Rising student numbers are helping to drive 21-st century investment at Cardiff Metropolitan University with an expansion into low-carbon futures and environmental sustainability. At number six in the People and Planet league of UK universities in 2023-24 — which ranks an institution by its environmental and ethical performance — Cardiff Met is aiming for net zero carbon emissions by 2030. 

Cardiff Met also aspires to be the leading Welsh sporting university. Sport has long been a strength — on the pitch as well as in the lecture hall. The university’s Cyncoed campus is already the base for governing bodies including Welsh Athletics and Team Wales, which prepares for competition in the Commonwealth Games. Forty athletes from Cardiff Met competed in Birmingham in 2022. 

New university investments will tone up the university’s sporting provision with a strength and conditioning facility and improved pitch-side facilities for rugby and hockey.

What is Cardiff Metropolitan University’s reputation?

A former winner of our Welsh University of the Year award (2021), and runner-up for the 2024 title, Cardiff Met has been transforming its curriculum adding more than 40 degrees over the past five years and launching a School of Technologies – which joined schools of art and design, education and social policy, sport and health sciences, and management.

In the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) the university climbed to 78th, up from 107th based on the previous REF 2014. Four times as many staff submitted work for assessment and 79 per cent was judged world-leading or internationally excellent. Sport produced the best results, with 88 per cent in the top two categories, and there were good results in art and design, too.

The university launched three global academies in 2020 — in health and human performance; food science, safety and security; and human-centred design — which have since provided opportunities for undergraduate student projects and placements.

Feedback from the National Student Survey has improved markedly, our latest NSS analysis shows: Cardiff Met has leapt 52 places to 52nd for student satisfaction with teaching quality and 48 places to 49th for the wider undergraduate experience. Better scores here have had an impact on the university’s position in our main academic rankings, up 12 places to 66=. 

Unusually, Cardiff Met has as many students enrolled on its degrees via a network of 13 partner colleges around the world as it does at the main site. The links provide opportunities for students to leave Wales for periods from two weeks to a semester in a partner college in countries including Greece, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Oman. 

What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available? 

BSc courses have been introduced in 2024 for law and criminology, and in 2025 for health and wellbeing, and psychology and criminology. The School of Art and Design will also begin offering BA degree courses in game art, and interior architecture.  

What are Cardiff Metropolitan University’s entry requirements – and my chances of getting in?

Entry requirements range from 80 Ucas tariff points (CDD at A-level) to 128 (ABB). Contextual admissions apply to all courses, offering a one-grade reduction. Just over a fifth (22 per cent) of new students enrolled via clearing in 2023.

What are the graduate prospects?

In our analysis of the proportion of graduates in highly skilled work or further study within 15 months, Cardiff Met’s charge up our table in recent years has been arrested. The university has fallen 11 places to 75=. Across all five of the university’s academic schools there are links with industry partners. John Lewis Cardiff regularly showcases the work of fashion design students, for instance, and has provided work experience. The School of Technologies fosters relationships with local organisations including Bipsynch, LexisNexis and SkyAcademy to help students land work placements and graduate jobs. Support for graduate start-ups is provided through the university’s Centre for Entrepreneurship.

What is Cardiff Metropolitan University’s campus like?

Both of Cardiff Met’s campuses at Llandaff and Cyncoed are close to the city centre. The Cyncoed campus is the main site for student housing and sport; its £7 million National Indoor Athletics Centre has a six-lane 140m straight, and competition-standard long jump, high jump and pole vault pits as well as physiotherapy and sports medicine facilities. Cyncoed also hosts an archers’ arena, tennis and fitness centres, grass pitches, 3G pitches, a swimming pool, sprung-floor gym and indoor centre.

At Llandaff, a new drone research studio has been added at the Cardiff School of Technologies. The School of Art and Design houses workshops for ceramics and fabric treatment to augmented reality technology and audio visual equipment.

The university hopes to reduce car journeys to campus and encourage students to use the Taff Trail, part of a popular national cycle route. It has been busy decarbonising facilities by changing to energy-efficient lighting and developing a renewable energy infrastructure. Improving biodiversity is another focus, with more areas for wildflowers. Since 2019 the university has had beehives and runs workshops for students on how to connect with nature.

Everything you need to know about Cardiff Metropolitan University’s student life and wellbeing support

Cardiff Met takes pride in its sense of community and friendly environment. The city itself is a thriving student hub — packed with nightlife, culture and sport. From students’ union activities to high-level competition through Bucs (British Universities and Colleges Sport), newcomers have no shortage of opportunities to get involved. Cardiff Met has Welsh Premier League sides in men’s and women’s football, and national and international sporting competitions.

For students struggling with their mental health and wellbeing, Cardiff Met offers a range of interventions based on their specific needs. Psychoeducational workshops explore ways to improve sleep and manage anxiety, and support includes one-to-one counselling and online help to develop healthy habits. The university has a “suicide safer” strategy and works with Papyrus, the national charity supporting young people at risk of taking their own life. During the summer, the university runs transition events — with tips on dealing with neurodiverse or mental health issues — to help new students get ready for the start of term. 

What do the students say?

“Cardiff Met is the capital of warm welcomes and there’s a place for everyone here. Cardiff as a city is big enough for you to explore and have the choice of city life or rural adventures, and equally as close-knit to feel like you belong here. As a students’ union we have really grown our societies and sports teams so that students can find their ‘tribe’ and try new activities.”
Natalia Mia-Roach, students' union president and sport and exercise science graduate

What about student accommodation at Cardiff Metropolitan University?

First-years are guaranteed a room as long as they make Cardiff Met their firm choice and apply by the end of May. More than a third of rooms owned or endorsed by the university are catered. Students must complete a compulsory halls induction course online, which includes sections on sexual consent, alcohol and drugs.

How diverse and inclusive is Cardiff Metropolitan University?

Two years ago Cardiff Met was in the top 30 in our social inclusion index. It slipped to 57t=  last year and is now 56th. To widen participation, the university is trying to encourage students who have been in care to apply for higher education and run courses in the community that can lead to progression to a foundation programme.

Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at Cardiff Metropolitan University

About a fifth of new students tend to qualify for financial assistance, according to 2023 figures. Awards include performance and elite sports scholarships; the Sanctuary award for refugees and asylum seekers — providing full tuition fee remission — and varying Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol awards worth up to £3,000 for applicants studying in the Welsh language.