, latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption =

Coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1883 (/)
2005 (independent university status) , type =

Public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

, endowment = £45.5 million (2021) , budget = £603.4 million (2020–21) , total_staff = 6,900 (2019/20) , academic_staff = 3,350 (2019/20) , chancellor =

Jenny Randerson Jennifer Elizabeth Randerson, Baroness Randerson (born 26 May 1948) is a Welsh Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords. She is former junior minister in the Wales Office serving in the Cameron–Clegg coalition. Prior to her peerage she ...

, vice_chancellor =

Colin Riordan Colin Riordan (born 27 July 1959 in Paderborn, Germany) is a British academic who has been President and Vice-Chancellor at Cardiff University since 1 September 2012. Education Professor Riordan obtained his PhD from the University of Manchest ...

, students = () , undergrad = () , postgrad = () , other = , city =

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, country =

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, coor = , campus =

Urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

, colours = , mascot = , affiliations =

Russell Group The Russell Group is a self-selected association of twenty-four public university, public research university, research universities in the United Kingdom. The group is headquartered in Cambridge and was established in 1994 to represent its memb ...

EUA

Universities UK Universities UK (UUK) is an advocacy organisation for universities in the United Kingdom. It began life in the early 20th century through informal meetings of vice-chancellors of a number of universities and principals of university colleges and ...

GW4 GW4 (also known as GW4 Alliance or Great Western 4) is a consortium of four research intensive universities in South West England and Wales. It was formed in January 2013 by the universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter to enhance resea ...

, website
cardiff.ac.uk
, logo = Cardiff University (logo)

Cardiff University ( cy, Prifysgol Caerdydd) is a

public research university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national university ...

. It was established in 1883 as the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire and became a founding college of the

University of Wales The University of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Prifysgol Cymru'') is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff � ...

in 1893. It merged with the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology (UWIST) in 1988 as the University of Wales College, Cardiff (University of Wales, Cardiff, from 1996). In 1997 it received

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

-awarding powers, but held them in abeyance. It adopted the operating name of Cardiff University in 1999; this became its legal name in 2005, when it became an independent university awarding its own degrees. Cardiff University is the only Welsh member of the

of research-intensive British universities. Academics and alumni of the university have included three heads of state or government, two Nobel Prize winners, 15 fellows of the Royal Society, 11 fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering, seven fellows of the British Academy, 21 fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences and 34 fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences.

Present status

Cardiff University is the third oldest university in Wales and contains three colleges: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; and Physical Sciences and Engineering. In 2018–2019, Cardiff had a turnover of £537.1 million, including £116.0 million in research grants and contracts. It has an undergraduate enrolment of and a total enrolment of (according to HESA data for ) making it one of the ten largest UK universities. The

Cardiff University Students' Union Cardiff Students' Union (CSU, Welsh:''Undeb Myfyrwyr Caerdydd'') is the Students' Union for Cardiff University and is located in Cardiff, Wales. Cardiff Students' Union supports over 200 student societies and 60 sports clubs with more than ...

works to promote student interests in the university and further afield.

History

University College

Discussions on the founding of a university college in

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

began in 1879, when a group of Welsh and English MPs urged the government to consider the poor provision of higher and intermediate

education in Wales This article provides an overview of education in Wales from early childhood to university and adult skills. Largely state funded and free-at-the-point-of-use at a primary and secondary level, education is compulsory for children in Wales aged f ...

and "the best means of assisting any local effort which may be made for supplying such deficiency." In October 1881,

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

's government appointed a departmental committee to conduct "an enquiry into the nature and extent of intermediate and higher education in Wales", chaired by

Lord Aberdare Baron Aberdare, of Duffryn in the County of Glamorgan, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 23 August 1873 for the Liberal politician Henry Bruce. He served as Home Secretary from 1868 to 1873. His grandson, the thi ...

and consisting of

Viscount Emlyn A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a Title#Aristocratic titles, title used in certain European countries for a nobility, noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-he ...

, Reverend Prebendary H. G. Robinson, Henry Richard,

John Rhys John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and

Lewis Morris Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Continen ...

. The

Aberdare Report Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare, (16 April 1815 – 25 February 1895), was a British Liberal Party politician, who served in government most notably as Home Secretary (1868–1873) and as Lord President of the Council. Background and e ...

, as it came to be known, took evidence from a wide range of sources and over 250 witnesses and recommended a college each for North Wales and South Wales, the latter to be located in

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

and the former to be the established ''University College of Wales'' in Aberystwyth (now

Aberystwyth University , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...

