We hope that your stay at Cardiff Met will be beneficial for you both academically and culturally. It will give you the opportunity to not only improve your written and spoken English but also to learn something of Welsh and British culture. To this affect, you should try to mix as much as possible with the other students you are studying with and not just with fellow Erasmus+ students.
Information on deadline dates, term dates and who to contact can be found by accessing the
Cardiff Met Fact Sheet.
Welcome to Cardiff Met
Located in a
vibrant European capital city, Cardiff Metropolitan University is a thriving and modern university. Integral to the city of Cardiff for more than 150 years, we continue to invest in our students' future with a focus on student employability and
enhancing the student experience ; providing education and training opportunities of the
highest quality to students from over 140 countries worldwide.
Cardiff Metropolitan University is made up of five Academic Schools:
Cardiff School of Art & Design
Cardiff School of Education & Social Policy
Cardiff School of Health Science
Cardiff School of Management
Cardiff Scho ol of Sport
All our schools specialise in
courses that are career orientated and have been designed in conjunction with business and industry. Each school is also heavily involved with research and enterprise activities in their fields and offer thriving study environments for our students. Our academic teams are at the forefront of their fields and are supported in developing their knowledge and skills through the University's staff review and development scheme.
Global Cardiff Met Ranked as the top
UK University for overall international student support six years in a row*, Cardiff Metropolitan University is proud to educate students from over 140 countries worldwide and be associated with a number of high-calibre partners in the UK and internationally. For further information please visit our
international and
partnerships web pages. *International Student Barometer (ISB) survey
Cardiff Metropolitan University is proud to be associated with such high-calibre partners in the UK and internationally. A number of different models of collaboration are employed, to ensure that the programmes meet the particular needs of students and employers as well as being of the highest quality.
Our students have many different reasons for choosing to study here. For some, the quality of the course is important; for others it is the social life and facilities offered by the city. A proportion of students tell us they chose Cardiff because the city does not leave them feeling overwhelmed; others wish to be close to their home. Whatever the reasons for choosing Cardiff, our students say that when they leave us at the end of their course they take with them memories of friendship, warmth and hospitality.
Your Programme
British students normally undertake three-year degrees. Cardiff Met is no exception to this. Students in Britain normally start studying at university at the age of 18. They graduate when they are 21. This means that you will notice that most students at Cardiff Met are slightly younger than yourself.
The degrees are split into three years (levels 4-6) and students study for Cardiff Met 120 credits (60 ECTS credits) per year (up to twelve modules in each year). These modules are taken across three Terms, (28 weeks in total). Term 1, Term 2 and Term 3. You should be studying around four modules per Term. Most modules go across the entire academic year rather than in just one term. British students also study in a progressive system of education in which the academic subjects develop over a three year period. For this purpose they are allocated to set groups which they retain for the whole three years of their study. This is similar to the system you may have had at school.
Your modules therefore will be restricted to level 5 (Year 2) of the Study Programme. There are two reasons for this, firstly timetabling issues mean that it is very difficult to have modules that cross different levels. The second reason is that incoming Erasmus+students have felt in the past that they have not been able to integrate effectively with British students because they do not share sufficient classes with them. By studying at one level this helps better integration.
Assessment
One of the main changes incoming Erasmus+ students find between Cardiff Met and their home institution relates to assessment. In Cardiff Met there is far more emphasis on different methods of assessment that are spread across the academic year. Students can expect one or two pieces of assessment per module per term. Assessment on the degree programmes is normally undertaken in the following ways:
Written: assessment through examination, case studies, portfolios, essays or reports
Oral: through seminar presentations or groups presentations.
You will be expected to undertake all assessment on any modules you undertake. Any exemptions from assessment can only be given by agreement with both the Programme Director, Module Tutor and Erasmus Co-ordinator. If you do not undertake the assessment then Cardiff Met will not recognise that your Erasmus+ placement was valid and will not endorse any Erasmus+ documentation.
The Programme Director will be responsible for ensuring that your grades are collected and allocated to your Cardiff Met profile.
Attendance
You are required to attend all lectures and seminars. There is 100 per cent attendance requirement.
If you are unable to attend for any reason you should contact your Course Director, if you cannot contact him/her you will need to e-mail
erasmus@cardiffmet.ac.uk. You must give details of the nature of the absence.
If it affects your work you will need to apply to go through the mitigating circumstances procedure. You can discuss this with your Course Director.
