How we rank
UK and international league tables are published annually to help prospective students make informed choices about different institutions.
| Guide | Ranking | Year | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Times and Sunday Times University Guide | 25 | 2024 | National |
| The Complete University Guide | 27 | 2024 | National |
| Guardian University Guide | 29 | 2024 | National |
| QS World University Rankings | 186 | 2024 | International |
| Academic Ranking of World Universities | 151-200 | 2022 | International |
| Times Higher Education World University Rankings | 190 | 2023 | International |
| Daily Mail University Guide | 33 | 2024 | National |
The Times and Sunday Times University Guide
Cardiff University is ranked 25th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024, making Cardiff the highest ranked university in Wales.
The Times and Sunday Times University Guide measures student satisfaction, research quality, graduate prospects, entrance qualifications, degree results achieved, student/staff ratios, services and facilities spend, and dropout rates.
The Complete University Guide
The University is ranked 27th in The Complete University Guide 2024, and tops the league table in Wales.
The Complete University Guide has been publishing university and related league tables online since 2007. The subject league tables use four measures: Student Satisfaction, Research Quality, Entry Standards and Graduate Prospects.
Guardian University Guide
The University ranked joint 29th in the Guardian University Guide for 2024, scoring well in the areas of
- satisfaction with course
- career after 15 months
The methodology for the Guardian University Guide focuses on subject-level league tables. Eight statistical measures are employed to approximate our performance in teaching each subject.
QS World University Rankings
Ranked 186th, we are Wales’s highest ranked University and remain among the UK’s best. The QS World University Rankings is the definitive guide to the world’s top universities.
Over 3,000 universities are evaluated for inclusion in the QS World University Rankings.
Academic Ranking of World Universities
Cardiff University is ranked within the 151-200th band in the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2022, an influential league table of global institutions.
Listing the top 500 universities in the world, the ranking is recognised as a benchmark of international university performance.
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
We are ranked 190th in The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024.
The ranking includes more than 1,250 universities, and judges research-intensive universities across all of their core missions: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.
Times Higher Education Impact Rankings
The 2024 THE Impact Rankings table ranks Cardiff University 55th out of 2,152 institutions worldwide.
The Impact Rankings are the only global performance tables that assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They explore the impact a university can make, specifically by looking at themes of poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice.
The Impact Rankings provide a showcase for work being delivered by universities in communities and is an opportunity to shine the light on institutional activities and efforts not covered in other rankings.
In 2023 we ranked in the top 50 for four SDGs:
- 14th for Life below water
- 15th for Life on land
- 16th for Peace, justice and strong institutions
- 17th for Partnerships for the goals
Daily Mail University Guide
Cardiff University is ranked 33rd in the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.