). The committee cited the unique Welsh national identity and noted that many students in Wales could not afford to travel to University in England or Scotland. It advocated a national degree-awarding university for Wales, composed of regional colleges, which should be non-sectarian in nature and exclude the teaching of theology. Statue of John Viriamu Jones

After the recommendation was published, Cardiff Corporation sought to secure the location of the college in Cardiff, and on 12 December 1881 formed a University College Committee to aid the matter. There was competition to be the site between

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

and Cardiff. On 12 March 1883, after arbitration, a decision was made in Cardiff's favour. This was strengthened by the need to consider the interests of

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...

, at that time not legally incorporated into Wales, and the greater sum received by Cardiff in support of the college, through a public appeal that raised £37,000 and a number of private donations, notably from the

Lord Bute John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, (; 25 May 1713 – 10 March 1792), styled Lord Mount Stuart between 1713 and 1723, was a British nobleman who served as the 7th Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1762 to 1763 under George III. He was arguabl ...

and Lord Windsor. In April Lord Aberdare was appointed as the college's first president. The possible locations considered included

Cardiff Arms Park Cardiff Arms Park ( cy, Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British E ...

, Cathedral Road, and Moira Terrace,

Roath Roath ( cy, Y Rhath) is a district and community to the north-east of the city centre of Cardiff, capital of Wales. There is no community council for the area which is mostly covered by the Plasnewydd electoral ward, and stretches from Adamsdow ...

, before the site of the Old Royal Infirmary buildings on Newport Road was chosen. The ''University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire'' opened on 24 October 1883 with courses in Biology, Chemistry, English, French, German, Greek, History, Latin, Mathematics and Astronomy, Music, Welsh, Logic and Philosophy, and Physics. It was incorporated by

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...

the following year, this being the first in Wales to allow the enrolment of women, and specifically forbidding religious tests for entry.

John Viriamu Jones John Viriamu Jones, FRS (2 January 1856 – 1 June 1901), was a Welsh scientist, who worked on measuring the ohm, and an educationalist who was instrumental in establishing the University of Sheffield and Cardiff University. (Reproduced on the ...

was appointed as the university's first principal at the age of 27. As Cardiff was not an independent university and could not award its own degrees, it prepared its students for examinations of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

or for further study at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

. In 1888 the University College at Cardiff and that of North Wales (now

Bangor University , former_names = University College of North Wales (1884–1996) University of Wales, Bangor (1996–2007) , image = File:Arms_of_Bangor_University.svg , image_size = 250px , caption = Arms ...

) proposed to the University College Wales at Aberystwyth joint action to gain a university charter for Wales, modelled on that of Victoria University, a confederation of new universities in Northern England. Such a charter was granted to the new

in 1893, allowing the colleges to award degrees as members. The Chancellor was set ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

'' as the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

, and the position of operational head would rotate among heads of the colleges. In 1885,

Aberdare Hall Aberdare Hall ( cy, Neuadd Aberdâr) is a Grade II-listed Gothic revival hall of residence at Cardiff University in Wales. It was built at the end of the nineteenth century. History Aberdare Hall was established in 1883 by the University Coll ...

opened as the first hall of residence, allowing women access to the university. This moved to its current site in 1895, but remains a single-sex hall. In 1904 came the appointment of the first female associate professor in the UK,

Millicent Mackenzie Millicent Hughes Mackenzie (1863 in Bristol – 10 December 1942 in Brockweir) was a British professor of education at University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, the first female professor in Wales and the first appointed to a fully ch ...

, who in 1910 became the first female full professor at a fully chartered UK university. In 1901 Principal Jones persuaded Cardiff Corporation to give the college a five-acre site in Cathays Park (instead of selling it as they would have done otherwise). Soon after, in 1905, work on a new building commenced under the architect W. D. Caröe. Money ran short for the project, however. Although the side-wings were completed in the 1960s, the planned Great Hall has never been built. Caroe sought to combine the charm and elegance of his former (

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

) with the picturesque balance of many

colleges. On 14 October 1909 the "New College" building in Cathays Park (now Main Building) was opened in a ceremony involving a procession from the "Old College" in Newport Road. In 1931, the School of Medicine, founded as part of the college in 1893 along with the Departments of Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Pharmacology, was split off to form the Welsh National School of Medicine, which was renamed in 1984 the

University of Wales College of Medicine The Cardiff University School of Medicine ( cy, Ysgol Feddygaeth Prifysgol Caerdydd) is the medical school of Cardiff University and is located in Cardiff, Wales, UK. Founded in 1893 as part of the University College of South Wales and Monmou ...

