further study six months after graduating. This had increased from 74.5% in 2014-15. UWS’s careers and employability support is led by the Careers and Skills and Employer Engagement Teams – building partnership between students, academics, business and enterprise. The team combine academic skills development and career skills; evidence shows improved academic performance supports student retention and ultimately successful graduate outcomes.

UWS Library provides a copyright enquiry service to help students and staff meet their legal obligations in relation to:

• using copyrighted material for learning, teaching, research or publication
• making copies of chapters or articles for teaching or research
• publication licensing and/or copyright transfer
• asking for permission from copyright owners

Further guidance on using copyrighted material is available on the  UWS Library copyright webpage including the latest UWS Copyright Guidance document (pdf).

At UWS, staff are committed to ensuring that students get the most from their University experience, regardless of personal circumstances or background. There is a wide range of support available to ensure that students fulfil their potential, achieve goals and enjoy time at UWS.

Find out morE about support at UWS

If you have a disability and require accommodations, it is important to let the UWS Disability Service know as early as possible.

Information on the Disability Service and as well as alink to a form requesting extra support if you have learning difficulties can be found on the Specific Learning Difficulties section of the Disability Support webpage.

It will be necessary to submit medical evidence of your disability and/or documentation from a US Institution confirming your disability and previous support arrangements. Please be aware that UWS may not be able to replicate all accommodations you have had at a previous US Institution, however a Disability Adviser will discuss this with you and explore all options. You may also want to explore whether any funding previously received for disability accommodations will follow you to your studies at UWS or whether any additional bursaries or scholarships are available for this purpose.

UWS is approved only to provide Federal lending for students on a degree programme. Therefore there are no Gainful Employment Disclosures to report.

UWS is required to annually report information relating to students, finances, campus facilities and graduation information to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the experts in UK higher education data.

This data is required for all UK Higher Education institutions and provides broad information about each. Data about UWS is available from the HESA website. Simplyvisit the website and search for ‘University of the West of Scotland’ in any of the HE Provider search boxes.

Visit the HESA website

The University holds PCI-DSS certification which is the required accreditation in the UK for any organisation taking card payments from customers. UWS do not take card payments over the phone, nor are any cardholder details stored. Card payments are made either online to an approved 3rd party supplier or in face to face transactions using chip and PIN devices in areas including canteens, sport centres and printing. PCI-DSS training covering the payment card industry is compulsory for all staff working in areas where credit and debit card payments are taken.

Processes and procedures are in place ensuring card payment devices in all areas of the University are physically checked daily for tampering.

The University has an information security program implemented and maintained by the Information Security Manager and wider Information Technology (IT) team. An Information Security Group chaired at Executive level meets quarterly. A Cyber Security Incident Response Team and incident response procedure are also in place in the event of a major security breach or event.

A risk register is maintained within IT which includes information and cyber security risks. Significant risks are escalated to the UWS risk register which is reviewed by the UWS Audit and Risk Committee. Risks are continually evaluated and monitored.

Information security training is available to all staff as an online package. GDPR training is compulsory and again, available to all UWS staff online. Participation, completion and test scores are monitored for all training areas.

Student records and data are held within the Banner student records system. Data is stored internally in the University Data Centre which is secured using door entry systems requiring multi factor authentication and CCTV. Sensitive data can only be accessed by system administrators and specific named staff within the University who require access as part of their job role. System access is monitored and logs maintained, staff require a university ID and PIN to access data.

The IT Department maintain a number of tools to maintain the confidentiality, integrity and accessibility of student data including:

• Perimeter firewalls, network monitoring tools, anti-virus software, web and mail filtering software and DDoS protection services are all in place to protect UWS data. Sensitive data is monitored for illegal access and data leakage using vulnerability management and file monitoring tools. External access to student data for those with privilege is via VPN.

In addition access controls are used to restrict access to that required by job role.

Data backups are taken from all core systems daily.

All IT hardware is disposed of by a 3rd party supplier adhering to WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) recycling regulations 2013.

