All students should make every effort to arrive at the university on time to commence their studies on the start date of their course which is stated on their offer letters. The first week at university is one of the most important weeks because this is when you will find out what is expected of you as a student and what you can expect from the university. You will meet the academic team for your course, your fellow course-mates, undertake some preparatory work for your course and engage with all of the university services that you will need throughout your course.
You can access your important Induction & Enrolment information here. If your only option is to arrive at the university late, the university staff will do their very best to help you make contact with your course team and advise you how to access the work you have missed. You will however be expected to work hard to catch up.
What to do if you are unable to join your course on time
If you know that you will be unable to arrive at the university on time for your first day, it is very important that you contact Admissions or International Admissions immediately to explain the reasons for your delay and to confirm your expected date of arrival. Your course programme director will then be contacted to seek approval for your later date of arrival.
For international students from outside the EU, please contact the International & Partnerships Office:
Email:
immigrationregs@cardiffmet.ac.uk
Tel: 029 2041 5644/6028
For UK and EU students, please contact your course Programme Director, further details can be found here.
How to get to campus
Bus
During term time, the U1, U2, and U3/U4 MetRider buses travel hourly to Llandaff from the Cyncoed campus, Roath, Cathays, and the city centre. The MetRider buses all stop directly outside the campus.
The 1/2 circular bus route serves the Llandaff campus every 30 minutes from Fairwater, Heath, Roath, and the city centre.
You can also travel to the Llandaff campus from Llandaff North, Fairwater, Canton, or the city centre on the 24/25, the 33/33A/33B, or the 60/62, stopping at the Llandaff Black Lion bus stop on Cardiff Road, just 10 minutes walk from the campus. See
Cardiff Bus for route details.
Train
Waun-Gron railway station is approx. 20 minutes walk away from the Llandaff campus, and is on the City Line. See National Rail Enquiries for train times.
Air
If you are travelling to the UK by air,
Cardiff International Airport is the most convenient airport to arrive into, although a larger number of international flights land at
London Heathrow Airport. Please be aware that it may take time to pass through Immigration. To ensure you pass through quickly, please make sure you carry your passport with visa, travel tickets, vaccination and x-ray certificate (if required), proof of sponsorship or recent bank statement and originals of any degree certificates and English language scores with you in your hand luggage.
Travelling from the airport to Cardiff
London Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport
If you are not arriving at
Heathrow or
Gatwick airport, the best option for you is to catch a
National Express Bus to Cardiff. This will cost approximately £45.00 (one-way) and you will be able to purchase this ticket from the National Express Ticket Office at the airport. The National Express bus will take you to Cardiff city centre.
Alternatively, if you happen to arrive late in the evening, you may prefer to check into a hotel near the airport and travel to Cardiff by National Express the following day. If you want to stay in a hotel, please ask at the information desk at the airport and they will be happy to assist you in finding a suitable room.
You can also find accommodation by looking here.
Cardiff Airport
If you arrive into Cardiff Airport you can travel to Cardiff centre via the
Cardiff Airport Express Bus Service. This will cost just £5. For more information about this service and the timetable, please
click here.
The National Express bus and Cardiff Airport Express Bus will both take you to a bus stop in Cardiff's City Centre where you will need to catch a taxi to your accommodation. Taxis should be available at the bus stop but if for some reason there are no taxis available, please call 029 20 555 555 or 029 20 333 333 to order one. It would be very useful if you wrote down the name of the accommodation where you will be staying to show to the taxi driver.
Have you informed your accommodation of your arrival?
Please ensure you confirm your date of arrival with your accommodation provider to ensure they know when to expect you. If you do not inform them, it may not be possible for you to move in on the date you arrive.
For information about arranging your accommodation, please
click here.
If it is not possible to arrange long-term accommodation in Cardiff before arrival, please ensure you make a booking at a hotel BEFORE you travel, for at least 3 nights. When you arrive at the university, staff will be able to advise you how to find long-term accommodation.
Here are some affordable hotel options in Cardiff:
Ibis Budget Hotel
Riverhouse Backpackers
How much money should I bring with me?
Unfortunately, banks in the UK do not open on Saturday afternoons or Sundays, therefore we suggest that you bring at least £150.00 cash with you to cover food and beverage costs on your arrival. Please note that you will not be able to open a bank account immediately, so please ensure you have enough money or a credit card for the following week. You may decide to buy a telephone card when you arrive at the airport to call your family at home and you can buy this from the airport shop for £ 5.00, £10.00 or £20.00 depending on the length of time you will be calling for. Also, if you have chosen to be booked into temporary accommodation on your arrival, please budget for this and carry it in a secure way, e.g. Visa card, travellers cheques.
What to do when you arrive on campus
When you arrive at the university, please visit the I-Zone (Information Zone) which is located at the front of each campus near the Reception and the staff will help you make contact with a representative from your course. The name of the contact within your school is below;
School of Education & Social Policy - Jane Dorrian
School of Health Science - Rhian Hunter-Morris
School of Art & Design - Anna Lewis
School of Sport - Carl Beynon
School of Management -
Tourism, Hospitality and Events - Nic Matthews
Computing & Information Systems - Catherine Tryfona
Business & Management Studies - Chris Parry
International Business Management - Esperanza Tevar
Accounting, Economics & Finance - Surraya Rowe
Enrolment
UK/EU students
If you are a UK or EU student, you should have received instructions via email on how to enrol onto your course before arriving at the university. More information can be found here.
International Students (from outside the EU)
It is a legal requirement for the university (Tier 4 sponsor) to check immigration documents before students are permitted to enrol onto their courses, therefore international students
cannot enrol in advance of arriving at the university. In order to enrol, you will need to bring the following documents to the International and Partnerships Office:
Useful information for international students