. In 1972, the institution was renamed ''University College Cardiff''.

1988 merger

In 1988, University College Cardiff underwent financial difficulties, and a declaration of insolvency was considered. This led to a merger with the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology (UWIST), to form the ''University of Wales College of Cardiff''. The Principal of the new institution was Sir Aubrey Trotman-Dickenson, who had been the principal of UWIST. After changes to the constitution in 1996, its name was changed to the ''University of Wales, Cardiff''. In the early 1990s, the university's computer systems served as the home for

The Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, p ...

Independence and 2004 merger

In 1997, the college was granted full independent degree-awarding powers by the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

, though, as a member of the University of Wales it could not begin using them, and in 1999 the public name of the university was changed to Cardiff University. In 2002, ideas were floated to merge Cardiff again with the

, after publication of the Welsh Assembly Government's review of higher education in Wales. This merger became effective on 1 August 2004, when Cardiff University ceased to be a constituent of the University of Wales and became an independent "link institution" affiliated to the federal university. The process of the merger was completed on 1 December 2004, when the

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

transferring UWCM's assets to Cardiff University received Royal Assent. On 17 December it was announced that the

had given approval to the new Supplemental Charter and had granted university status to Cardiff, legally changing the name of the institution to Cardiff University. Cardiff awarded University of Wales degrees to students admitted before 2005, but these have been replaced by Cardiff degrees. Cardiff University Graduation Ceremony

In 2005, Wales College of Medicine, as part of the university, launched the North Wales Clinical School in

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

, in collaboration with the

North East Wales Institute of Higher Education North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

in Wrexham, the

University of Wales, Bangor Bangor University ( cy, Prifysgol Bangor) is a Public university, public university in Bangor, Gwynedd, Bangor, Wales. It received its Royal charter, Royal Charter in 1885 and was one of the founding institutions of the federal University of Wales ...

, and the National Health Service in Wales. This received funds of £12.5 million from the

Welsh Assembly The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh Gove ...

and trebled the number of trainee doctors in clinical training in Wales over a four-year period. The university also has a popular Centre for

Lifelong Learning Lifelong learning is the "ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated"Department of Education and Science (2000).Learning for Life: Paper on Adult Education Dublin: Stationery Office. pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons ...

, which has been teaching a wide range of courses for over 125 years. However, in July 2009, the university announced it was ending over 250 humanities courses at the centre, making over 100 staff redundant. The university has since reintroduced a number of humanities courses for a trial period beginning in 2010. In June 2010, the university launched three new research institutes, each offering a new approach to a major modern research issue. The Neurosciences and Mental Health Research Institute and the Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute are housed in the purpose-built

Hadyn Ellis Hadyn Ellis CBE DSc (25 October 1945 – 2 November 2006) was a Welsh psychologist who was influential in the field of face processing and who had some 160 publications to his name. For the largest part of his career he worked at Cardiff Unive ...

Building, and in the Sustainable Places Research Institute. Another part of the Science and Development Campus, the

Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre The Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC) is a brain imaging centre, part of Cardiff University's Science and Innovation Campus in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. When it expanded in 2016, it was considered the most advanced ...

(CUBRIC), opened in June 2016 for

neuroimaging Neuroimaging is the use of quantitative (computational) techniques to study the structure and function of the central nervous system, developed as an objective way of scientifically studying the healthy human brain in a non-invasive manner. Incre ...

research.

Campus

Academic facilities

The university's academic facilities are centred around

Cathays Park Cathays Park ( cy, Parc Cathays) or Cardiff Civic Centre is a civic centre area in the city centre of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, consisting of a number of early 20th century buildings and a central park area, Alexandra Gardens. It in ...

in central Cardiff, which contains the university's grade II*

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

main building, housing administrative facilities and the science library, previously called the Drapers' library; the grade II listed

Bute building The Bute Building ( cy, Adeilad Bute) is a Cardiff University building in Cathays Park, Cardiff, Wales. It houses the Welsh School of Architecture. It is a Grade II listed building. The neoclassical building was designed by architects Percy ...

, which contains the

Welsh School of Architecture The Welsh School of Architecture (WSA) ( cy, Ysgol Bensaernïaeth Cymru) is an academic school of Cardiff University. It is generally regarded as a world leading school of architecture, and one of the top architecture schools in Britain. In 201 ...

, the grade I listed

Glamorgan building The Glamorgan Building ( cy, Adeilad Morgannwg) is a former county hall located at King Edward VII Avenue in Cathays Park, Cardiff, Wales. It was the headquarters of Glamorgan County Council from 1912 to 1974 and then of Mid Glamorgan County Co ...

