Social Work, BSc (Hons)

Currently, we require 104 UCAS points. 

A-levels/Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales*: Minimum BCC

GCSE Grade A*- C, in English/ Welsh or the equivalent Key Skills 2 qualifications.

*We welcome applications from Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales Diploma students. Requirements are as for A-levels where you can substitute the same non-subject specific grade for the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales Core Grade. 

Alternative Requirements 

• Access Diploma: For Distinction and Merit profile contact should contact the Admissions Tutor Joanne Pye or Rhael Thorton via swadmissions@swansea.ac.uk
• BTEC: DDM
• Irish leaving certificate: 330
• International Baccalaureate: 33-34 points

All applicants will need a satisfactory educational reference.

You will need appropriate personal and intellectual qualities; sufficient relevant experience of social care that you can demonstrate the values and basic skills that correspond to those generally expected of social workers; have an understanding of the Code of Professional Practice for Social Care ; and be able to understand and communicate effectively in written and spoken English or Welsh. On entry, you will also need to register with Social Care Wales as a student social worker.

Applicants who meet the entry requirements and selection criteria will be invited to interview, which may take place in person or via telephone/video call. Our Interview Tips explain more about what to expect.

If successful, you will need to undergo a check with the Disclosure and Barring Service and an Occupational Health check prior to entry. You will also need to register with Social Care Wales as a student social worker.

We are proud to provide an outstanding educational experience, using the most effective learning and teaching approaches, carefully tailored to suit the specific needs of your course. Apart from a small number of online-only courses, most of our courses consist of in-person, on-campus teaching, enabling full engagement with your lecturers and fellow students.

Practical skills sessions, lab work seminars, and workshops predominantly take place in person, allowing for group working and demonstrations. We also operate virtual labs and Simulated Learning Environments which will facilitate greater access to training opportunities in the future. However, our approach also includes the use of some online learning to support and enhance traditional face-to-face teaching. 

Online learning may take place ‘live’ using software such as Zoom, allowing you to interact with the lecturer and other students and to ask questions. Lecture recordings also allow for more flexibility to revisit material, to revise for assessments and to enhance learning outside of the classroom. Some modules have extra resources in Canvas, such as videos, slides and quizzes enabling further flexible study.  

During your degree, you will have 33 hours of teaching contact time for each 20 credit module. We teach through a variety of methods including lectures, seminars and tutorials. 

Practice is an integral part of the course with 50% of the course, or 200 days, spent in practice with social work agencies, where you will have the opportunity to learn through observation, rehearsal and performance.

We assess your learning through written essays, oral presentations, group work tasks, IT-based exercises and portfolio work.

Practice placements are assessed by a combination of written work and professional assessments using the National Occupational Standards for Social Work.

This course may offer some modules taught through the medium of Welsh or bilingually for students who consider themselves to be fluent Welsh speakers. For more details on the provision available see the Welsh Provision expander below.

At least 40 credits

There are opportunities for Welsh speakers to study at least 40 credits of this course through the medium of Welsh. Academi Hywel Teifi is here to support you throughout your time at Swansea University. We can offer you:

• Access to generous Welsh-language study scholarships or bursaries.
• Access to modules taught wholly or partly in Welsh.
• Access to the Arwain mobile app for the latest information about Welsh-medium courses and modules available to download free on the App Store and Google Play.
• A Welsh-speaking Personal Tutor.
• An opportunity to gain an additional free qualification that serves as evidence of your Welsh language ability for future employers.
• Opportunity to be a member of the Swansea University Branch of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

To learn more about the above and all the opportunities available to you through the medium of Welsh, visit Academi Hywel Teifi's undergraduate pages.

Social Care Wales

Fees for full time Undergraduate UK students may be increased in subsequent years of study by an inflationary amount determined by Welsh Government.

Fees for full time Undergraduate EU/International students will increase by 3% for each subsequent year of study.

You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

Current students: You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study.

To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol offer a number of generous scholarships and bursaries for students who wish to study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually. For further information about the opportunities available to you, visit the Academi Hywel Teifi Scholarships and Bursaries page.

Social Care Wales - Social Work Bursary:

Choosing to follow your passion for healthcare could pay.

You may be eligible for a Social Care Wales Social Work Bursary of £11,250 (£3,750 a year for three years) To find out more about this and other financial support available, go to the Social Care Wales website.

Access to your own digital device/the appropriate IT kit will be essential during your time studying at Swansea University. Access to wifi in your accommodation will also be essential to allow you to fully engage with your programme. See our dedicated webpages for further guidance on suitable devices to purchase, and for a full guide on getting your device set up.

You may face additional costs while at university, including (but not limited to):

• Travel to and from campus
• Printing, photocopying, binding, stationery and equipment costs (e.g. USB sticks)
• Purchase of books or texts
• Gowns for graduation ceremonies

Swansea Employability Academy (SEA) will support you at each stage of your career journey helping you build a bright future.

Our career support services include:

• Employability workshops, employers’ talks, bespoke events and careers fairs
• Individual advice and guidance from professionally qualified Careers Advisers
• Help with finding jobs, internships, work placements and volunteering opportunities
• Access to information resources on a wide range of career management topics
• Advice and guidance on postgraduate study and funding
• Funding to support student internship opportunities and Student Society/Club events.

We also provide help and advice for Swansea University Alumni up to two years after you graduate.

As well as subject specific support by college teaching staff and your personal tutor, the Centre for Academic Success provides courses, workshops and one-to-one support in areas such as:

• Academic writing
• Maths and statistics
• Critical thinking
• Time management
• Digital skills
• Presentation skills
• Note taking
• Revision, memory and exam techniques
• English language skills (if English is not your first language).

In addition, if you have a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), disability, mental health or medical condition, the Centre for Academic Success have Specialist Tutors to support your learning, working alongside the Disability Office and Wellbeing Service to support all your needs and requirements whilst studying at Swansea University.

To learn more about study abroad, visit our Go Global webpages. Enrolment on a programme with a semester/year abroad does not guarantee you a semester/year abroad placement. Spaces are limited and subject to a competitive selection process. In the event you do not secure a semester/year abroad placement, you will be transferred to the standard variant of your degree scheme without a semester or year abroad.

International summer programmes are open to students from all schools. Programmes typically range from 2 to 6 weeks, across destinations such as China, Zambia, South Korea, Japan, Canada and across Europe. For more information about programmes and eligibility visit our Summer Abroad webpages.

This course is available through Clearing and you can Apply online or by calling 0808 175 3071. 

Eligible applicants will be invited to interview and interviews for this course take place via Zoom.  Check out our Interview Tips for more information on what to expect

We recommend that you submit your application to our courses as early as you can in advance of our application deadlines. Courses will close earlier than the application deadlines listed if all available places are filled. You can find further information on our Application Deadlines webpage.

There is a Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol scholarship available to Welsh speakers of up to £3000.

There is also a bursary of up to £400 in the first year of a BSc and another bursary of up to £400 in the following years.

You can request an interview in Welsh with Miriam Leigh or you can request a bilingual interview to enquire about the bursary.

For more information on the bursary, see the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol website and go to ‘Ysgoloriaethau’.

There is also information on the Swansea University App called Arwain which contains all relevant information provided by Academi Hywel Teifi.