Reviewed on May 29, 2025(Enrolled 2020)
What Students Say
Likes
- Well-read, experienced professors who would go the extra mile to make you successful every step of the way
- Curriculum was hands-on and allowed you to hone skills to the point that buy the time you left college you had a portfolio ready, contacts nurtured and in your kitty
- The college takes care of international student in case of emergencies, especially if you run out of money and have no job
Dislikes
- Expensive for international students
- My course wasnt NCTJ accredited which is a requirement for most news agencies, esp in the UK but also most news agencies will train you in the course if you are hired
- If you plan to come back to India, you will feel a clash of ethics as the college teaches you very high standards of ethics
Scholarship Received
VC
2,000
Course Curriculum
10
- The entire course was hard. On the difficulty level, on a scale of 1 to 10, it was a 10. Marking was strict and unforgiving. Theory was limited but challenging and worth it.
- Practicals were the dominant part of the course and demanded every ounce of your dedication and perseverance. In a day, typically, 3-5 classes were held. Most started at 7 am and ended by 12 noon. There were 30 students in my class, out of which around 7 were Indians.
Admission Experience
- I applied to just one University - Cardiff. I got accepted in seven days and got a scholarship in another 3 days. I didn't even get time to apply to a safety school. But I'd recommend people to apply to safety schools. Also, I would suggest not being afraid of rejections; it is a part of life and you need just one acceptance letter to change your life forever.
- The college has the best faculty one can want. Professors working with the BBC, Al Jazeera, Nat Geo, the gUardian and the Financial Times lecture you. The alumni network is one to kill for. One after another, journalism award winners from my college came to speak to us. I myself am on the shortlist (top ten stories) for the Amnesty Media Awards 2022. I had to take IELTS as a requirement. Cardiff accepts a sectional score of 6.5 above. The admission experience was smooth. Mostly, I had to focus on IELTS and a great Statement of Purpose.
- 2020. It was the year I knew I had to take no matter what. I was already in my late 20s and needed to take my career off ASAP. Admission process took 1 week for the acceptance letter to arrive and 3 days for the scholarship to arrive. Post which a couple of forms had to be filled out online. Very easy process. Visa process, however, took a couple of months and was a daunting experience.
Faculty
10
- The faculty-to-student ratio in my course was 1:30. There was absolutely no issue in reaching out to the professors. They were available and helpful. TBH, you can't even imagine the level of dedication they show in Indian universities. No offence. They help you with all parts of finding a job except actually applying for you.
- I admire Matt Swaine and Janet the most but all the professors were truly standouts. The teaching methodology was interactive; questions were encouraged, and students were pushed to do their best.
Campus Life
10
- One campus in Cardiff. Facilities included recording rooms, conference halls, computing rooms with digital editing software and cutting-edge technology, a library, a sports facility, a research facility, a childcare facility, cybersecurity and a 3D printing lab. Clubs include reading, journalism, and hiking. gym, dance (both Indian and Western), A Cappella, Abacus, Drama, health-related clubs, including Yoga. The list is endless. if you are determined, you will find your people here.
- Student organisation is active and they make a point to talk about their agendas and electoral pledges. They will also reach out to you. You can also run for student body elections. Everything for sports and ECA is there.
Part Time Jobs
- For Teaching Assistant (TA), Research Assistant (RA), or Departmental Assistant (DA) positions, make sure you have a relationship with faculty members. They will guide you through the process. The Pay range is £18k/year and above. While you are studying, you can only work 20 hours/week; post that, if you have a graduate visa, you can work 40 hours/week. On-campus jobs are available. You need to follow the right social media handles for that. Also, on the website you can find relevant info. They have a whole portal for job seekers.
- Part-time jobs are not very hard to get if you can showcase skills in your CV and passion in your cover letter. Full-time jobs are harder.
- Students typically earn £10/hour. It's not easy. My personal experience says starting early helps, 6 months before your course ends. Take it as a full-time job. You need tailored CVs for every job you apply for. For some 1000s of job applications you send, one gets you an interview. Of 10 interviews you get, one will accept you. All major companies like the BBC, Sky News, and wales Online hire.
- The struggle is immense but again, it's not impossible to get a job. You need an updated CV, tailored to the job you are applying for. Make a cover letter that showcases your skills. Most people want to see you before hiring you. They want to know you are reliable and not a bogus candidate. Help your CV, CL and interview convey that. Be honest!
Placement
8
- Placements are very low; maybe 5% got full-time employment within 6 months of completing the degree. Average salary is £20k per year. There is campus recruitment, internships, networking and online job portals that come to the rescue.
- My personal experience says starting early helps, 6 months before your course ends. Take it as a full-time job. You need tailored CVs for every job you apply for. For some 1000s of job applications you send, one gets you an interview. Of 10 interviews you get, one will accept you. All major companies like the BBC, Sky News, and wales Online hire. The struggle is immense but again, it's not impossible to get a job.
Accommodation
Off Campus
6
- I saw online platforms for student accommodations on FB and websites. Monthly rent for Lumis (my accommodation) was £450. The rooms are really small. Kitchen is communal, so you have to take turns to clean it and throw the trash out. No challenges really. Bathroom was tiny but attached to your room. Electricity was included in rent, which, trust me, is a massive plus. Heating included. There was a laundry room and gym. You had to pay for use. There was also a reading room with a printer attached. You had to pay for printer use. Most of the room and kitchen are furnished. You will need to buy your own bedding though and some utensils. It's good to buy your cooker from India. Other utensils you can get from the pound store in the UK or from an outgoing student. He'd sell it for ultra cheap.
- In terms of accos, I recommend Lumis and Zenit in Cardiff. Both are good accos. Both accos are at a 12-minute distance from campus, which is not a lot by UK standards.
Exams
- The exam they accepted was IELTS. I got an 8 out of 9. Cardiff University has a sectional cutoff of 6.5. Documents: Statement of Purpose (make it very strong), LoR (have the most powerful people write it), and CV (most foreign universities like work experience). Interview was not a part of the process. But you can reach out to faculty and previous-year students for help. It's encouraged.
Fees
- I got a scholarship for GBP 2k, after which my tuition was GBP 18k. It was a one-year course so that was it. Estimate of monthly expense: Rent for student accommodation: £450; groceries around £120; miscellaneous (travel, etc.): £100. if to get a job, most of the living expenses are manageable. Most people, however, do need a job to live. And, almost all jobs pay around £10 per hour on average.
Scholarship
- Some of the scholarships are INLAKS (up to 100%), VC Scholarship (about £2k to 3k), and Commonwealth (if you take this, you need to come back after the course). you will not be allowed to work in the UK. During my time, due to COVID, INLAKS was discontinued. It's back on now. I got the VC one. There were about 4 people with scholarships that I know of. Batch had 30 students.
