Cardiff University is a member of the Russell Group, a group of 24 leading UK research intensive universities.
We are the 13th largest university in the UK in terms of student numbers with a total estimated income for 2020/21 of £605m.
In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 90% of our research was confirmed as world-leading or internationally excellent making us a top 20 university in the UK for the overall quality of our research.
- 33,985 students
- £116M in research contracts
- 72% student satisfaction
Our students
We have 33,985 students enrolled, representing over 138 countries in 2021/2022.
- 23,765 undergraduates
- 10,220 postgraduates (1,680 Postgraduate Research, 8,545 Postgraduate Taught)
- 7,530 international students (non-UK EU included)
- 72% overall satisfaction in National Student Survey 2021
- 1,000 students volunteer in the local community each year.
Student number confirmed by Higher Education Student Statistics (HESA), 2021/22.
Our graduates
Our graduates are sought-after by employers - more so than most other major UK universities.
- 96% of our graduates were in employment and/or further study, due to start a new job or course, or doing other activities, such as travelling (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20).
- 180,000 alumni across the globe from more than 180 countries.
Our research
We have a world-leading research community with a strong and broad research base:
- we are a top 20 university in the UK for the overall quality of our research (19th) impact (11th) and environment (16th) REF 2021
- we are 14th in the UK for Research Power which demonstrates the scale and quality of our research REF 2021
- our research grants and contracts awarded in 2019/20 have exceeded £150m
- we have won seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes
- an independent survey has ranked us as 3rd in the UK for spinout success for two years in succession, measuring the ability to convert research into high-value companies (Octopus Ventures, 2019, 2020)
- we are 5th in the UK for the total number of intellectual property licence numbers for SMEs in 2019/20*
- we are 12th in the UK for the total number of new patent applications filed in 2019/20*
- we are 16th in the UK for total intellectual property income in 2019/20*
- we are 17th in the UK for estimated turnover (£21.3m) of all active graduate start-ups in 2018/19*
- our researchers include two Nobel Prize winners - Professor Sir Martin Evans and Professor Robert Huber
Graduate Outcomes
- Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency, latest Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20, published by HESA in June 2022.
- Copyright contains HESA Data: Copyright Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited 2021. The Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived by third parties from its data.