Founded by Royal Charter in 1883, Cardiff University has been producing successful graduates for the past 130 years. Ranked 5th in the UK for research quality and 2nd nationally for the impact of research (REF, 2014) and top 155 in the world (QS World Rankings 2020), many of the University’s academic schools are ranked amongst the strongest in the UK for the quality of their research and teaching, including Business, Engineering, English Language and Literature, Communication, Cultural and Media Studies and Sociology. Cardiff’s roll of honour includes:

  • 2 Nobel Prize winners
  • 12 Fellows of the Royal Society
  • 12 Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering
  • 7 Fellows of the British Academy
  • 21 Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences
  • 32 Academicians of the Academy of Social Sciences
  • 6 Queen’s Anniversary Prizes

Cardiff University is a member of the elite Russell Group top 24 UK research-led universities.

In recent years, substantial investment has been made in the University estate, including building of a science and innovation campus, and the development of a new Centre for Student Life at the very heart of campus.
 

The city

The city of Cardiff offers an excellent location for students to study in. Students benefit from the combination of a small, friendly, inexpensive city with the cultural and recreational amenities of an ambitious and progressive capital city. Students in Cardiff lead a busy life, both with their academic studies and the social activities that take place.

Cardiff is host to numerous large scale, high-profile events, and as the capital city of Wales, it is home to many of the UK’s national institutions including the National Museum of Wales and the commanding Millennium Stadium.

The waterfront area at Cardiff Bay is home to the Welsh Parliament and the Wales Millennium Centre arts complex. There are regular food, arts and craft festivals and visitors can walk across the barrage or take a boat trip around the bay.

You can also find stunning national parks and beautiful beaches just 30 minutes away from Cardiff, and with over 600 castles in Wales!

Cardiff is an extremely accessible city, benefitting from excellent road, rail and air communications. Using the national rail train service, London is reachable within two hours.

The University itself is spread across two campuses: Cathays Park and Heath Park. The majority of Cardiff University students are based at Cathays Park, as it is situated in the very centre of Cardiff. 
 

Facilities

There are a wide range of facilities available to international students at Cardiff University.
 

Libraries

Students can use 16 libraries spread throughout both campuses, with 1.3 million books and journals including an expanding range of electronic versions.

Computing services
Students have over 20 computer rooms across both campuses and Wi-Fi access throughout its buildings and all residences.
 

Sports

The sports facilities are located on four sites across both campuses and include: a training village, a swimming pool, a squash centre, three gymnasiums, a 33-acre sports field, an exercise studio, six squash courts, three rugby pitches, ten football pitches, an indoor five-a-side pitch, four cricket squares, lacrosse and American football pitches, a hockey pitch, indoor and outdoor tennis courts and badminton courts.
 

Graduate Centre

Cardiff is proud to be among the few universities in the UK which have a facility exclusively for taught and research postgraduates. The Graduate Centre offers additional resources of space, study and social facilities, as well as workshops and events for students.
 

Student Union

Cardiff’s Students’ Union is the biggest and best equipped in Wales. The Students’ Union offers a variety of entertainment, diverse clubs and a range of welfare, advice and information services.
 

International Student Association

The International Student Association (ISA) gets more international students involved in the Union.
 

Student Media

Students can opt to write for the student newspapers at Cardiff such as GairRhydd, Student Lifestyle Magazine, Quench, or work for the students’ radio and TV stations - Xpress Radio and CUTV.
 

Venues

  • The Great Hall – a 1,600-capacity concert venue.
  • Y Plas – Student Union’s own high quality nightclub.
  • The Taf – an old-fashioned pub.
  • The Lounge – a non-alcoholic social space for international students, with Skype booths and touch-screen games.

Societies

Many cultural, political, religious, social and sporting interests are catered for with a number of societies specifically for international students. There are more than 200 societies.
 

Careers & Employability

95.7 percent of graduates enter employment, further study or both shortly after graduating (HESA Destination of Leavers in Higher Education survey 2016/17)
 

Accommodation

Most of the University’s student accommodation is within walking distance of lecture theatres, libraries and the Students’ Union. A place in one of the student accommodations is guaranteed to all first-year undergraduates. The majority are single en-suite bedrooms in self-catered flats. Students enjoy some of the lowest living costs compared with UK Universities.
 

 

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE?

The information on this page has been submitted by the higher education institution itself. If you want to know more, get in touch and one of our student advisors will answer all your questions!

Across the Pond is this university’s official representative for selected countries around the world which, depending on where you are from, means we can help you apply to its courses as well as with gathering all the documents needed to submit an application. We can normally offer a speedier route to help you since the institution is hugely popular and receives enquiries from all around the world on a daily basis. We also have close ties with the university’s international facing staff and as such can explain your grades, your academic background and the educational system in your home country. Our partner universities appreciate that students who apply through Across the Pond get the help they need, not only in terms of submitting the application and supporting documents, but also with everything leading up to arrival in the UK, such as student accommodation, visa and funding information as well as preparing for departure to the UK.

Contact us

Date of establishment: 1883

Student population: 

  • ca. 24,000 undergraduates
  • ca. 9,000 postgraduates
  • ca. 8,500 international students (non-UK EU included)

City population: Over 340,000

Location: The University is spread across two campuses: Cathays Park and Heath Park. The majority of Cardiff University students are based at Cathays Park which is in the centre of Cardiff city.

Closest airports: Cardiff has convenient connections to Bristol, Heathrow and Gatwick airports and the city also benefits from its own international airport.

Areas of expertise: Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, Engineering, Business and Law

Notable alumni: Max Foster, Joanna Natesagara, Huw Edwards, Martin Lewis, Tiffany Wright, James Righton, Susanna Reid, Nick Broomfield and Jamie Roberts

Francisco
Engineering, Cardiff University

Hello everyone! My name is Francisco — but you can call me Pancho :). I am currently a PhD student at Cardiff University. This university was my first choice due to its excellent reputation as a member of the prestigious Russell Group.… Read more

Spencer
Languages, Cardiff University

I did my MA in Translation Studies at Cardiff University, and my only regret was that I couldn’t continue studying for longer. I wholeheartedly enjoyed the whole course. My tutors were approachable and had a great deal of academic… Read more

Ahmad
Journalism, Cardiff University

I used the Across the Pond service to help me apply for my Journalism MA in the UK. I remember asking over and over again if there was a fee to pay because I couldn't believe such great service was free of charge.

From the very… Read more

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We would be happy to answer all your questions about studying in the UK!

❗️Please note that our university partnerships vary from region to region. Once we are in touch and know where you are from, we can indicate the options available in your country.

Which country are you from?

We noticed you chose Norway.

There is a dedicated website for Norwegian students where you can find specific information and make an enquiry.

We noticed you chose Canada.

There is a dedicated website for Canadian students where you can find specific information and make an enquiry.

We noticed you chose the United States.

We would love to be able to help all students in all circumstances but unfortunately US federal rules prohibit third party involvement for candidates anticipating making use of federal funding.

We noticed you chose Mexico.

There is a dedicated website for Mexican students where you can find specific information and make an enquiry.

We noticed you chose Colombia.

There is a dedicated website for Colombian students where you can find specific information and make an enquiry.

We noticed you chose Sweden.

There is a dedicated website for Swedish students where you can find specific information and make an enquiry.

We noticed you chose Chile.

There is a dedicated website for Chilean students where you can find specific information and make an enquiry.