Cardiff University Reviews

As a university, Cardiff is great. The only let down has been the delivery of the medicine course. The campus for the medicine course is separate to the rest of the university, and so you have very little opportunity or time to spend at the official university campus. This review is for the heath campus, which is disappointing. The Cochrane is public access so always busy. There is poor ventilation and no air conditioning so it's awful in the summer. The heating is subpar so it is cold in the winter.

I can’t even rate any of the categories because I have been on campus ONCE. From what I have experienced of Cardiff uni from my “blended” (online lol) learning is that the uni is awful with a complete lack of student support. Please please please do not put the Russell group status above whether a uni has good student support or not.

Good university with alright communication.

Going back to university during a pandemic has been hell. Basically nothing has been put in place to help the vast majority of students, every single one of my lectures is a prerecorded one, I have zero social life (which I was expecting) and zero contact with anyone on my course. We are expected to completely structure our modules ourselves with "module maps" and nothing else. The once 24/7 libraries have been reduced to 9-5, 5 days a week, and we have to book 2 hour slots in advance if we want to go. Not only this, but because of disinfectant procedures, we can't get books for at least 72 hoirs after they have been returned. I understand the necessity for this, but we were told that books would be digitised, and for the most part (at least for my course) this hasn't happened. It is incredibly difficult to motivate yourself when everything is online and you're paying an extortionate amount of money for what is, frankly, a subpar education.

all round great facilities and staff

If you're coming to Cardiff because of it's 'Russell Group status', don't be blinded to its faults. I would advise looking very hard at whether a) You want to live here. b) The modules you want to take are available and c) You believe you will genuinely be happy studying here. Russell Group status is completely irrelevant once you arrive. Please, please don't think that it makes your course any better. It does not.

I am a second year architecture student and so far my experience has been great. Cardiff University offers students all the facilities they need. Recently, the students union building was renovated so spending time there is much more enjoyable. I am also on the uni fencing team. The athletic union has always provided us with equipment and transport for competitions. Overall, I believe that Cardiff as a city is a good value for money and is also one of the best universities in the UK.

Due to coronavirus students haven’t been able to access the usual range of activities and teaching

Best university ever... Fast at responding to students' enquiries

This is about the clearing line, i went through clearing this year and requested for a certain type of course. I was met with a welsh woman who had a horrid disdain for me in her voice and it honestly made me feel like a bad person for wanting to clear into the university. All other universities that i had been in contact with were very nice and helpful and all i got from Cardiff was a series of indefinite statements with sighs at the end. Wouldn't go there if this was how they treat students who are looking for courses in this time of uncertainty.

I had such fun there. Best experience of my life. The departments allowed me to pursue a life in academia after my undergraduate. The lecturers I had were all inspiring.

As an MA student, who previously studied at an apparently less prestigious institution, I'm unsure Cardiff University deserves the praise it deserves. I'll put the pros first and cons second. Pros - The rent around cardiff is mostly reasonable and the accommodation tends to reflect what you pay for. -The libraries are numerous and the staff there are friendly and more than willing to help - The nightlife is varied and pretty welcoming to all peoples, regardless of creed or wallet size. - The skills support people are kind and are open to helping you. They evidently card Cons - The faculty who teach MA programmes are jaded, don't really seem enthusiastic about their subject and are unwilling to clarify question briefs. - As a masters student I thought I'd have free reign to write as I pleased, as long as it was 'on topic.' I was wrong. You are confined to the course content almost exclusively. Boring. - You will receive almost no useful feedback, even after multiple conversations

The physical university is nice but the services it provides are largely sub-par and unhelpful

Amazing uni , good social life, out of fate lecture theatres

i want an university that is totally dedicated to the future cause of a student and arm him with excellent teaching and practical training to cope up future problems in life

Overall a good experience. Wifi is very patchy and doesn't connect to much outside phones/computers. But pretty good other than that.

great uni, enjoyed my time in my first year

The University itself offers so much, if you're willing to join clubs and societies there is so much to do. The students union is great, always busy and loads of facilities.

not much to say apart from this is a sick uni and im happy im here besides the dogshit wifi

Cardiff University is an okay University

Cardiff University has an okay university.

