UK undergraduates are about to face lower acceptance rates when applying for Cardiff University as the institution focuses on candidates with higher grades. WalesOnline reported that a document titled “Academic futures consultation document – proposals for re-shaping the academic activity of Cardiff University” had been sent to staff, detailing upcoming changes, including the decision to limit the number of students who were allowed in based on academic success, and therefore refining the UK undergraduate pool to high achieving candidates.
However, this is not the only proposal to have caused controversy, as the university has proposed to cut over forty jobs while cutting courses and merging schools together. Prioritising budgets, the plan focuses on decreasing the amount of home undergraduates and increasing the school’s demand in the market by increasing its exclusivity through tariff. This comes after a significant drop in both the World University Rankings, falling to #186, and the National Rankings, falling to 46 in the Guardian 2025 University Guide. The University is in a £65-million deficit between fundraising and spending and the former vice-chancellor, Colin Riordan spent over £26,000 in five months on overseas trips. Students have been angered and motivated by the cuts made to academic posts and the cutting of courses.
Taking to Change.org to organise petitions, “Save Cardiff School of Music” has accumulated over 24,500 signatures and “Save MLANG at Cardiff University” has garnered over 11,000 signatures. Music students have also taken to busking outside of the School of Music, protesting the university’s decision to cut their courses and showing off the talents that will be removed from Cardiff’s candidate pool.
Protests outside the Senned also occurred on the 4th of February with hundreds rallying together, demanding a higher budget for Cardiff University as the Welsh draft budget debate was happening inside. This all comes amongst the consistent rise in tuition fees, which in the 2022/2023 academic year were as low as £9,000. They have risen to £9,250 in 2024 and are projected to increase to £9,535 a year in 2025.
This projection means that Cardiff University’s fees will match England’s, unlike in 2022, where they were £250 lower. So, with Nursing, Modern Foreign Languages and Music being cut, unrest in the university, and increasing tuition fees, it seems that lowering acceptance rates are not the only worries that Cardiff University’s prospective UK undergraduates will face.