The following policies, procedures and guidelines are available to all UWS staff on the ITDS section of the Policies, Procedures & Guidelines webpage:

• Acceptable Use Statement Policy
• Information Security Procedure
• Data Protection Code of Practice
• IT Password Management Procedure
• Cloud Storage Guideline

Information security procedures and protocols are reviewed and adapted regularly to ensure solutions are fit for purpose in a constantly changing environment.

Under GDPR all data breaches relating to compromised personal information must be reported to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) within 72 hours of an organisation becoming aware of it.

For information about US loans, please visit the UWS & US Loans webpage.

Code of Conduct for Educational Loans

In order to prohibit a conflict of interest with the responsibilities of an agent with respect to Private Education Loans, staff at the University with responsibility for Federal and Private Education Loans from the United States are prohibited from the following:

• Revenue sharing arrangements with lenders
• Receiving gifts from a lender or loan servicer
• Obtaining financial benefits from lenders or loan servicers
• Providing a preferred list of lenders.
• Offers of funds for private loans

Preferred Lenders List

The University does not have a preferred Lenders List but will, where possible, work with whichever private lender a prospective borrower decides to use. Students should be aware that the majority of private lenders choose not to offer loans when borrowers are studying outside the USA. This is why, on our US Loans information the only loans we list as being accessible are the US Federal Direct Stafford and PLUS loans or the private Sallie Mae loans, but we will support students in their applications regardless of the source of their loan.

National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)

If you take out a Direct Subsidized, Direct Unsubsidized or Direct PLUS loan through UWS the details of your loan will be submitted to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) and will be accessible by guaranty agencies, lenders and schools determined to be authorized users of the data system.

Visit the NSDLS website

Where concerns are raised that a student may be missing (by fellow students/parents/the public or other members of university staff) the Residence Team will immediately implement our emergency escalation protocol (both during and outside office hours).

The Residence Team, alongside a Security Operative, will make an initial assessment and attend the flat to establish if the student is within their room, and will attempt to make contact.

Where appropriate, i.e. where the concern has not been raised by next of kin, next of kin will be contacted.

Out of office hours, police will be contacted.

During office hours, Student Services (who are responsible for triangulating information about the student from across the University) will be contacted.

In the event that further escalation is required, Student Services will report to the Resilience and Safety Team for escalation to the police.

In Scotland, most health care is provided by the National Health Service (NHS). If you are coming to Scotland to study, and you live in Scotland legally, this NHS factsheet tells you how you can get health care from the NHS while you are here.

Healthcare for People Coming to Scotland to Study (pdf)

The University also maintains a list of health and safety tips to ensure students stay healthy and safe, on and off campus.

Visit the Student Health & Saftey Information webpage

Meningitis and Septicaemia

Meningitis and septicaemia (blood poisoning) are rare but life-threatening diseases. Young people up to 24 are at the highest risk of getting meningococcal disease – so it’s important to be aware of the symptoms and know what to do.

Find out more about the symptoms  and possible vaccinations.

Return to Tier 4 (R2T4) is the process of calculating a reimbursement amount to the Department of Education accounts in the event you suspend, or leave studies. If you cease studies for any reason, R2T4 calculates the cost of education expenses you have incurred since beginning studies in the current loan dispersal year and determines any refund the school or you have to make back to the Department of Education.

Refer to R2T4 calculations in section: #R2T4 and Refund Policies [Not sure this is correct - should it be below?]:

For more information on Return to Title IV funds policy (R2T4) visit our dedicated R2T4 website section.

For more information on UWS's pro-rata charges, visit our Pro-rate Charges website section.

For more information on Return to Title IV funds policy (R2T4) visit our dedicated R2T4 website section.