, which houses the Cardiff Schools of Planning and Geography and Social Sciences, the Redwood Building (named in 1979 after the Redwood Family of Boverton near Llantwit Major by a 1978 suggestion by J. D. R. Thomas), which houses the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; the law building which houses the

Cardiff Law School Cardiff School of Law and Politics (also known as Cardiff Law School) () is part of Cardiff University in Cardiff, Wales. It confers LLB and LLM degrees for British and international students. Background In 1963, the Law Building (previou ...

; and the biosciences building, which provides facilities for both biosciences and medical teaching. The

School of Engineering Engineering education is the activity of teaching knowledge and principles to the professional practice of engineering. It includes an initial education ( bachelor's and/or master's degree), and any advanced education and specializations tha ...

, School of Computer Science and Informatics and School of Physics and Astronomy are located in the Queen's Buildings, off Newport Road, and the School of Journalism, Media and Culture at 2 Central Square. A number of university academic facilities are located at the Heath Park campus, based at the

University Hospital of Wales University Hospital of Wales ( cy, Ysbyty Athrofaol Cymru) (UHW), also known as the Heath Hospital, is a major 1,000-bed hospital in the Heath district of Cardiff, Wales. UHW is a teaching hospital of Cardiff University School of Medicine. Constr ...

. This covers the

Cardiff University School of Medicine The Cardiff University School of Medicine ( cy, Ysgol Feddygaeth Prifysgol Caerdydd) is the medical school of Cardiff University and is located in Cardiff, Wales, UK. Founded in 1893 as part of the University College of South Wales and Monmouth ...

, the School of Dentistry, the School of Healthcare Sciences, and the School of Optometry and Vision Sciences.

Athletics facilities

Most of the university's sports facilities are located at the sports training village in the Talybont Halls complex. This includes facilities for football, badminton, basketball, tennis, hockey and gym. Additional gym facilities and squash courts are located at the university fitness and squash centre, near the city centre campus at

. Extensive playing fields for

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

, football and

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

are located at the university playing fields near

Llanrumney Llanrumney ( cy, Llanrhymni) is a suburb, community and electoral ward in east Cardiff, Wales. Llanrumney was in Monmouthshire until it was incorporated into Cardiff in 1938. History The land where modern Llanrumney stands was left to Keynsham ...

. The university also utilises the nearby

Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...

for rugby fixtures such as the annual varsity tournament.

Organisation

Schools and colleges

The 26 academic schools of the university are divided into three colleges: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; and Physical Sciences. College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences *

Business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...

*English, Communication and Philosophy *Geography and Planning *History Archaeology and Religion * Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies * Law and Politics *Modern Languages *

Music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

*Social Sciences *Welsh College of Biomedical and Life Sciences *Biosciences *Dentistry *Healthcare Sciences *

Medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

*Optometry and Vision Sciences *Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences *Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education (Wales Deanery) *Psychology College of Physical Sciences and Engineering *

Architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

*Chemistry *Computer Science & Informatics *Earth and Environmental Sciences *

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

*Mathematics *Physics and Astronomy Cardiff also has a Doctoral Academy, that brings together the work of four previous discipline-based Graduate Schools and the postgraduate research activity of the university's Graduate Centre.

Finances

In the

financial year A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many j ...

ended 31 July 2012, Cardiff University had a total net income of £425.54 million. Key sources of income included £87.65 million from research grants and contracts, £117.36 million from Funding Council grants, £123.84 million from tuition fees and support grants and £3.17 million from endowment and investment income. During the 2011/12 financial year Cardiff had a capital expenditure of £14.29 million. At 31 July 2012 Cardiff had endowments of £25.58 million and total net assets of £402.86 million.

Academic profile

Reputation and rankings

Cardiff has two Nobel Laureates on its staff, Sir

Martin Evans Sir Martin John Evans (born 1 January 1941) is an English biologist who, with Matthew Kaufman, was the first to culture mice embryonic stem cells and cultivate them in a laboratory in 1981. He is also known, along with Mario Capecchi and Olive ...

and

Robert Huber Robert Huber (; born 20 February 1937) is a German biochemist and Nobel laureate. known for his work crystallizing an intramembrane protein important in photosynthesis and subsequently applying X-ray crystallography to elucidate the protein's st ...

. A number of Cardiff University staff have been elected as

Fellows of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemati ...

, these include

Graham Hutchings Graham John Hutchings CBE FRS FIChemE FRSC FLSW is a British chemist, Professor for Research at Cardiff University. He gained his BSc in 1972 at University College London, a PhD from University College in 1975 in Biological Chemistry and a DSc ...