My experience of Cardiff uni has been a good one so far. The city is a great place to live, the SU is fantastic (shout out Bureatos) and most of the lecturers/ seminar leaders are super friendly and helpful. It's definitely sports oriented and can get a bit 'lads lads lads' but you just have to make it your own.

cardiff is a very good sociL UNI

Reviews are used to: - Help students select the best University - Help Universities to improve offering University name (we can find it!) Campus / Facilities 5 4 3 2 1 Clubs and Societies 5 4 3 2 1 Students Union 5 4 3 2 1 Careers Service 5 4 3 2 1 Internet / Wifi 5 4 3 2 1 Write your review (20 character minimum)*

This is not a university any longer; it is a hive of FASCISM. Since when can BASIC human rights - freedom of speech - be breached through vote? Since when can some students tell other students what words they "are allowed" do use? (Such as the fact that they "cannot" use the word "baby" to refer to unborn CHILDREN.) And what is the university staff doing? HOW ON EARTH can there be a voting system that allows students from some societies to SERIOUSLY INFRINGE the freedom of speech of students from other societies? Or is the university condoning this or even happy that it could achieve its aims (of silencing pro-life students) other the pretext that "it was done through the vote of other students)? It is BEYOND HORRIBLE. It is PURE FASCISM. I wouldn't study at this university even if every single member of staff had the Nobel Prize.

£20 and i'll put 5 stars for everything.

Wonderful university and City, so pleased to be here!

Not helpful for careers whatsoever; completely inconsiderate to student wellbeing. Students lacking confidence are made to feel small and alienated. Instead of helping to build the confidence of these students, they are made to feel increasingly unwelcome as time goes on.

Love it. Join a society, best thing I did

everything is school with the course study is amazing , others I didn't focus that much

I love Cardiff university very much!!

The university facilities are amazing, but the WiFi doesn't always work on personal devices as it's an open network rather than private.

I am sure it's the best university in wales

Not enough activities for post grad students

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY IS VERY GOOD

I cannot really fault the uni in anyway. It has exceeded my expectations

Great choice, definitely worth it

I would not recommend this university for several reasons. If you are foreign or ethnic minority then be prepared that they will not support you as they are hugely Euro centric and it really shows in the lecturing and what issues they focus on. I didn’t get any help from lecturers and they de registered me from my course due to my mental health issues and I didn’t receive help from student support. Lectures are careless if you struggle and won’t help you with assignments, won’t reply to e-mails. Teaching style is out dated and the school of social sciences are hugely politically biased they won’t discuss current social issues or issues affecting non European people. Sad and I wouldn’t recommend at all

I love my tutors and I enjoyed my placement time.

They are definitely trying with the facilities but I’d like to see more

The Union is an absolute joke and often creates drama within itself which stems from racism to full on religion fights, so I never bothered with them. Otherwise facilities are great and the global opportunities people are awesome

International environment, good teacher

I'm part of a few clubs which are amazing and I use the students union a lot.

I love university and love living in cardiff

love the uni, wouldnt mind some cheaper SU shops/activities wifi sometimes isnt great,

Great city, Cardiff University is ok

Good university, good value for money, lots of societies and socials every Wednesday for sports societies in the SU. Only thing is it's not a campus university so it's quite a walk to lectures, something to keep in mind.

After a dip in overall rankings, Cardiff r putting big investment into the campus. Teaching at least on my course can be a bit unorganised and haphazard and some facilities lacking and dated but overall incredible environment, good nightlife (a scene for everyone) and amazing society’s and SU. Student housing is a bit crap but it’s being worked on and it’s only for a year. Sense of community is what makes the place.

...................................................................................................

Everything close at hand. Great variety of social societies. Wifi connections need to improve.

Since Cardiff was my insurance choice it has beaten my expectations of it in so many ways.

She was so please to get a place this has spoiled it for us

Easily the worst place I have ever experienced, the student experience here has been awful. I have found the University to be unwelcoming and unfriendly. If you have a problem staff are generally unhelpful or slow to respond and the SU advice service seem to be short staffed and can't do much to help. I signed up for a few societies but limitations on numbers for activities have meant I haven't been able to participate, online signups fill up in under a minute. I haven't engaged with the careers service but I get a lot of unwanted email communications via the University from employers that I can't opt out of. There seems to be an atmosphere of apathy at the University. Eduroam wireless internet can be difficult to connect to at times and IT support is limited. There is no University Health Service for all students. For some subjects you can be some distance from the main campus area which is dissected by rail lines. Buses are expensive. The cost of accommodation is rapidly rising.

Great uni. Nice facilities, everything close together.

My first year at Cardiff has easily been the best year of my life. The staff are helpful, they really care about how well you are progressing in your course and how to help you get the best results you can. The students union is huge and the facilities are amazing, and there is a whole host of sports and other clubs and societies to get involved in. Other students are so friendly and helpful and there are so many places to help if you need anything, from housing and financial advice to support with learning issues and mental health.

Great uni, love it here. Atmosphere, people and services are amazing

Cardiff is both humble and prestigious. I think that the university is really friendly and welcoming and gives you loads of opportunities to get things to make your CV better alongside your degree. The students union is popular and the interior is really attractive.

I have been at Cardiff University for two years now studying Human Geography and honestly it has been amazing. The Uni buildings are beautiful and the teaching is incredible. The social life in Cardiff is brilliant, it has some great parks and when the six nations is on the atmosphere in the city centre is amazing. Clubbing in Cardiff is also good with a range of different clubs such as Pryzm, Live Lounge, the Student Union, Walkabout, etc. If you are a student and you are still choosing a university to go to I would highly recommend having a look at Cardiff.

