Cardiff University
HESA lists the provider as Cardiff University. This page only uses figures we could read on a cited page on 6 November 2026.
Checked 6 November 2026. Figures can change. Tell us if a figure is wrong.
- 31,505 studentsHESA total, 2024/25
- Living-cost band: midOur label, method below
- Campus vs city: cityCathays residences and Heath Park
Enrolment
HESA’s statistical bulletin SB273, Figure 7, academic year 2024/25, lists Cardiff University (UKPRN 10007814) with a published total of 31,505 HE student enrolments.
The same row publishes Total UK 26,455 (England 15,815, Wales 10,215, Scotland 75, Northern Ireland 250, Other UK 100) and Total non-UK 5,040 (EU 380, non-EU 4,660), plus Not known 10. The published Total UK, Total non-UK and Not known add up to that total. Inner components are also rounded and need not add up to those subtotals.
Source: HESA, Higher Education Student Statistics: UK, 2024/25, Where students come from and go to study, Figure 7. Published 27 January 2026. Accessed 6 November 2026.
Residences rent list, 2026/2027
Cardiff’s rent PDF for session 2026/2027 says there are no additional charges for utilities or the university internet, and that rents are for single occupancy except couples and family residences. Contract periods include vacations.
The lowest single-occupancy weekly figure is £131.81 for a small shared-bathroom room in student houses on Colum Road and in the Village. The 40-week total on that row is £5,272.40 (23 September 2026 to 30 June 2027). £131.81 times 40 equals that total. The highest single-occupancy weekly figure is £235.44 for a studio at Clodien House on the full-year contract (23 September 2026 to 17 September 2027), total £12,074.71. We quote both columns. We have not forced that full-year row into a week count.
The PDF’s highest weekly figure overall is £290.01 for a couples/family 3 bedroom house at North Road on the full-year contract, total £14,873.37. The PDF says that block is not single occupancy, so it is not the student-room range above. A car parking permit, where available, is £195 for September 2026 to June 2027, paid in full. That is not a room rent.
| Room | Weekly figure | Total on that row | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student houses, shared bathroom, small | £131.81 | £5,272.40 | 40 weeks, 23 Sep 2026 – 30 Jun 2027 |
| Clodien House, studio | £235.44 | £12,074.71 | Full year, 23 Sep 2026 – 17 Sep 2027 |
Source: List of rents, session 2026/2027 (PDF). Accessed 6 November 2026.
Private rent
A private-rent figure is not stated in the 2026/2027 rent list we checked. We are not inventing one.
Transport
The residences browse page prints walking times rather than a bus fare. Examples it gives include 3 minutes from Aberdare Hall to the Main Building, and 25 minutes from Clodien House to the Main Building with 5 minutes to Heath Park. Those times are the university’s, not measurements we made. A student bus fare is not in the rent PDF. A 16–25 Railcard price stays on the Railcard site. The optional £195 parking permit is in the halls section.
Sources: Browse accommodation, the rent list and 16–25 Railcard. Accessed 6 November 2026.
Campus and city
City, with more than one site. The rent list and the residences page cover Cathays-area halls, student houses and Clodien House for Heath Park. Rooms are not on one out-of-town campus only. That is a description, not a rating.
Why we use this living-cost band
Editorial label, not a university score and not a prediction of your room. We use “mid” because Cardiff is outside London and the university’s own 2026/2027 rent list starts single-occupancy rooms at £131.81 a week. Studios on that list reach £235.44 a week. The label is not your room.
Money support
A hardship award amount is not stated in the 2026/2027 rent list. We are not inventing one. Cardiff Students’ Union advice is the advice page we could open on 6 November 2026.
A bursary tariff is not stated in the rent list we checked. We are not inventing one.
Cardiff Students’ Union advice is the students’ union advice address that opened when we checked. Accessed 6 November 2026.
Which student-finance body you use depends on where you normally live, not simply where you study. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have their own route. See student loans.
Banking
The student accounts in our banking guide are UK-wide products. We have not counted branches near this university, so we do not name a best branch. Each account we list can be managed in an app or online. Check the provider for what you can do without a branch. We are not repeating overdraft limits here.
Local links that matter
- List of rents 2026/2027 (PDF) — official room prices.
- Students’ Union advice — advice, not a discount code.
- 16–25 Railcard — price on the Railcard site.
Direct links only. No affiliate parameters.
Similar universities
Links below are other guides in this set of 12. They are not a ranking.
- University of Bristol — the nearest other university in this set.
Sources
Every cost and enrolment figure above is tied to one of these. Accessed 6 November 2026 unless the row says otherwise.
- HESA, Figure 7, SB273, 2024/25. Where students come from and go to study. Published 27 January 2026. UKPRN 10007814.
- Cardiff University, List of rents, session 2026/2027 (PDF).
- Cardiff University, Browse accommodation.
- Cardiff Students’ Union, Advice.
- Rail Delivery Group, 16–25 Railcard.
Student life
For clubs and societies, start with Cardiff Students’ Union. We are not scoring nightlife. The rent list does not print a social-spend figure.