Cardiff University guide: Rankings, open days, fees and accommodation
Overview
Cardiff is enjoying a 'moment'. Applications hit a new high in September 2023, and admissions soared to a level surpassed only during the pandemic when numbers were skewed by the increase in top A-level results. Just under 8,000 students gained a place, up from around 6,000 a decade ago. Cardiff is the biggest university in Wales and the only one to be a member of the elite Russell Group. It prides itself on being among the more socially inclusive in that group; one third of entrants are the first in their immediate family to go to university, and four in five students were educated at non-selective state schools. The university occupies two campuses: Cathays Park in the city centre, and the more modern Heath Park a mile away, which is home to healthcare-related courses and the University Hospital of Wales, where the medical school is located. With three universities in the Welsh capital, there is no shortage of student nightlife and discounts. Cardiff ranked second in last year's NatWest Student Living Index, a guide to the most affordable UK cities for students.
Paying the bills
The university has increased the household income threshold for the Cardiff University bursary to £35,000 this year - an increase of £10,000. The bursary is the most common form of financial support, accounting for 4,368 of the awards made last year. It is worth £1,000 in the first year and £500 in subsequent years of study. There is £2,000 of support available for students from homes with an income of less than £35,000 who are on an unpaid or low-paid placement, too, which is paid in the placement year. Around one in four students get some form of financial support from the university each year. There are also 500 or so undergraduate scholarships awarded annually for academic achievement. These are worth £1,000 in the first year and then between £125 and £375 in subsequent years. There are around 5,550 places in university accommodation available. Prices for self-catered rooms this year range from £5,197 to £6,112 for a 40-week tenancy, while catered accommodation comes in at £5,900 to £6,754 for 40 weeks.
What's new?
A new home for the school of healthcare sciences opened on the Heath Park campus earlier this year. It contains a mock hospital ward and operating theatre featuring lifelike patient simulators, which students can use to practise and develop key skills before going out on placements. The university is also embracing the latest digital learning methods - nowhere more so than in the university medical school, which is home to Cardiff's HIVE (Hybrid and Interactive Virtual Environments) Digital and Teaching Innovation Unit. HIVE oversees the implementation of interactive learning tools and immersive technologies which engage all students as active participants in (often) virtual-reality settings. Such innovations will only add to the employability of Cardiff's graduates, which is already one of its strongest suits. There has been a sustained push on embedding the skills expected in modern graduates into the student experience.
Admissions, teaching and student support
The range of mental health and wellbeing problems which Cardiff offers support for is extensive. During the orientation period, students are provided with an online module which explains how to access support such as face-to-face or online counselling. There are numerous workshops and courses, as well as self-help resources that cover combatting loneliness, understanding anxiety, spotting signs of depression, dealing with addiction, eating disorders and negative body image. The university runs group counselling sessions for the neurodiverse, while student wellbeing champions hold weekly peer-to-peer support sessions and regular events. Academic and career guidance is available via the Student Futures service, which is open to all students but has a particular focus on those admitted from under-represented backgrounds. A student-led employability support programme, Career Confident, works with students who face significant barriers to accessing work experience, providing tailored career coaching, work experience with supportive employers and funding for training. The university makes contextual offers which are normally one A-level grade lower than the standard offer. Contextual points are awarded to applicants to determine their eligibility for lowered offers. Among the points-earning criteria are being the first in the immediate family to go to university; living in a postcode with the lowest rates of participation in higher education, the highest levels of deprivation or the lowest average earnings; attending a school with below average attainment; receiving free school meals; and having been in care. More than a quarter of last year's intake gained places with a contextual offer.