...........................................................

PG cert. Dreadful. Teach yourself teaching. Unhelpful staff. No guidance. Non evidence based marking of papers. For teachers they should be ashamed of themselves. Yes I did receive a good pass. But only because I researched myself. I've registered with another university.....what a difference for the better!

I had a fantastic experience at Cardiff. I benefited a lot from dedicated careers advisors who helped me throughout the three years I was there.

Brilliant facilities, accommodating every need. Big range of societies and clubs, thanks to the students union being exceptional at outreach and advertising what they have on offer. The SU is by far one of the best in the country, very modern, insane student support services, if you have any problems at all, whether they be mental or physical, the student support services will go out of their way to ensure your issues are solved. Careers service allows ease of access to temporary work offers, and caters to all kinds of work, however the outreach is almost non-existent so you would usually have to hear about the careers services from a friend to use it properly. Internet is standard, nothing exceptional, and has quite frequent outages, but gets the job done when it is working, just don't depend on the uni wifi for getting things done on time, because you will be disappointed.

I received fantastic support from the Law Specialist at the time - Ms Gibson! What a difference she made helping me develop my CV from scratch and assisting me with strategies for my application. I really appreciated the value she added to my application and how it helped me eventually to find graduate employment.

uses eduroam wifi so thats s***

The wifi is rather dodgy as it loses connection when you switch buildings even though it's the same wifi network. A simple trick is to just disconnect and reconnect. I don't use all the facilities in SU but the SU lounge is a nice place to take a short nap and microwave food. If u want more peace and quiet, then just head on to the ASSL(Arts and Social Science Library) or the Postgraduate study area in SU. Staff I've met so far have been all smiles and sunshine, so no complains on that as an international student. I haven't really had any interactions with SU student representatives so I don't have any comment. There are loads of clubs to join here, so don't worry. They have a lot of career talks etc where they invite big employers, so that is a a good effort by the uni.

There are so many clubs and societies that you can join and the fairs make it easy to see what all is on offer. Wifi constantly drops but you just get used to it. Everything is really close together and very close to the city centre.

Failed me on my last law exam appealed to deaf ears if you don't have support you fail denied llb 36% pass 40%. Appeal procedure failed failed to tell them I was having mental health issues a home. Uncaring

The internet screws everyone over all the time, but heyho that's life. Had a wicked time first year. Would defiantly recommend to new fresh to get involved in as much as possible including sports and societies. Also, go out and explore as much as possible to make sure you enjoy your time at uni to the max.

Best SU in the entire country. Great old and new buildings (libraries are nice)

I'm so pleased I chose to go here

I've had a great time here so far although my school (history) is administratively terrible. Internet (Eduroam) is absolutely terrible and the number of website, that do not necessarily provide a platform for illegal activities such as movie streaming or download, that are blocked is shameful. The Student Union is brilliant and very useful.

Hated every minute I was there Dont waste your money

Everything is amazing, apart from the wifi, which is not bad either... it can be a pain to connect to it sometimes, that's all.

Internet at accommodation always plays up, but feel like the uni is very good and has a good social aspect

The night life, societies and student union in Cardiff are all top notch; I couldn't think of any improvements to them! The WiFi is absolutely abysmal however, and is not working more often than it is.

Decent refurbished students union

Dodgy wifi but amazing uni - Definitely would recommend.

The university has great facilities, in particular the Student Union which houses some quick bites as well as "Y Taf", the local student pub! Great and friendly staff who are always able to help.

It's a great university in a great city

Amazing place! Lovely people :)

Wifi restricts some of the sites like 9GAG for having "Questionable humor", Also Instagram and Youtube are not working on my phone.

The university is absolutely beautiful, the union keeps you well informed about everything. All the societys are approachable and are keen to have anyone join even if theyre beginners

Frequents emails about careers opportunities, lots of activities run by the SU, good facilities

The campus and facilities are fab! Only problem is the WiFi plays up a lot

The fact that Cardiff Uni offers wifi in all buildings and accommodation is so helpful. There's such a wide range of societies and clubs, however, if nothing is suited to you, the Student Union is also a lovely place.

Huge university with a wide range of opportunities.

Excellent university. I have enjoyed every minute of it

The university offers good facilities, but with over 20k students- you never see the same face twice!

Lovely students union with good working spaces, everything in close proximity to chemistry building, library facilities are very good

Some campus buildings can be further away, but most are fairly central to the main building and students' union. The fact that it isn't a campus uni means that it's almost right next to the city centre, so you can go shopping in between your lectures! The Students' Union itself is very good and helpful, and there's a huge range of clubs, societies and sports to get stuck into, and the uni puts on regular careers fairs. The internet can sometimes be temperamental, but generally the connection is good and connects around all the campus buildings and accommodation. Lots of research goes into Cardiff's courses, so you know you're getting your money's worth.

