Strategy 2030s

For over a hundred and fifty years, Aberystwyth University’s excellence in teaching and research has inspired generations of people from all over the world to change lives for the better.

Our Strategy 2030s reaffirms this core mission and outlines our vision for our long-term future.

Our mission describes who we are and what we’re here for:

Rooted in rural Wales, proudly bilingual and cosmopolitan, Aberystwyth University inspires people to change lives for the better around the world.

Our focus recognises that teaching, research, and civic contributions are not ends in themselves. Rather, they are how we deliver what we do:

Grow knowledge: We nurture and share the ideas and expertise that produce positive outcomes for people, planet, and cultural life.

Build communities: We bring people together within and beyond the University to learn from one another and develop systems of mutual support.

Strengthen Wales: We foster a prosperous, globally engaged Wales, in Aberystwyth and beyond, and work to promote the vitality of the Welsh language.

Our university plans outline what we are going to do to build a sustainable, flexible, and future-focused institution. A high level summary of each is below:

Education and Student Experience

We will make sure that every student gets a fair chance whatever their background, learns skills that lead to a job, and studies in a safe and supportive environment. We will increase the proportion of our students getting graduate-level work by 1% every year.

Research and Innovation

We will produce research that changes lives for the better. We will provide training and mentoring to develop the research skills of our staff. In REF 2029, we want 80% of our research to be rated as ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’.

Student Recruitment

We will increase student numbers on and off campus in a way we can afford and will use detailed data to decide how best to market our courses. Our aim is to be ranked as one of the world’s top 300 universities by 2030.

Finance

We will make sure that the University is financially resilient by knowing exactly what our activities cost and how much income each activity brings in. By 2030, we will achieve a 5% annual surplus in our finances.

Infrastructure

We will reduce the amount of buildings and land that we own and will deliver a long-term plan of investment in our physical and digital estate. By 2030, we’ll be increasingly in line with sector standards in terms of how efficiently we use University space.

Our People

We want our staff to be a skilled and motivated team, working within a supportive culture that enables career development. By 2030, we will increase staff satisfaction levels so that we reach an Employee Engagement Index score of 75.

The Welsh Language

We will lead the sector in Welsh-medium teaching, working with the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, and will encourage daily use of Welsh across campus. By 2030, we will increase by 50% the number of our staff and students developing their Welsh skills.

Net Zero and Environment

We will reduce our environmental impact to ensure we are a Net Zero university by 2030. We will invest in energy-saving projects every year and will generate 25% of our own clean energy by 2030.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

We will build a community where everyone feels welcome and valued. To ensure everyone is safe, we will strengthen our ‘report and support’ provision. We will achieve a 1% annual increase in student admissions from UK minority ethnic communities.

We are committed to becoming a forward-looking organisation that responds and celebrates the values that guide out behaviour:

The long view: We prioritise long-term thinking when we make decisions so that we can be financially and environmentally sustainable.

Flexibility: We develop ways of working that let us adapt quickly so we can take full advantage of shifting demands and fresh opportunities.

Equity and inclusion: We welcome, support, and respect different people, perspectives, and ways of being in the world.

Togetherness: We work closely with one another to develop a mutually supportive, constructive, and highly productive environment that promotes quality of life and professional fulfilment.

Integrity: We build trust by treating one another with respect, by communicating in a clear and timely manner, and by being open about how we make our decisions.

Engagement: We collaborate beyond the University to build partnerships that will benefit the individuals and communities involved with them.

Pushing boundaries: We challenge ourselves to move beyond what is comfortable and familiar in ways that enable informed and constructive change.