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New students

Complete online enrolment

Last updated: 09/09/2024 11:02

How to complete online enrolment and confirm your programme of study.

Congratulations on securing your place at Cardiff University. We’re so pleased you’ve chosen to join our university community. We can’t wait to welcome you to Cardiff.

Before you become an official Cardiff University student, you must complete online enrolment.

You’ll receive an email approximately three weeks before your programme starts letting you know it’s time to complete online enrolment.

We advise you enrol as soon as you receive the email. It should only take you 15 minutes.

Get prepared

Before starting the enrolment process you will need:

Start the online enrolment process

To complete online enrolment, you will need to log into our student information management system (SIMS). You'll use SIMS to:

  • complete online enrolment
  • choose modules
  • request changes to your programme of study
  • maintain your personal details
  • access academic history
  • prove your student status and pay tuition fees
  • notify the university of your intention to withdraw
  • request an interruption of study (suspend study)

It's your responsibility to keep your details accurate and up to date on SIMS.

Your data held on SIMS is protected by the Data Protection Act 1998.

Enrolment part 1 (compulsory)

Step 1: Check your personal and finance details in SIMS are correct and update them if required. Your information will be saved as you complete each page; this means that you will not be able to go back and make changes once you have completed each page, so read and check the information carefully before you move on.

Step 2: Check your course information and confirm your programme of study.

Select optional modules

If you need to select optional modules, a link will appear once you have confirmed your programme of study. Some schools may require you to attend school induction events before selecting optional modules.

If your optional module selections are incorrect, you can re-select them using the module selection facility, which your school will then need to approve.

You can view your modules anytime within SIMS by visiting the academic record section.

Step 3a: Upload your identity documents. In order to study at Cardiff University, and before you collect your student ID card, we’ll need  to confirm your identity and right to study (RTS) in the UK. You'll be prompted to upload the necessary identity documents and provide the required information (if you meet the criteria).

Home students: once your identity documents have been approved this will trigger the release of your student funding on the start date of your course (or within 3 days if your course has started).

Step 3b: Upload a passport style photo to be used on your student ID card.

Transfer to a different programme

If you need to transfer to a different programme the facility to do this will appear in SIMS after you complete online enrolment. You'll require approval from your academic school first.

Enrolment part 2 (additional information)

  • complete our career readiness survey
  • share the details of your GP/Doctor so we can contact them in case of an emergency
  • add any additional qualifications you have
  • register to vote in local and national elections

Help using SIMS

Make sure you're typing the url: https://sims.cf.ac.uk into the address bar not into a search engine.

If you're trying to log into SIMS from your place of work it might be blocked by the organisation. Contact your network administrator for advice.

Click on the 'forgotten password' link on the SIMS login in page. You will be sent a reset code sent to the email address or mobile that's held on SIMS from your application

If you've successfully entered in your username and password, but can't get past the extra security questions, check that you're entering the correct student number (found at top of enrolment communication).

Make sure you're entering your date of birth in the format dd/mm/yyyy.

Check that you are typing your Cardiff University username and password into the correct fields. If an error message appears, make a note of it and contact us for help.

After you’ve completed the online enrolment tasks

You’ll be sent email to confirm you’ve completed online enrolment within 24 hours. It’s not necessary to print this out.

Check your Student Finance entitlement

If you've applied for Student Finance, make sure that your university, course details, and tuition fee amount are correct on your notification of entitlement letter which you will have received from your funding body.

If any information on the letter is incorrect log into your Student Finance account before 1 September and select change your application. Be aware, it could take Student Finance up to 20 working days to process the change.

After the 1 September, you won't be able to change the details yourself. The university will notify Student Finance of your correct course details. If you have any queries about funding contact our Funding and Advice team.

Clearing students

If you’re joining us through Clearing, our funding for Clearing students page provides more information about the process and how to manage possible delays in funding.

Collect your student ID card

The final stage of the enrolment process is collecting your student ID card. Your student ID card offers proof of identity, library and e-learning access and the ability to gain entry to university buildings. This is a mandatory requirement for all students on campus.

You can collect your ID card from one of our collection points when you arrive in Cardiff.

Membership of the Students’ Union

Once you've completed online enrolment, you automatically become a full member of the Cardiff University Students' Union.

If you do not wish to be a member of the Students’ Union you can cancel your membership under Section 22(2)(c) of the Education Act 1994. You will need to notify the Academic Registrar via Student Connect by the end of the second week of the first term or within 14 days of completing online enrolment.

Contact us

If you need assistance at any stage of enrolment process, get in touch. If you’ve got an issue on SIMS, make a note of any error message you receive to help us resolve the problem:

Enrolment enquiries

If you have any questions about Student Finance or funding contact:

Student Funding and Advice team