Cardiff University
City/Town: Cardiff
Region: Wales
Founded in 1883, Cardiff University has 135 years of delivering quality education and research across the humanities; the natural, physical, health, life and social sciences; and engineering and technology.
Ranked 5th in the UK for Research Quality (REF 2014), we are a proud member of the elite Russell Group – the top 24 research-led universities in the UK. Our prestigious heritage is combined with modern and innovative facilities, allowing us to deliver teaching that is informed by world-class research that is recognised globally.
Cardiff University is ranked within the world top 150 institutions (QS World Rankings 2019) and many of our academic Schools are positioned within the top 5 and top 10 in the UK, including:
- Architecture
- Business
- Civil Engineering
- Chemistry
- Communications and Media
- Dentistry
- General Engineering
- Healthcare Sciences
- Journalism
- Medicine
- Optometry
- Pharmacy
- Physics
- Planning and Geography
- Psychology
Cardiff is also home to award-winning academics, delivering cutting-edge research and teaching across our range of subjects. We are proud of their inspiring achievements, including:
- 2 Nobel Prizes
- 7 Queen’s Anniversary Prizes
- 13 Fellows of the Royal Society
- 11 fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering
- 7 Fellows of the British Academy
- 21 Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences
- 34 Academicians of the Academy of Social Sciences
Studying at Cardiff
As the 12th largest University in the UK, Cardiff has a multicultural community of over 31,500 students studying across our broad range of undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes. Attracted by our international reputation and commitment to innovation and excellence, 7,500 students come from 140 different countries around the world to study at Cardiff University and there has never been a more exciting time to join the Cardiff Community.
We are continually investing in our campus to transform the way that we support your student life, improve your physical and digital learning environments and ensure that you receive a rewarding University experience. Our Wi-Fi enabled campus has 16 libraries and 25 IT suites, many of which are available 24/7.
As part of our plans to develop and improve our campus, we were proud to open No.2 Central Square to our students in September 2018, as the School of Journalism, Media and Culture reloacted to its new home in the centre of Cardiff’s Media Quarter. With purpose-designed study spaces, modern facilities and close proximity to BBC Cymru/Wales, No.2 Central Square paves the way for building strong industry links and boosting student employability in this sector.
Even more exciting projects are in the pipeline in the coming years. We are now making plans for our £300 million Innovation Campus with the world’s first ever Social Science Research Park (SPARK), in addition to a new facility which will bring the Schools of Maths and Computer Science together to foster collaborative teaching and research opportunities.
Student support services
We have a dedicated International Student Support service to assist students from around the world with any issues they face while at University, from homesickness or academic issues, to money and visa advice. Our English Language Support team offers pre-sessional English language programmes in addition to in-sessional support, designed for international students to easily access help during their studies. Our Careers and Employability service helps students to gain work experience, prepare for interviews, apply for jobs and develop key employability skills, with workshops and careers fairs throughout the year.
Students’ Union
Our Students’ Union is one of the biggest and most active in the UK, with over 180 student societies and 60 sports clubs to choose from. There is something for everyone, from baking to basketball and table tennis to photography. Voted top in Wales and amongst the 7 best in the UK (Which? University Student Survey 2018), the Students’ Union is the hub of student life at Cardiff and we are extremely proud to have an international student as President of the Students’ Union in 2018/19! Work has now begun on constructing our brand new Centre for Student Life – a £50 million home for our student support services – that is being built at the heart of our campus to transform the way that we support your student life.
Graduate prospects
Cardiff University graduates are employed by leading corporations around the world, with 95.7% of graduates entering employment or further study shortly after graduating (HESA Destination of Leavers in Higher Education survey 2016/17).
Employability is embedded throughout the student journey and we strive for more and more students to gain work experience during their time at Cardiff University. Many of our programmes include integrated placement years and students are encouraged to volunteer, study or work abroad, complete internships and build their employability skills through our careers fairs and careers service.
Accommodation
International students entering through the normal admissions cycle are guaranteed University accommodation for the duration of their studies in Cardiff. There are 17 different residences to choose from and most are within easy walking distance of lecture theatres, libraries, the Students’ Union and the city centre, saving our students time and money.
The majority of our student residences are en-suite study bedrooms and you can choose from self-catered, part-catered of fully-catered; single-sex or mixed-gender; quiet residences; family accommodation; postgraduate accommodation and more. All of the student accommodation offers Wi-Fi access, study and social spaces, and Residence Life Assistants who are on hand to provide 24 hour assistance.
Cardiff
Located in the heart of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, our University is situated in a vibrant, exciting, metropolitan city that has been named 3rd best for quality of life in Europe (European Cities Survey 2015). Our campus is set within the historic Civic Centre, surrounded by history, culture and greenery. There are over 330 parks and gardens in Cardiff, offering plenty of space to relax between study sessions, and everything you need is within walking distance of the University and accommodation.
Cardiff offers everything you would expect of a modern European capital city. Just 2 hours from London by train, you can live and study at a fraction of the cost, with Cardiff being the 2nd most affordable city for students in the UK. Around 20% of the population in Cardiff are students, and as a small city with a population of 350,000, it is one of the safest regions in the UK too.
Living in Cardiff offers a different cultural dimension for students who wish to study in the UK. Alongside the benefits of studying at a prestigious UK Russell Group University, you will also experience the unique culture of Wales – a country rich in history and legends. Around 20% of the population speak Welsh (the oldest living language in Europe), but everybody speaks English too, so you can learn some Welsh for fun as part of your time in Cardiff. You can get a taste for Wales with traditional foods and festivals, and you can explore beyond Cardiff by visiting our national parks like the mountainous Brecon Beacons or the rugged coastline of Pembrokeshire. As a well-connected city with a central train station and international airport, Cardiff is the ideal base for students to explore Wales, the UK and the rest of Europe during their studies.