FRS, professor of Physical Chemistry and Director of the Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry,

Ole Holger Petersen Ole Holger Petersen (born 3 March 1943) is a research professor at Cardiff University where he studies physiology, especially calcium signalling and the pancreas. He was born in 1943 in Copenhagen, the first son of Joergen Petersen, an offic ...

, MRC Professor and Director of Cardiff School of Biosciences. and John M. Pearce, Professor of Psychology. In 2013, Cardiff University was ranked as one of the best UK universities for supporting

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

students, by the charity Stonewall in its annual ''Gay by Degree'' guide. The university was one of only two in the UK and the only one in Wales to achieve top marks in a Stonewall checklist of priorities for LGBT+ students. Cardiff University was ranked joint 168th in Best Global Universities by

US News ''U.S. News & World Report'' (USNWR) is an American media company that publishes news, consumer advice, rankings, and analysis. It was launched in 1948 as the merger of domestic-focused weekly newspaper ''U.S. News'' and international-focused ...

in 2021. It was ranked 164th among universities around the world by

SCImago Institutions Rankings The SCImago Institutions Rankings (SIR) since 2009 has published its international ranking of worldwide research institutions, the SIR World Report. The SIR World Report is the work of the SCImago Research Group, Other subjects ranked within the top 100 are dentistry, and mineral and mining engineering (49) civil and structural engineering, geography, social policy and administration, pharmacy and pharmacology, English language and literature, psychology, and sociology.

Admissions

In terms of average

UCAS The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS ) is a UK-based organisation whose main role is to operate the application process for British universities. It operates as an independent charity, funded by fees charged to applicants an ...

points of entrants, Cardiff ranked 26th in Britain in 2018. The university gave offers of admission to 75.2 per cent of its applicants in 2015, the 13th lowest amongst the

. According to the 2017 ''Times'' and ''Sunday Times'' Good University Guide, approximately 15 per cent of Cardiff's undergraduates come from independent schools. In the 2016–2017 academic year, the university had a domicile breakdown of 76:5:19 of UK:EU:non-EU students respectively with a female to male ratio of 59:41.

Student life

Student accommodation

The university maintains 15 student halls and a number of student houses throughout the city of Cardiff; providing a total of 5,362 student places in accommodation. They are in a variety of architectural styles and ages, from the

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

, built in 1895, to the modern Talybont Gate Building, completed in 2014. All first-year students are guaranteed a place in university owned and managed halls. The Cardiff University Halls are: *Aberconway Hall *

*Cartwright Court *Clodien House *Colum Hall *Hodge Hall *Gordon Hall *Roy Jenkins Hall *Senghennydd Court *Senghennydd Hall *The Talybont 'Student Village' (Including Talybont North, South, Court and Gate Halls) *University Hall *Houses in Colum Road and Colum Place *Student Village Houses

Students' Union

The

is a student-run organisation aiming to promote student interests within the university and further afield. The Cardiff University Students' Union building is near

, next to

Cathays railway station Cathays railway station is a station on the Merthyr and Rhondda lines in the Cathays district of Cardiff, Wales. It is north of . The station is next to Cardiff University Students' Union and across the road from many Cardiff University build ...

. It has shops, a night club and the studios of

Xpress Radio , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

and Gair Rhydd, the student newspaper. It is democratically controlled by the student body through the election of seven full-time officers, who manage the running of the Union. The Union provides a range of services, including a number of cafes, bars and shops, as well as advice, training and representation. The Union is an affiliated member of the National Union of Students.

Groups and societies

The Union also supports over 260 other clubs and societies across a wide range of interests, including: Cardiff University Debating Society, and Act One, the student dramatic society. All clubs offer opportunities for beginners and the more experienced students.

Media

The Union provides facilities and support for several student media groups, including: '' Gair Rhydd'', an award-winning, free student newspaper that is released every Monday of term; ''Quench'', a monthly arts and lifestyle magazine that specialises in the local music scene as well as original investigative feature articles; and CUTV, the student television channel. Xpress Radio is the

student radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...

station. It broadcasts daily during term from studios in the Students' Union building, with programming such as comedy panel shows, new music showcases, local music showcases, and film reviews.

Athletics

The Cardiff University Athletic Union is the body that supports student sport at Cardiff, it oversees more than 60 competitive and non-competitive sports clubs, many of which compete in the

British Universities and Colleges Sport British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) is the governing body for higher education sport in the United Kingdom. BUCS was formed in June 2008 following a merger of British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) and University College Sport ...

league. The university's

Ice Hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team, the

Cardiff Redhawks The Cardiff Redhawks are a Welsh ice hockey team that play in the First and Third Divisions of the British Universities Ice Hockey Association, formed in 2004. They play their home games at Viola Arena, Cardiff, Wales. Introduction The Cardif ...