Applying to Cardiff Met
Accommodation
For halls of residence enquiries please contactAccommodation Services. Halls of Residence are mainly for first year undergraduate students. Some Erasmus+ students therefore find them to be too noisy for their own use and prefer to rent a house (a room within a house) directly. Other students, however, find them to be the best way to integrate with British students.You can also find private accommodation through the various letting agents in Cardiff. The city has a student population of around 40,000 students so there are lots of privately rented houses which you can share with other students. Normally Erasmus+ students wish to see the accommodation before they arrive and will stay in a local hotel while they sort this accommodation out. You need to be aware, however, that the later you leave the selection, the less choice may be on offer.
The university DOES NOT offer a service to place Erasmus+ students in private accommodation. Students who are coming for the first term only need also to be aware that obtaining accommodation for three months can be quite difficult. Sometimes it is possible to obtain this accommodation by offering three months rent in advance. Halls of Residence are only offered on a five month rental agreement. Most landlords require six months rent.Incoming Accommodation Form
Health Cover
For non health issues such as theft and personal injury students DO NOT have any automatic insurance cover whilst in the United Kingdom. Although insurance is not compulsory it is highly recommended. There are a number of providers of this insurance in the United Kingdom such as
Endsleigh Insurance Services, (there may also be similar insurers within your own country). You should also take out household personal possession insurance whilst here to cover youagainst theft or damage by fire, flood etc.Erasmus+ students are also required to register with a doctor whilst staying in Wales. They can do this by visiting Warwick House on the Cyncoed Campus.
Visiting Cardiff
The following places are recommended to visit when in Cardiff:
CardiffBay
You can get to the area by either car, bus or train (Cardiff Bay station). The old Cardiff docklands have been redeveloped in the last decade to create Cardiff Bay, home to a large freshwater lake for sailing and water sports; the swanky five star St David's hotel and spa, and Mermaid Quay – a restaurant hotspot with everything from Italian to Turkish cuisine.
The Senedd/ Pierhead Building
The Welsh Assembly Government's new debating chamber, The Senedd, was opened by the Queen on St David's Day 2006. Visitors can explore the building, have coffee and cakes in the café or watch Assembly debates from the public viewing gallery. Next door to the Senedd is the historic Pierhead Building, which contains an interactive exhibition on the role of the National Assembly. (free entry)
Wales Millennium Centre
Dominating the skyline in Cardiff Bay, theWales Millennium Centre is home to seven major arts organizations, including the Welsh National Opera and Diversions Dance Company. The Centre presents international opera, ballet, modern dance and musicals, all with prices to please arts novices as well as arts lovers. 'Arts Sherpas' also run tours around the front and backstage areas and if you're lucky you may even catch a glimpse of a rehearsal. (Tours take about one hour and run throughout the day. Book in advance,please check their website for admission fees.)
City centre
Cardiff Castle, Castle Street
Cardiff may only have been a city for 100 years, but there has been a castle here for nearly 2000 years. Tours of the castle interior take place throughout the day, or visitors can just enjoy a stroll around the picturesque Castle gardens. Please check their website for admission fees.
National Museum
Two wealthy Welsh sisters bequeathed their large art collection to the museum and gallery in the mid 20th century, resulting in Cardiff owning one of the largest collections of Impressionist paintings outside of Paris, with works by Renoir, Monet and Cezanne on display.(free entry, closed Mondays).
The grand civic centre that surrounds it is worth a walk around, in particular Cathays Park, with the National War memorial within it.
Millennium Stadium
When the Stadium isn't hosting major sports matches or concerts you can take a tour of the 74,000 seater stadium. Walk down the players' tunnel, try out the Queen's seat in the Royal box and discover how they removed the curse from the away-team changing rooms.Please check their website for admission fees
The Cardiff Arcades
The main arcades can be reached from St Johns Street, High St, Duke St or St Mary Street. Each arcade is home to an array of independent shops offering bits 'n' bobs for the home and top-notch fashion. Cool.Visit the High Street and Duke Street arcades for a fetish fumble in Eccentrixs, or cool individual clothes brands Pussy Galore and Drooghi. Budding Imelda Marcos's will be happy in the long established shoe heaven Buzz and homebodies will spend a small fortune in Nice interiors.
