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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 reviewsAccessible location. Lots going on eg events, societies, club nights, parks, but all within walking distance making it cheap and accessible. Good SU. Friendly uni. AU/SU organisation can feel a bit political - eg with sports clubs/societies it feels like larger clubs are valued more and get priority, whereas small clubs are often overlooked and forgotten. It feels like we can’t always access opportunities.
18-24 years
The best part as an international student is that the university is in a central place very easy to access and the wide range of help and support available
Cool city. Lovely countryside and beaches nearby. Cheap cost of living. Lots of options for housing. Seems to be a running theme that exams and exam results are badly organised with minimal communication during these times.
It has an amazing students' union and sports centre - only improvement would be to have more than one 24 hour study space.
The best aspect of uni experience has been meeting new people and making new friends. Another great aspect of my uni experience has been the amount of support that my school has provided to me through the student union, a personal tutor and student mentors. The teaching staff aware very helpful, they give great feedback and are willing to attend to students one-on-one outside of classes. The university location is great as all the buildings are fairly close together, thus interaction with students from other courses is always easy. My campus (Cathays) is also very close to the city centre. Everything is so close together, I hardly ever have to take the bus except I’m lazy days. Cardiff itself is one of the most beautiful, history rich cities I have every been to. There’s lots to do and lots of sites to see. The worst aspect of my university experience so far has been 9 o’clock lectures. Apart from that, I’ve had a great experience.
The modern languages building where most of my lectures / seminars are is quite a cramped building, and sometimes hard to navigate inside, however the location of all the buildings is great, and I think it’s great that everywhere is a quick walk. Also, the staff are very friendly and helpful and really shine a good light on the uni.
The teaching I have received has been good quality and I cannot fault the Cardiff library service. The Cardiff Student Union is excellent. There are lots of opportunities to provide feedback on your course and it is often taken into consideration. There is plenty of opportunity to study abroad which I would highly recommend taking advantage of. The careers service is really useful. Throughout covid and strikes I have lost a lot of contact time and still had to pay full tuition fees despite not receiving the service I am paying for - I don't believe this happens in any other service. Pastoral support is also quite lacking as it is simply too overstretched. There is a good effort to create opportunities for peer support but this is not what many students want. Unfortunately the official professional-run services are suitable to serve the demand.
It’s great because it is so close to the city centre, and Cardiff is a student city. This makes it feel safe and provides such good nights out. My university experience so far has been quite good, however if there is anything I’d complain about it would be my accommodation, however even then there’s something I love about it as well. It feels like a community.
best aspects is the city life and SU club events which are a great night to socialise. There are lots of societies open to students and the student support team is immense and reliable !
The student unions (SU) provided with a lot of facilities that cater to self-study and group meetings (with rooms for booking) and other facilities such as cafes, convenience store and more which is great and it is directly connected to the Cardiff Student Life (CSL) building and therefore it is easy to go from the SU to the CSL when looking for spots to study. The worst aspects at the moment is probably just due to the strike which is currently affecting my study especially the progress of my final year dissertation.
area is very good, loads of things to do, good study facilities. getting into SU is difficult, queues are awful.
Cardiff is a great city, and the academics on my course are really enthusiastic! The support system both in the uni and the SU really works and there's lot of new/refurbished facilities around. The worst parts has deffo been linked to COVID and striking
18-24 years
First gen student
Amazing city. Student Union is excellent, offering cheap food and drink, food services to help with the cost of living. The university has also extended opening hours of its libraries to help with this too! I am not too sure on how student support services perform as I’ve never had to use them. Overall, a great experience.
- Great location, 15 minute walk to Cardiff Centre and located in Cathays, a lovely and bustling area of Cardiff - Always lots of events, fairs, and opportunities on provided by the SU. This is my second time at university and my previous university didn't have a quarter of the activities on that Cardiff University does. - Said events are geared to all different things (not just night-life for example, though these events are great too!) - Great campus, lots of relaxing space as well as study space. - I received a £1000 bursary from the SU, as have most of my friends, which has taken a big strain off! - Have been affected multiple times by the strikes, which I support, Cardiff University should be responding to these demands and support its staff (thereby supporting it's students!). - Some of the bathrooms in the older buildings could be updated (the hand dryers are not worth the energy they use!). - Not much engagement or support for mature students
Cardiff’s a great place to be a student, it has the perfect atmosphere of a city, but not a metropolis. This means that it’s easy to get around, most commonly through walking, or you have the option of local transport, specifically buses. Cardiff’s got excellent parks right on Talybont’s doorstep, to take your mind off your studies or socialise with friends. The university and the Students Union itself is located within a 5 minute walk of the city centre, whilst the SU has fab nights out! Student support here is incredible, and they do really make a big difference.
Fantastic location - right in the city. Everything is in walking distance. Uni staff are friendly and approachable. Practically all lecturers I’ve met so far have been amazing! I’ve heard some other accommodations (not my own) could use some updating.
Great university and a campus which is easy to get around. Cardiff is a beautiful city with lots going on. My only gripe is I wish the campus had more long stay parking available
Great location with lots of green spaces! Good teaching but could do with a few more private study areas around campus.
18-24 years
First gen student
The student union is fantastic, with whole building events every week where hundreds of people attend. Assignments are broken down into smaller, and practice pieces to make it easier to understand. Certain areas in the local community don’t feel safe, yet this is not necessarily the fault of the university. They are committed to equality and diversity and all students attend classes for this, and provide relief payments as well as cheap meal deals to help with the cost of living crisis.
4.5
45-54 years
First gen student
The building we are mainly in at the moment is very old and a bit grotty and things don’t seem to get fixed. However we are moving to a new building next year apparently. The campus is based on the main hospital grounds which is great. The student union just had an upgrade to their common room so we have more space. The majority of teaching staff are wonderful and supportive.
There is a lot of self study to do at home and before Christmas quite a few face-to-face lectures got cancelled and we had to watch pre-recorded ones from a couple of years ago.