(which also recruits players from other Welsh universities) competes in the

British Universities Ice Hockey Association The British Universities Ice Hockey Association was founded in spring term 2003 by a group of hockey players from the universities of Oxford, London, Nottingham and Newcastle. History of the BUIHA The British Universities Ice Hockey Associat ...

leagues. The university's sports teams also take part in the annual

Welsh Varsity The Welsh Varsity is an annual sporting event contested by Cardiff University and Swansea University, usually in early April. The sports contested include rugby union, hockey, cricket, squash, badminton, lacrosse, rowing, golf, basketball, foot ...

against

Swansea University , former_names=University College of Swansea, University of Wales Swansea , motto= cy, Gweddw crefft heb ei dawn , mottoeng="Technical skill is bereft without culture" , established=1920 – University College of Swansea 1996 – University of Wa ...

, which includes the Welsh Boat Race, and several other sporting competitions. The Welsh Varsity rugby match has been described as "probably... the second biggest Varsity Game next to Oxford vs Cambridge". Cardiff participates in British Universities and Colleges Sport which manages a sporting framework of competitive fixtures and events for over 150 institutions around the UK. Cardiff registers nearly 100 teams in the various leagues and competitions each year and sees students travelling around the country to represent Cardiff University. In 2013 Cardiff team achieved 15th position overall across the 50 different sports hosting events.

Insignia and other representations

Motto

Cardiff University's motto is ''Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord''. The Welsh language, Welsh motto translates as ''Truth, Unity and Concord'' or ''Truth, Unity and Harmony''. It is taken from the prayer for the Church militant and church triumphant, Church militant as it appears in the Book of Common Prayer (1662), 1662 ''Book of Common Prayer''.

Coat of arms

Cardiff University's current coat of arms was granted by the College of Arms in 1988 following the merger of University College Cardiff and the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology. The coat of arms incorporates features from the heraldry of both former institutions. The three Chevron (insignia), chevrons are derived from the arms of the de Clare Lordship of Glamorgan, lords of Glamorgan. The open book signifies learning; on it are the crescent and Annulet (heraldry), annulet, Marks of Cadency, marks of cadence that indicate that University College Cardiff was the second of the University of Wales' institutions, and that the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology was the fifth. A notable feature of the arms are the Supporter (heraldry), supporters, which in heraldry are rarely granted to universities. The supporters are an angel from University College Cardiff and a Welsh Dragon from the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology. The Crest (heraldry), crest is a Welsh dragon in the stance of a lion; it stands on the Helmet (heraldry), helmet. Both the dragon and the helmet are distinguished by being front-facing rather than in profile as is more usually found in Welsh heraldry.

Notable alumni and faculty

Vice-Chancellors

List of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of Cardiff University and its predecessors (shown in brackets): *1883–1901 (University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire):

*1901–1918 (University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire): Ernest Howard Griffiths *1918–1929 (University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire): A.H. Trow *1929–1949 (University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire): Frederick Rees *1949–1966 (University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire): Anthony Steel (historian), Anthony Steel *1966–1972 (University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire): C. W. L. Bevan *1972–1987 (University College Cardiff): C. W. L. Bevan *1968–1988 (University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology): Aubrey Trotman-Dickenson, Sir Aubrey Trotman-Dickenson *1988–1993: Aubrey Trotman-Dickenson *1993–2001: Brian Smith (administrator), Brian Smith *2001–2012: David Grant (academic), David Grant *2012–present:

Heads of state and government

*Roy Jenkins, Lord Jenkins, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary, President of the European Commission and Chancellor of the University of Oxford (did not graduate) *Barham Salih, president of Iraq, former prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and former deputy prime minister of the Iraqi federal government *Faisal Al-Fayez, Prime Minister of Jordan

