SECOND and third year University of South Wales (USW) students studying at Caerleon will finish their courses before the campus is closed, it was announced today.

The timetable for moving courses has been decided following discussions with students and academic staff after the closure of the site was announced in September.

A spokesman for the University added that 91 campus-specific jobs are at risk, fewer than the 145 previously announced.

The Board of Governor’s agreed to close the campus on September 8 following a consultation of the university's whole estate.

They said the decision to end courses at the campus was due to the steady decline of students and due an estimated £20 million investment needed to bring the campus up to standard.

The board will instead be investing up to £10 million to develop and expand the University’s campus in Newport city centre to provide better facilities for students.

Under the timetable announced today, all students whose courses are moving will be taught on their new campus by the start of the 2016-17 academic year.

Students currently studying in their second and third year at USW’s Caerleon campus will finish their courses and graduate at Caerleon, before the site finishes as a higher education campus in the summer of 2016. A small number of other courses based at other campuses will move in the summer of 2015 or 2016.

A spokesman for the University said:“Since announcing our plans concerning the USW estate in September, we’ve been talking with staff, students and unions about how best to go about putting these changes into practice. “We’re doing this to give students the very best experience, in the best facilities on campuses with a distinctive identity and similar courses, near to the major employers that will matter to their careers.

“We’re moving ahead with the multi-million pound investment that this will need.

“At the same time, we recognise that some students whose courses will move have a strong affinity to their current campus, and we respect that. “We’ve listened carefully to them, and through our discussions we’ve come to decisions which balance their views with what we need to do for the long term future of the University and its students.

“The timetable we’ve announced reflects our commitment to ensure that students who move will go straight into high-standard facilities that are just as good, if not better, than those they have now. No students will be moving mid-year and we will honour our commitment not to move students more than once. We’ve also set up a fund to support students whose travel and accommodation change.

“At the same time, we’re working with individual staff who are affected, and their trade unions, about what this will mean to them. The majority of those staff will move with the courses, and we’re doing all we can with those whose roles are tied directly to the Caerleon campus to achieve our aim, which is to avoid any compulsory redundancies. “Now that the timetable for the moves has been decided, work will begin on the future use of the Caerleon site as the University concentrates its presence on vibrant campuses in Newport, Cardiff, and Pontypridd.”