Cardiff University

Set amongst the grand buildings of the city’s Civic Centre, the Cardiff University boasts a fantastic location in the capital of Wales. With a train station beneath the student union building you can get from the main train station (2½ hours west from London) in a matter of minutes.

The campus spreads around the Civic Centre and includes some grand buildings, while the Student Union, very much the epicentre of Cardiff student life, sits squarely opposite the main building, right at the heart of the university. Immediately over the train tracks is the student district of Cathays with its bars and takeaway restaurants. As a result, there’s a strong feeling of being in a student area while wandering about the campus, which gives Cardiff a friendly, but lively vibe.

Former students include the Prime Minister of Jordan Faisal al-Fayez, newsreader Huw Edwards, TV presenter Adrian Chiles, and weatherwoman Sîan Lloyd.

"The great thing about going to University is the fact you meet ALL kinds of people, and then some! It's a bit like when the Wizard of Oz turns into colour. The whole of life is there. Some you'll love, one or two you'll hate, but the point is that for the first time in your life you'll be meeting people from totally different backgrounds from yourself. And it's totally fascinating. It makes you into a different sort of person, a more interesting person, if truth be told. One of my best friends was Egyptian, another an English aristocrat and a third a tough cookie from Dundee. Going to University was the making of me. Yes, I missed too many lectures, had too many lie-ins and too many late nights, and I'm ashamed to admit, got my degree through an almighty last minute cramming effort! But I got there and had a ball along the way. It was the biggest laugh of my life, but more importantly, set me up for life." Sian Lloyd, Cardiff University