Coronavirus Recovery: advice and latest information
  1. The home of current students
  2. Coronavirus FAQs
  3. Welcoming You Back

Welcoming You Back

Aerial view of Singleton Park Campus. You can see the beach and Mumbles in the background.

Everything you need to know about returning to Swansea

We are excited to welcome you back to Swansea University!

We appreciate that you may not be able to join us in person on campus from the beginning of term and therefore you may start your programme online (there may be some exceptions; your College or School will be able to advise on this).

As soon as circumstances allow, we encourage students to join us in Swansea.  All students, whether they are starting in person or online, must enrol online by the 30th October 2020. We currently expect all students to return to blended delivery (on campus) in time for the start of TB2, if students are not able to return then the expectation is that they will suspend their studies.

If circumstances do not allow you to join us in person for the start of term, you should contact your College/School to inform them of your plans.  Please use the email addresses below:

Teaching Format

We have made some changes to the way that we teach this year, with more activities taking place online than usual. 

For this year in teaching block one (September until January) you will be taught in a ‘blended’ way.

This means that some of your teaching will be done online and some will be on campus.

The online teaching, where you will be physically apart from your lecturer, can be ‘live’ with your lecturer present and where you’ll be able to interact. Some of it may be self-directed which means that you can access the learning materials at a time to suit you. 

We have created a table of terms and definitions with some examples of learning and teaching activities. It is important you familiarise yourself with these.

You can view our Learning and Teaching definitions here. 

If you are unable to attend campus due to travel restrictions or health reasons, the core curriculum for most subjects is being carried out online, so you won’t be disadvantaged.

You will also be able to take part in more on campus activities when you do arrive. 

Teaching Hours

As always, one of our key commitments is to provide the best possible teaching and learning experience for all of our students. We have therefore taken two key decisions to help facilitate this: 

  • We have consulted with the Students’ Union and staff across the University, including Colleges and our timetabling experts, and have agreed that teaching hours should be extended for an additional two hours, from 6-8pm, on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays in teaching block one. It is envisaged that this time will primarily be used for student-led study on campus and for online activity, although in some instances there could be in-person teaching during this period.
  • We have asked all staff to prioritise teaching and the student experience over other duties. Research and other duties will not be put on hold completely, however the staff focus will be on delivering the best teaching and student experience possible. 
    We will review both of these decisions as we plan subsequent delivery of the rest of the academic year. 

It is important to emphasise that we do not expect students to study longer hours in total, the health and wellbeing of every student and staff member of staff remains extremely important and I urge you all to ensure that you take time out of your day for yourselves and to make use of the wellbeing resources and support available. 

The COVID-19 Student Charter

In order to respect the personal safety of every student and member of staff, and the wider community, we have developed a supplemental Student Charter to support this.

Students will be required to agree to this on enrolment and follow the regulations to ensure we can all help to keep the University a safe place to study and work. 

Please click 'play' on the video to learn more.

Your Safety is our Top Priority

We have made a number of changes to make our facilities safe for you, creating one way systems around campus, installing hand sanitiser stations in every building, enhanced cleaning and measures such as reducing the population by working from home. Two metre social distancing will be in place for all teaching and learning spaces with all activities being risk assessed and safety operating arrangements developed.

Please ensure you are following directional signage and making use of hand washing and hand sanitiser facilities. By following guidelines and keeping us informed of any changes we can all work together to help keep our Community safe.

Student Information Tracker (Covid-19)

Whilst we would love to see you all back on Campus in September, we understand this may not be possible for some students due to various restrictions or health reasons. All students will therefore be required to let us know how you are planning on engaging with your studies. You will be asked to provide this information on enrolment and update your status via the intranet if any changes occur.

Here to Help
Students walking across campus wearing face masks

IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

We have put together a list of useful resources to help you settle in to life at Swansea.

Click on the tabs to access them.

Digital Resources Quarantine FAQs
A student sitting on her bed and reading a book.

If you are travelling to the UK from another country, you may be required to quarantine for a 14 day period.  

What is meant by quarantine? 

If you are arriving in the UK from overseas (unless from a country which is exempt from this requirement), you are required to spend 14 days in quarantine. This means you will not be able to leave the place you are staying for the first 14 days you are in the UK. This is because it can take up to 14 days for coronavirus symptoms to appear. When you arrive in the UK, you must go straight to the place you are staying to start your period of quarantine. 

You may also hear the term quarantine referred to as self-isolation.               

Accommodation 

It is important you have arranged accommodation before you arrive in the UK.  

If you are staying in private accommodation but are unable to quarantine there you can apply to stay at the Swansea University Rod Jones Halls for 14 days. However you must have private accommodation arranged to move in to after the 14 day period.   

If you have already applied for University accommodation and plan to arrive early in order to quarantine, the cost of your stay will be included in your existing contract. Even if you already have your Swansea University accommodation booked you will still need to register for quarantine accommodation here, and choose 2 week quarantine accommodation. 

What happens if I start to experience Covid-19 symptoms after I have left quarantine? 

You must self-isolate for a period of 10 days and follow the advice and guidance provided by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). 
The University will support you during quarantine, with regular communication and guidance and advice about food, wellbeing, how to access services and facilities and some online activities that you can engage in. 

Get in Touch
MyUni hub staff member helping a student

We can answer any questions you may have via email or over the phone, or via our MyUniChat function.

Telephone: 01792 606000

Email: myunisupport@swansea.ac.uk

You can reach us via social media on our Facebook or Twitter pages.

Wearing Face Masks on Campus

The best control to combat Covid-19 is to practice good hygiene, such as handwashing, and maintain social distancing. However, it is not always possible to keep distant from others as we move around campus or unavoidably find ourselves in a more enclosed area.

Face masks or suitable face coverings are an added layer of protection to reduce the risk of transmitting Covid-19 to others or contracting it yourself.

Face masks must therefore be worn by staff and students:

  • When moving around campus, particularly within buildings. Outside areas where people are spread out are less of an issue, but masks and coverings are still a sensible precaution when moving around outside.
  • When in enclosed areas, such as shops, food outlets and reception areas in teaching spaces, labs and offices where social distancing is difficult

    It is important that face masks are put on and removed correctly. There is plenty of advice online on how to do this, such as this from the World Health Organisation In short:
  • Wash your hands thoroughly before putting the mask on, or use an alcohol-based sanitiser
  • Cover your mouth and nose with the mask and make sure it is securely fastened
  • Do not touch the mask while you are wearing it – if you do, wash your hands or sanitise them
  • When taking the mask off, do not touch the front – take it off by the fastening loops and wash your hands.

There will be some people who cannot wear a mask for very good reason, whether somebody has a reasonable excuse not to wear a face covering will not always be obvious. Please be mindful and respectful of such circumstances.


Face masks or coverings are not the main protection against Covid-19 – good hygiene and maintaining a distance are the best protections. To help with this, we continue to supply sanitiser, conduct enhanced cleaning on campus, restrict the number of people on campus to make distancing easier and maintain 2m distances in teaching areas.

There will be a ready supply of face coverings on both campuses for staff or students who do not have one or have forgotten it.