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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 University has a strong academic environment, particularly within the School of Geography and Planning. The teaching is research-led, critical, and encourages independent thinking rather than rote learning. Lecturers are knowledgeable and approachable, and many are clearly passionate about their subjects, which makes learning engaging. The city itself is also a huge positive — Cardiff is affordable compared to other UK cities, very student-friendly, and compact, making it easy to balance study, work, and social life. The Students’ Union and sports opportunities are excellent, offering a strong sense of community and belonging alongside academic life Feedback quality can vary between modules, with some being extremely detailed and helpful, while others are more limited and less actionable. There could also be greater support around employability across all years of study, not just in final year, to help students better connect academic learning with career pathways.
I love Cardiff uni! The facilities it has to offer are incredible. As a law student I’m given multiple offers to take park or receive help regarding my degree. The campus is beautiful and easy to get around and all the staff have been helpful and friendly since the beginning!
The best part is there is a lot of support. The worst part is it can get overwhelming
It’s a great place to study because there is so much help and resources, aswell as a good lecturer availability so if you ever need help it’s really easy to talk to someone. All the facilities are within walking distance and very close to the centre which is amazing for nights out or even if you just want a break from the student life but don’t want to travel very far. It’s also right next to a train station offering links to the rest of wales aswell as links to the centre and even beyond. There is also a coach route which stops right outside the university perfect for students travelling home on a budget. The buildings are very nice, decently located, with very good libraries for each school too. The improvements would be to create better parking that students pay little for, when i used to park there, an hour would be £4. Which is insane. Furthermore, maybe if the vending machines actually work and the prices weren’t inflated? They’re a bit expensive and i’m not really sure why because in what world is a student paying £3 for a water? Other than that, it’s really good. I mean i haven’t actually been to another university before so I can’t really give an unbiased view, but seeing it ranked 2nd in the UK I can see why. im from Redditch with the nearest uni being Worcester and they don’t seem to have many societies or outing events where they get to dress up? Although I don’t really go out drinking much, it’s nice to know that if I ever wanted to, there’s tons of opportunity for fun.
Best: Society events Worst: Timetabling issues and neglect of my department
Such a welcoming uni especially for international students. Students union is so supportive!!!
Very convenient, everything is within walking distance. Lots to do and loads of people to talk to. Lots of student spaces. Affordable.
I find it clear what I’m meant to do for my course & feel that if I struggle I would receive useful support. The city is friendly, walkable and reasonably cheap and I have become myself here. There’s no way to know but I feel I wouldn’t have been half as happy and fulfilled anywhere else.
The uni is pretty good. It seems really willing to improve and the biosciences department really care about the students which is really nice to know. Some accommodations are a bit far from the uni and some of the buildings are quite old and look like they need to be cleaned but inside the ones I’ve seen it’s pretty nice. Cardiff is a big city which means a lot of night life, but there’s a lot of opportunities even for those who don’t like going out. I think the uni could improve a bit with timetables, because this year they tried a new system and everyone agreed it was a mess, but at least they’re self-aware enough to recognise it. It would be nice to have more non-drinking events advertised during fresher’s week because if you don’t go out drinking, you really don’t meet that many people. If there were a lot of sober hangouts, I wasn’t aware of them. Fresher’s fair was fun though.
Fun nightlife and social aspect but not a fan of 9am lectures
The best aspect would be how close the university is to Cardiff central and the first year accommodation, the only bad thing I can think of is the timetabling issues experienced in the first term.
The buildings are very accessible and easily navigable and well maintained. The lectures are easily understood for everyone regardless if they are studying a new topic or continuing thier studies.
Love how many study places there are and how local it is to the city centre! It’s a lovely university and the lecturer theatre’s are nice and spacious
The library I normally go to is the science library and it’s really nice but there’s very limited seating and the upstairs area can get quite full some times but it’s a very nice place to study when I do manage to find a seat and I really like the computer labs in the library I find it very helpful since I work better with multiple screens and there’s a lot of computers which I really like
The best aspect is having such a variety of people and groups for you to really find your people and make such good friends. No matter how niche your interests are, there's always someone who shares it. A way for improvement is possibly more quiet study spaces, or even a refreshment section where hot drinks and biscuits are available for people studying long hours in the library - especially around exam season!!
The students Union is great and the new open hours for study spaces is great. However first year accommodations are dated
The SU is continuously working hard to ensure that the needs of students are met, as a member of the student senate, I can see first hand the positive impact that is made
Not much
Love the media building. Love how social my accommodation is. Yolo and the taf are good! Yolo is very busy but I understand why as loads of people need to be let in for everyone to be able to enjoy it.
4.5
Lots of study spaces and Cardiff is a very good city for student life.
Content can be very engaging, but when it comes to projects, you often feel out of place.
Lots of laundry issues early on and the fire alarms were annoying, but the accommodation is very cheap and includes dinner in the evening.