Cardiff, University of Wales Institute

Cardiff, University of Wales Institute

Age: 13

History: Its roots go back to 1865 when Cardiff School of Art opened its doors. Over the years it changed into the South Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education. Became Cardiff Institute of Higher Education in 1990 and a university in 1996, changing its name to the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC)

Address: Four campuses within three-mile radius of the centre of Cardiff.

Ambience: Upbeat and bustling. Offers courses with a career-focused edge. Cyncoed campus, housing teacher training, sport and the students union HQ, is in a posh suburb. Llandaff campus, home of health sciences and art and design, is next to the A48 and just a 10 minute walk from Llandaff village. Colchester Avenue campus is the current location for the Cardiff School of Management and the Celtic Suite, a restaurant which is open to the public and operated under supervision by students as part of their hospitality management training programme. It is just outside the city centre. Howard Gardens campus in the city centre is the "alternative" one for art and design students. Cardiff is a friendly city with beaches, hills and nature paths nearby.

Vital statistics: Part of the University of Wales since 1996, has more than 4,000 full-time undergrads, plus nearly 4,000 part-timers, and over 3,500 postgrads.

Added value: Hot for sport, health, teaching and art. Sporty student vibe and excellent facilities, including the famous National Indoor Athletics Centre as well as a National Lawn Tennis Association Centre and a sports centre to enable the disabled and able-bodied to train side by side. A recent investment of £50m in the Estates Strategy sees the construction of a range of state-of-the-art facilities at UWIC including a new home for the Cardiff School of Management at the Llandaff campus, a new Food Industry Centre building and a multi-purpose Campus Centre. This focus on UWIC’s estate will further enhance the student experience and improve research facilities.

Easy to get into? Committed to widening access. Courses ask for between 140 and 320 UCAS entry points. There are four applications per place on average.

Glittering alumni: Gareth Edwards, rugby player; Lynn Davies, Olympic Gold Medallist; Michael Buerk, newsreader; Owen Powell of Catatonia; Simon Fowler of Ocean Colour Scene; John Inverdale, TV presenter; Julien Macdonald, fashion designer; and Ryan Jones, current captain of the Wales rugby team.

Transport links: UWIC is conveniently located on four campuses in the city of Cardiff, with excellent road links via the M4. Rail links and public transport provide access to shopping, nightlife and leisure activities. Students have free transport between all campuses and the city centre through Wales’ largest university bus service, the UWIC Rider.

Who's the boss? Psychologist Professor Antony Chapman, former Senior Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales.

Teaching: 42rd out of 113 for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2008.

Research: 94nd out of 113 in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.

Overall ranking: Came 65th out of 113 in the Independent's Complete University Guide 2010.

Nightlife: Energetic Students' Union owns its own city centre nightclub and bar.

How green is it? Quite poor – 94th out of 131 in the People and Planet 2009 Green League.

Any accommodation? Yes, around £75 per week for a self-catering university place; £108 for catered.

Cheap to live there? Oh yes. Private rents in Cardiff are some of the cheapest in the UK, at around £50 per week. In fact, a recent Royal Bank of Scotland survey declared that the city was the cheapest place for students to study in the UK.

Sports Ranking: Very good; 14th out of 144 in the BUCS league table.

Prospectus: 029 2041 6044; www.uwic.ac.uk

UCAS code: C20