Cross the road and head down the Castle Arcade. Get se-juiced by a health-kick beverage at the Organic Juice Company. Take a sharp exit into the DJ record shop and get the latest vinyl releases to add to your collection.If you're still standing at this point, walk back to St Mary Street and towards the bus station to find the Morgan and Royal Arcades. Morgan's is home to some good cafes.Go back out onto St Mary Street and turn left into the Royal Arcade. Refuel at Fresh with their excellent baguettes, then move on to Room for 'Look how well travelled I am' furniture. Plus a lot more that we can't even hope to include here – get browsing.Other arcades not to be missed out are the Oxford Arcade off the Hayes and the Dominions and Andrews Arcades off Queen Street.
Outside the centre
Roath Park stands in a beautiful location at the centre of the busy capital city of Wales, Cardiff, just outside the area of Roath itself. The park still retains the classic Victorian Park atmosphere where local inhabitants and visitors alike can enjoy their leisure time in many different pursuits in particular the rose garden and boating lake.
St Fagans National Museum of Wales
St Fagans opened on 1 July 1948. Since then, it has established itself as one of Europe's foremost open air museums and become Wales's most popular heritage attraction. The Museum shows how the people of Wales lived, worked and spent their leisure time over the last five hundred years, and over the past fifty years it has inspired generations of visitors with its exploration of Welsh history and tradition. The Museum stands in the grounds of the magnificent St Fagans Castle, a late 16th-century manor house generously donated to the people of Wales by the Earl of Plymouth.
Near Cardiff
Caerphilly Castle(7 miles north of Cardiff)
Caerphilly Castle is one of the largest Castles in the United Kingdom, built in 1268-1271 by the Anglo-Norman lord, Gilbert de Clare. It can be accessed either by car, bus or train by going to the town of Caerphilly.
Castell Coch(4 miles from city centre)
Castell Coch is a late nineteenth-century 'fairytale'-style castle, built on medieval remains, designed for the third marquess of Bute by William Burges. Lavishly decorated and furnished in the Victorian Gothic style; a Romantic vision of the Middle Ages. It is set above the village of Tonygwynlais which is on the outskirts of Cardiff and can be accessed off the A470 road.
Duffryn Gardens(10 miles from city centre)
Duffryn comprises a series of gardens, broad sweeping lawns, shrubberies, water features and various compartments enclosed within clipped yew hedges. The gardens are currently being restored. The Round Garden, the Pompeiian, the Theatre garden where plays are performed, the Mediterranean and the Physic gardens are in their full glory.
There is a tea room, free parking, some public conveniences, a souvenir shop and many picnic areas. From Penarth take the A4232 towards the M4 (J33), take the second exit (to Culverhouse Cross) At the Culverhouse roundabout take the A48 signposted Cowbridge. In St Nicholas village turn left at the traffic lights.The gardens are about a mile down the narrow road on the right. Open all year, free December-March, charge April-November. Tel; 029 2059 3328.
To familiarise yourself further with a number of Cardiff's main cultural institutions please click the links below.
The National Museum of Walesin Cathays Park (Wales' number one art gallery and museum)
St Fagans outdoor museum(details much of Welsh history through a collection of historic Welsh buildings)
The New Theatre,Sherman Theatre,St David's concert hallandMillennium Centre(Cardiff main theatres and concert venues)
The Millennium Stadium(Wales and the United Kingdom's main sports stadium).
Weather and Climate
The weather in the UK can vary greatly from one part to another. In Cardiff the climate is milder than in other parts of the UK and Wales, particularly the mountainous regions north of Cardiff.
There are four seasons in the UK which all bring different weather. You will find that warm and waterproof clothing is very important. It is also advisable to carry an umbrella with you at all times, as rain can appear suddenly, even on a sunny day.
In many ways the weather is similar to your own country but without the extremes of cold and heat you may experience. It is rare for the temperature to go above 28 °C in summer or 4 °C in winter, during the day time.
The following will give you a very general idea of what type of weather to expect in the UK:
December - March - coldest months, some snow, often winter storms.April - June - warm and sunny days quite common, but cold nights.July - September - warm and long summer days but also can be quite rainy.Late September - November - moving from summer weather to cold days and evenings but also bringing out the splendid colours of Autumn.
Students at Cardiff Met dress casually for classes and lectures. Normally in jeans and sweatshirts. As the weather is changeable, however, you might find it better to wear a few layers of thin clothing that you can take off and put on, rather than one piece of very warm clothing.
Deadline Dates
The current deadline dates are:
Term 1 (September start) - 1st May
Term 2 (January start) - 1st October
