It is the only Welsh university in the Russell Group. The university is made up of two large campuses, both close to the centre of Cardiff. Heath Park, a mile to its north, is on the fringe of 100 acres of parkland and playing fields. With the exception of Pharmacy and Optometry, it houses the university’s healthcare schools, sharing the site with the University Hospital of Wales. Study areas and IT facilities are open around the clock and, as well as libraries and lecture theatres, there is a swimming pool, fitness suite and squash court.

Professors at Cardiff have won many prestigious awards including two Nobel Prizes, one in Chemistry and the other in Medicine. Many have been selected to join the likes of the British Academy and Royal Academy of Engineering, while the university itself has been awarded six Queen’s Anniversary Prizes.

It has an alumni network of 145,000, drawn from over 180 countries. Notable graduates include BBC newsreader Huw Edwards, the Olympic gold medallist Nicole Cooke, and a previous national poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke.