2 best universities in Cardiff 2024

Wales is a small principality: it is distinguished by breathtaking landscapes, beautiful coastal areas with a developed tourist infrastructure. The mountains, hills, rivers of Wales allow you to avoid the hustle and bustle of megacities, and studying in the capital of the region, Cardiff, allows you to get vivid impressions of staying in a big city. Many music festivals are held in the region, 6 UNESCO World Heritage Sites are located. Wales is distinguished by some of the lowest prices in the UK, which allows you to reduce the cost of accommodation, travel, food.

Students make up 20% of Cardiff's population – a large influx of young people gives the city dynamics and liveliness. While studying at one of the prestigious universities in Cardiff, the foreign students will find a lot of interesting discoveries about Welsh culture.

There are two foreign languages in Wales – English and Welsh. Although the locals are great patriots of the national language, English is widespread everywhere, including as the language of studying in universities in Cardiff.

There are several large educational institutions in Cardiff with a rich history and developed infrastructure. The education system is in many ways similar to the British one, and the graduation of degrees corresponds to the system approved by the Bologna process (bachelor's degree, master's degree, PhD). Cardiff University is among the top 154 universities in the world according to the QS World University Rankings 2019/20.

Usually students enter the university after the age of 18. The educational programs offered by universities are diverse in content and duration. Higher education programs are mainly funded by the State.

The State does not control the university curriculum, but controls the university admission procedure and standards of study through the Higher Education Funding Council of Wales. The duration of study at the best universities in Cardiff is three years, upon graduation, the graduate is awarded a bachelor's degree. Now many universities have begun to offer a master's degree as part of higher education. The studying in such programs is four years.

The traditional system of postgraduate education includes master's degree programs (the duration of study is one year) and postgraduate studies for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (thee duration of study is three years).

• Cardiff University is a non–profit public higher education institution offering courses, programs leading to bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees. The diverse student population consists of students from more than 100 countries with different experiences. Teachers are guided by creativity, curiosity, and many of them are leaders in their fields who create a stimulating learning environment.
• University of South Wales is a non–profit public higher education institution located in the small town of Pontypridd. The educational institution has branches in Cardiff, Newport, Dubai. The University of South Wales (UNSW) is a large coeducational institution of higher education (25,000-30,000 students). It adheres to a selective admission policy based on past academic performance and student grades. The university is located in Treforest, Pontypridd, has campuses in Glintaff (Faculty of Health, Sports, Science), Merthyr Tydfil (Faculty of Continuing Education). In September 2007, the university opened a new campus in central Cardiff, named "ATRiuM" — the Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries is located here. The Newport City Campus houses the Faculties of Arts, Business and Entrepreneurship.
• Cardiff Metropolitan University is a public university with a student population of up to 15,000 people. This higher education institution has a selective admission policy: the admission range is 0-10%, which makes this British higher education organization one of the most selective institutions. The university provides students from all over the world with a practical, professionally oriented education. Thanks to excellent experience in the field of applied research, backed by extensive experience and advanced knowledge, university research has direct application in business, industry, the professional world, society as a whole.

The competition to the TOP universities in Cardiff is considered the highest among universities in the UK. For admission to the universities in Cardiff, the foreign students, as well as residents of the UK, must apply through the UCAS system (ucas.com ). In order to start education in September next year, an application can be submitted in September of this year. The deadline for submitting applications is June 30, but it is recommended to fill out the application as early as possible, since groups for some specialties are recruited quite quickly. The recommended period is from September to January. For medical specialties, the application deadline is October 15.

English language proficiency requirements vary depending on the course and faculty. The average scores of IELTS applicants are in the range of 6.0-7.0. For preparatory courses, a score of 5.5 is sufficient (for both bachelor's and master's degrees). For an MBA program, it is desirable to have IELTS results at least 7.0.

As a rule, most international students first complete a one-year preparatory program. This is due to the fact that a number of countries have adopted 11-stage secondary education (for example, in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, CIS countries, Japan, China, Brazil), and the English pre-university education system is designed for at least 12 years. The preparatory program at the best universities in Manchester makes up for the required year and prepares for admission. The foreign students are offered three types of such programs: INTO, aimed at studying academic English and preparing for the first year, as well as engineering and natural science programs.

In addition to successfully passed tests, translated and certified educational documents are required — certificates, diplomas, if the applicant is still studying. Recommendations from former teachers are also needed.