Bangor University (Welsh: Prifysgol Bangor) is a Welsh university in the city of Bangor in the county of Gwynedd in North Wales. It received its Royal Charter in 1885 and was one of the founding member institutions of the former federal University of Wales. It was officially known for most of its history as the University College of North Wales (UCNW), and later as the University of Wales, Bangor (UWB) (Welsh: Prifysgol Cymru, Bangor). From September 2007 it became known as Bangor University, having become independent from the federal University of Wales.
In 2012 Bangor was ranked 251st among the world’s top universities.[2] According to the Sunday Times University Guide 2012,[3] it is rated top in Wales for teaching excellence and is among the top 15 universities in the UK in this category.