For information about all the need-based and non-need-based federal, local, private and institutional student financial assistance programs available to students who enrol at the UWS, please see the following web pages:

• What US Federal Student Financial Aid is available to US students?
• [link above reqd]
• Additional UWS sources of funding available

Please see our American Student Loans and Federal Student Financial Assistance web pages for information about:

[ link req'd: https://www.uws.ac.uk/international/country-information/us-students-funding-your-studies/ ]

• Terms and conditions of the Title IV, HEA (Higher Education Act) loans
• Criteria for selecting recipients and for determining the award amount
• Eligibility requirements and procedures for applying for aid
• Methods and frequency of disbursements of aid
• Rights and responsibilities of students receiving Title IV, HEA student financial aid, including the criteria for continued student eligibility and standards for Satisfactory Academic Progress
• Terms of loans received as part of the financial aid package and the necessity for repaying loans
• Procedures and forms by which students apply for assistance
• The exit counselling information the University collects and provides to servicers

Please note at the UWS:

• Programmes with a compulsory study abroad year are not eligible for financial aid
• Programmes with a voluntary (optional) study abroad period are not eligible for financial aid
• Employment is not provided as part of the financial aid package

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level.

Accordingly FERPA does not apply to students enrolled at UWS.

At UWS, staff are committed to ensuring that students get the most from their University experience and there is a wide range of support available to ensure that students fulfil their potential, achieve goals and enjoy time at UWS.

Find our more

Over 70% of UWS students are over 21, and the majority of the rest are over 18. A minority of students may be 17 on enrolment. In Scotland the legal age of capacity is 16 (The Age of Legal Capacity (Scotland) Act 1991) and so separate arrangements, policies and procedures are not required for students aged under 18 in Scotland.

The University does however have a range of services and support available to protect the health, wellbeing and human rights of all students. These include:

• Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Policy – details the University’s commitment to upholding the human rights of all students, regardless of sex, age, religion, race, ethnicity etc.
• Health and Safety Policy: Organisation and Arrangements – confirms the University’s duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all students, staff and visitors.
• Procedure for Supporting Students in Distress – addresses how we will respond when a student is in distress or mental crisis.
• Criminal Convictions Statement – sets out when applicants and students must declare criminal convictions and charges.
• Conduct, Competence and Fitness to Practise Procedure – outlines how concerns, allegations or adverse information about students on courses with a professional registration requirement or placement will be dealt with.
• Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme Guidance – sets out when membership of the PVG Scheme will be required by staff
• Public Interest Disclosure Policy – enables students and staff to report concerns or disclose information, which they believe shows malpractice.
• Prevent Statement – sets out the steps that the University is taking to prevent children and vulnerable adults from being drawn into terrorism.
• Third Party Reporting – the University acts as a Third Party Reporting Centre for students. The Third Party Reporting Scheme, established by Police Scotland, enables individuals who are victims of hate crime (i.e. motivated by someone’s race, religion, disability, age, gender etc.) to report this to a third party.

Full information on all aspects of US Federal Direct Loans can be found on the Federal Student Aid website:

Full information on all aspects of US Federal Direct Loans

Indicative resources information for specific programmes is available from each individual degree (progamme) entry in UWS's Programme Specification & Module Descriptor (PSMD) catalogue/website. 

On reaching this website, select Enrolled Students option as this provides more text book information. Then use the navigation to identify the degree/programme that you are interested in applying to and select it. Within each programme specification entry, the modules are listed for each and every year of the degree / programme itself. Clicking the hypertext link for each module that you will find display a module entry and within that, there is a list of Indicative Resources for core / optional module on the degree programme.

Explore UWS PSMD Catalogue

UWS has a wide network of academic partners on a global scale designed to offer a range of benefits to our applicants, students and wider society. Our academic schools are always working with a host of industry, government and academic partners.

For prospective students, you can apply for entry with advanced standing to courses where you have previously completed study at the early stages of programmes. UWS will recognise credit earned at other institutions where there is an appropriate overlap on a module-by-module or year-by-year basis.

You can review our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Handbook which provides guidelines for applicants in the Students section of the Polices, Procedures & Guidelines webpage.

UWS has a significant number of international partners that it actively works with. Here is a flavour of our current university-wide partnerships – local, national and global.

UWS INternational Partnerships

Local Partnerships