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The overall ranking is decided by students from this institution rating them in a 2026 Whatuni review. This forms the basis of the Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCAs for short).
5.04.04.63494 Student reviews
Sort:Latest reviewsCardiff is a lovely city and very friendly for LGBTQ+ students. There could be better funding for humanities facilities.
The academic staff and setting is superb. Although, the university suffers from bureaucratic problems notably marking assessments in time and registering student information. Several campus buildings are constantly and continuously under renovation or being repaired, which literally diminishes the scope of the on-campus experience.
25-34 years
First gen student
The Students Union offers a lot. The university is full of international people and great lecturers, which in my opinion as a lot of value. On the other hand, management never looks at students best interests, and only care about revenue. They have been cutting corners in contact hours and resources for at least 4 years in a row, which added to industrial action, it has left our cohort and the ones before and after lacking in quality of teaching. They also advertise a lot of student support, but when accessed, it is very limited and feels kind of lacking.
The location is great, next to city centre, loads of shops, beautiful buildings and opportunity to engage with nature since it its near a park and has some nice gardens. Great study spaces and massive libraries with helpful librarians plus some of the libraries are open 24/7 which is very useful. Good transport links via train and coach to other cities in England if you like going home, flights from Cardiff airport are not very regular if you need to fly home but Bristol Airport is always reliable (Bristol Airport is about 2 hour coach journey from Cardiff). There are always activities going on for everyone, whether you're really out there and love to party hard or like more chill activities. Also a variety of sports societies to join if you're athletic. The student union is good with relatively affordable food and drink options. Variety of food options catering to different diets with a recently opened plant based cafe. The uni is making efforts towards sustainability. If you have a chronic illness/disability plan ahead on accessing support-registering with a GP, filling disability disclosure forms etc. Make sure you are aware of all the help available on starting uni so you don't struggle. I personally think the support could be better, for instance the deadline extension for assignments is one week for everyone regardless of circumstances with the option to defer if needed. This may not be enough in extenuating circumstances and I wish it was extended to two weeks like some universities. VERY IMPORTANT: Make use of financial help available as there are different grants and bursaries which you may be eligible for. Generally people are friendly and helpful, I like that it's very multi cultural although if you are from a big city like London you may not agree. Bear in mind Cardiff is a very rainy city and gets cold in winter so come prepared with warm clothes and umbrellas. Overall, I have enjoyed my uni experience and I would advise for everyone to make the most of it as possible, engage in as many socials and clubs as you can, it flies by!
Lovely city, cheap night out, friendly people
Cardiff university offers excellent resources like well-equipped labs and research opportunities that enhance the academic experience, such as the vast library. However, there can be improvements in its teaching methods and student support services. In some of the lectures, there isn’t enough consideration for whether the student can understand what is being covered.
Great support services and Student help
Cardiff SU is the best part of Cardiff University. it has everything you need from support to social life to food etc. The worst part is probably the look of the buildings (excluding the newly renovated SU)
I likes Cardiff uni
Pros: + Some Lecturers and Tutors are extremely helpful in understanding course content + Amazing Student Union team and building + Lots of opportunity to connect and network with people + Location is really convenient to getting across campus, the city centre and popular student housing locations. + Lots of clubs and societies on offer and socials; easy way to make friends and to do activities outside of academia. Cons: - Lack of student support from the University, it could be better in my opinion or could be making more effort to reach out to students who may not want to ask for help but are visibly struggling either academically or otherwise. - Some campus buildings are somewhat rundown and I believe that studying at the University may be better for students if some had renovations made to them, especially in the Tower Building for Psychology or John Percival. - More study spaces or locations in which study rooms can be booked out as currently it is limited by course locations.
great facilities, everything close together, easy access to things, good libraries. could do with more women’s toilets
More food options across buildings freshly made meals as an option instead of sandwiches/ chain brands such as Costa and Subway
More support for society's. I play hockey and it cost almost £200 to play hockey at university with all the memberships combined. This is ridiculous and creates barriers for new players trying to get involved in sport. The uni offers a give it a go scheme but then expects a new player to drop £200 on playing. Maybe leverage a discount for new players for sports where they get a discount on some memberships Student union needs to deal with bad behavior within society's better. Recently a group of individuals from a society were banned and then all other students wearing the same attire were banned. Why should other students be punished for the behaviors of others just for wearing the same clothing?
Lectures are interactive and interesting, plenty of support if you need help on anything. Student IT and welfare support is really accessible. SU has lots of study space and the events are great. Good proximity to centre
18-24 years
First gen student
The teachers are great at supporting the students during the semester. We are given many opportunities in the SU, which is very nice. An area of improvement could be timetable scheduling because sometimes they can be too sparse or too crowded.
The actual student experience is pretty good but lots of facilities are run down and it really depends on your degree. SU itself is fantastic with loads of opportunities
Cardiff university has a lot to offer if you are based at the main campus. As a healthcare student based at University hospital Wales. We often feel forgotten about and excluded from the perks and benefits advertised for main campus. Our timetable doesn't allow for us to make use of the fantastic facilities Cardiff university have to offer
18-24 years
First gen student
Cardiff is a small city which makes everything accessible as a student. With great academic support and great club nights at the student union I couldn't reccommend Cardiff Univeristy more to students!!
Best aspects - student support and centre for student life, professional setting and great teaching Worst aspects - inconvenient location (Julian Hodge theatre), expensive entry and drinks at student life settings (Taf)
4.5
A great research university, with a excellent library facilities and newly renovated buildings creating a nice atmosphere. However, the main campus is a little dated (especially the bioscience/psychology areas) and could do with large scale renovations and modernisation like was done with the ABACWS
Staff as a whole are really great and supportive, and the course has a lot on offer for various future outlooks. However, there is not much communication about work placements and internships and the Politics building is very dated and damp.
Incredible wifi and comfort in Gate (much to the jealously of other Talybont residents) with a fantastic kitchen and living space for memories. The staff are very responsive, however earlier this academic year many bikes were stolen out of the shed which took a while to resolve. It's right by Tesco, Aldi, McDonalds and PureGym which is very accessible.