Cardiff University loses the award of Welsh University of the Year to Bangor University in ‘The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2027’. Cardiff remains Wales’ number one ranked University, followed by Swansea University and Bangor University.
However, Cardiff University has also fallen out of the top 30 UK universities, dropping four places from 28th down to 32nd, in ‘The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2027’.
Cardiff remained within the top 30 in certain categories, such as research quality, graduate prospects and continuation rate, but ranked considerably lower in areas such as teaching quality, retaining its 2026 ranking of 113th.
However, Cardiff’s academic reputation is excelling after it scored brilliant results in the latest Research Excellence Framework, rising thirteen places to 21st, which The Times reported as “one of the biggest risers among Russell Group institutions”.
Other university guides, such as the ‘Complete University Guide’, have ranked Cardiff within the top 30, ranking 27th, four places lower than the year previously. ‘The Guardian’s University Guide’ has ranked Cardiff University even lower in joint 43rd place with Queen’s University, Belfast.
Other noticeable changes to The Times’ league table are that both Oxford and Cambridge Universities have fallen short of the top three for a second year running.
Bangor University had a successful year in The Times’ rankings, winning two awards, Welsh University of the Year and University of the Year for Sustainability. Some key highlights of the rankings of the Welsh Universities according to ‘The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2027’ position Swansea at 28th, Aberystwyth at 63rd and Cardiff Metropolitan - 78th.
Cardiff University and Bangor University were approached for a comment but both didn’t provide Gair Rhydd with a response.