Cardiff University completes Quality Enhancement Review

Cardiff University has successfully completed its Quality Enhancement Review (QER).

Cardiff University was founded in 1883 and has existed in its current form since 2005. It is a research-intensive, comprehensive university and a member of the Russell Group. It University is organised into three Colleges (Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; and Physical Sciences and Engineering), which currently comprise 24 Schools, and which will reduce to 16 from 2026-27. The University currently has four taught education partnerships. One partnership in China leads to a double award and is active while the remaining three partnerships involve franchise arrangements with three academic partners in Wales. Two of the franchise partnerships are in the teaching-out stage and one is under review.

Quality Enhancement Review is the method by which The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) reviews Welsh higher education providers as part of the Quality Assessment Framework for Wales. Quality Enhancement Review provides quality assurance and supports quality enhancement, assuring governing bodies, students and the wider public that providers meet the requirements of Medr, Wales's Commission for Tertiary Education and Research.

Cardiff University's review visit took place on 2-5 March 2026. The review was conducted by a team of four independent reviewers, including a student reviewer.

The team concluded that Cardiff University meets the requirements of the European Standards & Guidelines (ESG) Part 1 for internal quality assurance, and that it meets the relevant baseline regulatory requirements of the Quality Assessment Framework for Wales.

Their report confirmed that Cardiff University has robust arrangements for securing academic standards, managing academic quality and for enhancing the quality of the student experience.

The review report listed one commendation and one recommendation, and identified three areas of ongoing development.

The report commended Cardiff University for the effectiveness of its Learning and Teaching Academy as an institutional vehicle for enhancing learning and teaching.

The report recommended that Cardiff University strengthens student voice mechanisms so that the purpose of representation is clearly understood, support structures for representatives are consistent, and engagement with the wider student body is effective.

It also noted, as areas of ongoing development, the need for the University to:

• embed Artificial Intelligence initiatives to help secure their full effectiveness;
• strengthen the 'one University' culture across the institution to improve alignment, ensure consistency, reduce fragmentation and embed senior leaders’ intent for a cohesive organisation;
• continue to monitor the arrangements for managing overseas partnership provision, recognising that these partnerships are still in their early stages and maintain a structured and consistent approach to oversight so that emerging risks can be identified promptly and mitigated effectively.

Professor Wendy Larner, President and Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University, said: "We are delighted with the positive outcome to the QER which provides assurance that we comply with our regulatory requirements and have in place effective practices for managing academic quality and standards. The report captures some of the fantastic work we have undertaken to enhance the student experience and identifies areas for us to strengthen further as we work with our students to deliver the ambition in our strategy, 'Our Future, Together'."

Cardiff University's QER report is available here.