Politics

*David Bahati, State Minister of Finance for Planning in the Cabinet of Uganda *Christine Chapman, MS for Cynon Valley (Assembly constituency), Cynon Valley *Jeffrey Cuthbert, Gwent Police and Crime Commissioner, MS for Caerphilly (Assembly constituency), Caerphilly and Welsh Government Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty *Hefin David, MS for Caerphilly (Assembly constituency), Caerphilly *Wayne David, MP for Caerphilly (UK Parliament constituency), Caerphilly and UK Shadow Minister of State for Europe, Minister for Europe, Shadow Minister for Defence Procurement and Shadow Minister for the Armed Forces *S. O. Davies, miner, trade union official and Labour Party MP *Guto Harri, broadcaster, Communications Director for the Mayor of London *Elin Jones, MS for Ceredigion (Assembly constituency), Ceredigion, Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales and Welsh Government Minister for Rural Affairs *Fatou Sanyang Kinteh, Gambian Minister for Women's Affairs, Children and Social Welfare *Emyr Jones Parry, Sir Emyr Jones Parry, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations, British Permanent Representative to the United Nations *Glenys Kinnock, Member of the European Parliament, MEP and UK Foreign Office Minister *Neil Kinnock, MP for Bedwellty (UK Parliament constituency), Bedwellty and for Islwyn (UK Parliament constituency), Islwyn, Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party, Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposition *Mike Hedges (Welsh Politician), Mike Hedges, MS for Swansea East (Assembly constituency), Swansea East *Hilary Marquand, MP for Cardiff East (UK Parliament constituency), Cardiff East and Minister for Health. *Robert Minhinnick, co-founder of Friends of the Earth (Cymru) *Christopher Walter Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, advisor to Margaret Thatcher *Craig Oliver (media executive), Craig Oliver, Conservative Party Director of Communications *Adam Price, MS and leader of Plaid Cymru *Bill Rammell, MP for Harlow (UK Parliament constituency), Harlow *David Rees (politician), David Rees, MS for Aberavon (Assembly constituency), Aberavon and Deputy Presiding Officer of the Senedd Cymru. *David Richards (British Army officer), Lord Richards, Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom), Chief of the Defence Staff *Michael Shrimpton, barrister, politician, and conspiracy theorist *John Smith (Welsh politician), John Smith, MP for the Vale of Glamorgan (UK Parliament constituency), Vale of Glamorgan, member of the Defence Select Committee. *Brian Wilson (Labour politician), Brian Wilson, MP for Cunninghame North (UK Parliament constituency), Cunninghame North and Minister of State. *Mike Wood (Conservative politician), Mike Wood, MP for Dudley South (UK Parliament constituency), Dudley South

Academia

*Abedelnasser Abulrob, medical researcher *Miguel Alcubierre, Mexican theoretical physicist *Rudolf K. Allemann, Swiss biochemist *Gabrielle Allen, computer scientist *Robin Attfield, philosopher *Martin J. Ball, Emeritus Professor of Linguistics at

, Cymru/Wales *Paul E. A. Barbier, Professor of French at the University of Leeds *Yehuda Bauer, Professor of Holocaust Studies at the Avraham Harman Institute of Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem *Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge *Gregory Cameron, Bishop of St Asaph *Sheila Cameron (lawyer), Sheila Cameron, lawyer and ecclesiastical judge *Archie Cochrane, pioneer of scientific method in medicine *Peter Coles, Professor of Astrophysics *Paul Colton, Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross *David Crouch (historian), David Crouch, historian *Alun Davies (biologist), Alun Davies, bioscientist *Huw Dixon, economist *Stephen Dunnett, neuroscientist *Alice Laura Embleton, biologist, zoologist and suffragist. *

, Nobel Prize for Medicine 2007 *Mahmoud Ezzamel, professorial fellow *Dimitra Fimi, writer *John S. Fossey, Professor of synthetic chemistry at the University of Birmingham *Burt Goldberg, university professor, microbiologist *Karen Holford, engineer *

, Professor of Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 1988 *John Loughlin (professor), John Loughlin, Professor of Politics *Vaughan Lowe, Chichele Professor of Public International Law in the University of Oxford *Ursula Masson, women's history and feminism *Patrick Minford, Professor of Applied Economics *John Warwick Montgomery – American lawyer and theologian; Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy and Christian Thought at Patrick Henry College. *Christopher Norris (critic), Christopher Norris, literary critic *Keith Peters (medicine), Keith Peters, Regius Professor of Physic (Cambridge), Regius Professor of Physic in the University of Cambridge *Leighton Durham Reynolds, Emeritus Professor of Classical Languages and Literature, University of Oxford *Alice Roberts, clinical anatomist and Bioarchaeology, osteoarchaeologist *Wendy Sadler, physicist and science communicator *Henry Tanner (mathematician), H. W. Lloyd Tanner, Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy (1883–1909) *Pamela Taylor, Professor of Forensic Psychiatry since 2004 *Meena Upadhyaya, medical geneticist *Dominic Walker (bishop), Dominic Walker, Bishop of Monmouth *Keith Ward, philosopher, Gresham Professor of Divinity, Gresham College *Chandra Wickramasinghe, mathematician, astronomer and astrobiologist, Professor of Applied Mathematics *Rheinallt Nantlais Williams, professor of the philosophy of religion, principal of the United Theological College, Aberystwyth *Emma Yhnell, biomedical research scientist