I did a mathematics degree at Cardiff university. It was so bad I dropped out and went somewhere else. I got my fourth choice for accommodation, my first three where very large accommodation sites (talybont) so was surprised I didn't get it. My campus was a 50 minute walk from my lectures, town, clubs, basically anywhere. The maths block for so worn down I felt the walls where just going to crumble. There wasn't enough lecture rooms in their department we had to walk everywhere around the university buildings. Sometime taking 15 minutes to get between lectures. A lot of my lectures were one to three hours apart during the day so I couldn't walk back to my flat as it would take too long. So I had to stay in the library or the SU. These buildings need refurbishing. They are so run down and old, there is no heating so I would be sat freezing in my coat while trying to work. Non of the lectures showed any enthusiasm into what they were teaching. I could keep going on but everything was bad

Good university close to the city centre

doesn't have as many good stuff as other unis, Essex for example

It has been fun, exciting and challenging.

I think Cardiff university is great

Love the city and the University, bit let down by the standard of some lectures but the facilities (library and SU) are incredible

a lot of the building and accommodation is old and could do with updating but the feel of the place is great

I looked at nine university open days, Cardiff was the first and instantly became my first and only option for university, I love Cardiff the city and the university!!!

Nice university in a great city

We have roughly 14 libraries to suit different subjects, hours, and needs. The clubs and societies are amazing, very enthusiastic, and Cardiff are quite good in terms of winning against other Universities, the best in Wales. I've seen better SUs. Nontheless it has everything a student could need to offer. The Taf (student pub) has constant rubbish staff and alcohol prices. I don't use the Careers Service, but there is a lot of enthusiasm around it and information on it for those that want or need it. Wifi is usually poor.

There is so much going on at Cardiff! All of the societies and social events are a great way to make friends and have a good time. The uni is spread out but not too spread out so everything is in walking distance which is good. Some things are over priced such as the gym and the food in the student union but other than that I love it.

Love the University and its facilities. Also part of the Business Society and the American Football team who organise great socials and are a great way of meeting new people. The location is amazing too, a mix of city life but also great scenery and parks too.

Cardiff is the edgeyest uni out there

Really impressed by the facilities in general. Things available in the SU are great, especially the student pub to watch rugby games and eat delicious, cheap food. Events are good too,

The Arts and Social Sciences library is very useful, easy to locate books needed. The staff there are very helpful and friendly as well. Lectures for English are in the Law Building and Biosciences as there aren't any in the John Percival Building. Those buildings can therefore be very busy. IT equipment can be temperamental in lectures which can disrupt presentations (Word and PowerPoint). Wide range of societies offered, locations not always ideal. SU has a nice atmosphere, can become very crowded at times. WiFi is mostly reliable, only occasionally faulty.

Dodgy wifi. Good clubs and societies and SU

Brilliant uni and is very inclusive of everyone

amazing university to go to, there is always something going on in cardiff, and the university campus is beautiful. Only downside is the Internet and high prices of food and drink is university building cafeterias and convenient shops.

Everything's great! Lovely people, nice city (although the weather could be better...) and the Uni is fantastic. The wi-fi could be better, but even then it isn't too bad and covers a huge area

Mental nights out, great teaching, easy to walk

Everything's in walking distance, loooooaadsss of clubs/societies to choose from, tutors are all friendly & helpful and always a great night out in Cardiff

could be closer to SU but still good

The Student Union is absolutely fantastic and always buzzing with positive energy! The Wi-Fi is great and free

Everything is close in Cardiff (apart from UniHall) and this makes everything easier. The SU is massive and has anything you'd need. Clubs give you the opportunity to try any sport you'd like (climbing, dance, rowing, caving etc.) in the beautiful Welsh countryside.

cardiff will make you work super hard but if you're willing to give it your best shot then they'll support you all the way

Buildings and facilities are great, all well explained.

The only thing I would say for those who like to game for freshers. You need to join the gaming society to register your console however, it's not the best because the total waiting time could result in a fortnight and even then there is no guarantee you'll be able to play online.

The university is great. Loads of options for societies. Lots of regular socials. Good value for money

Cardiff University is a great place to study and socialise. The city has everything to offer from shopping to nightlife, sporting events and festivals. Cardiff is also continently located just a short drive away from the Brecon Beacons - a beautiful mountain range where you can hike to the peak of Pen Y Fan and gaze over the surrounding rolling hills. The University itself has a vast array of societies and activities to get involved with.

Had a very poor experience here. University very poor value for money.

Really enjoy my time at Cardiff Uni, the business school is great for lectures and cafes!