Business

*Spencer Dale, Chief economist, Bank of England *Andrew Gould (businessman), Andrew Gould, chairman and former CEO, Schlumberger *Martin Lewis (financial journalist), Martin Lewis, personal finance journalist, television presenter and website entrepreneur *Mary Perkins, Dame Mary Perkins, co-founder, Specsavers *Ceri Powell, senior Royal Dutch Shell executive *John Pettigrew (businessman), CEO, National Grid plc *Lorenzo Simonelli, CEO, Baker Hughes Company

Sport

*Nathan Cleverly, professional boxer and former World Boxing Organization, WBO light heavyweight List of light heavyweight boxing champions, world champion *Gareth Davies (rugby player born 1955), Gareth Davies, former Wales national rugby union team, Wales and British and Irish Lions international rugby union player, and current chief executive of Cardiff RFC, Cardiff Rugby Football Club *Gerald Davies, former Wales national rugby union team, Wales and British and Irish Lions international rugby union player *Mike Hall (rugby union), Mike Hall, former Wales and British and Irish Lions international rugby union player *Heather Knight (cricketer), Heather Knight, English cricketer *Steven Outerbridge, Bermudian cricketer *Jamie Roberts, Wales national rugby union team, Wales and British and Irish Lions international rugby union player *James Tomlinson, English cricketer *Bradley Wadlan, Welsh cricketer *Alex Gough (squash player), Alex Gough, Squash player

Arts and journalism

*Paul Atherton, television and film producer and director *Matt Barbet, journalist *Manish Bhasin, journalist and television presenter *Nick Broomfield, documentary filmmaker and receiver of the BAFTA Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Documentary *Philip Cashian, composer *Suw Charman-Anderson, journalist and social software consultant. *Adrian Chiles, television presenter *Gillian Clarke, poet and receiver of the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry *Huw Edwards (journalist), Huw Edwards, journalist *Ken Elias, artist/painter *Max Foster, CNN anchor, CNN Today *M. A. Griffiths, poet *Julia Hartley-Brewer, journalist and television presenter *Jiang Heping, executive director of the China Central Television, CCTV Sports Programming Centre and Controller of CCTV-5 *Tim Hetherington, photo-journalist and co-director of Academy Award-nominated ''Restrepo (film), Restrepo'' *Elis James, stand-up comedian and actor *Alun Hoddinott, composer *Sioned James (1974-2016), choral conductor *Karl Jenkins, composer *Alan Johnston, journalist *Riz Khan, journalist and television interviewer *Bernard Knight, crime writer *Simon Lane, co-founder and Director (business), Creative director of The Yogscast Ltd *Gwilym Lee, actor. *Siân Lloyd, television presenter *Los Campesinos!, six piece indie pop band *Philip Madoc, actor *Paul Moorcraft, writer *Sharon Morgan, actress *Joanna Natasegara, documentary producer, Academy Award winner for Netflix documentary The White Helmets (film), The White Helmets *Siân Phillips, actress *Susanna Reid, television presenter *James Righton, musician *Leo Rowlands, Welsh musical composer, Catholic priest *Arlene Sierra, composer *Mari Strachan, novelist and librarian *Richard Tait, former BBC governor and BBC BBC Trust, trustee *Craig Thomas (author), Craig Thomas, author *Alex Thomson (journalist), Alex Thomson, journalist & television presenter *Vedhicka, Indian actress *Grace Williams, composer *Ron Smerczak actor

Workload controversy

On 19 February 2018, Malcolm Anderson, a university lecturer committed suicide by jumping off a university building and died at age 48. The inquiry determined that Anderson's suicide was the result of a high-pressure workload. In 2020, Grace Krause, a PhD student employed at Cardiff University started experiencing headaches and back pain after lengthy work at a computer. She Twitter, tweeted that "Staff are marking hundreds of essays in an impossibly short time. It is exhausting. Everyone is in crisis mode. Stressed, moody, morose, everyone feels like they’re drowning." Soon after, an email from the university was sent to all PhD students asking for these comments to be deleted, in order to avoid negative media attention. This has since sparked a debate about freedom of speech between employers and employees.

References

External links

* {{authority control Cardiff University, Cathays Dental schools in Wales Education in Cardiff Educational institutions established in 1883 Organisations based in Wales with royal patronage Russell Group Universities UK 1883 establishments in Wales