Cardiff Metropolitan University (Prifysgol Metropolitan Caerdydd in Welsh) was known as the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC) until 2011, although it has maintained its close links with the University of Wales.
In November 2021, Cardiff Met was awarded UK and Ireland University of 2021 by Times Higher Education.
The award recognises Cardiff Met's achievements throughout the 2019/20 academic year and the ways in which the university has established itself as a progressive values-driven university with an excellent student experience, staff culture and impactful research and innovation.
It consists of five academic schools: Cardiff School of Education and Social Policy; Cardiff School of Art and Design; Cardiff School of Management; Cardiff School of Technology, and Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences.
The Llandaff and Cyncoed campuses are within a three-mile radius of central Cardiff, and facilities include the famous National Indoor Athletics Centre, the National Lawn Tennis Association Centre and a sports centre that allows for the disabled and able-bodied to train together.
It holds sport in high regard and typically falls within the BUCS top 20 institutions (the governing body for British Universities and Colleges Sport). CMU has produced hundreds of international sports stars in over 30 different sports, including seven national rugby coaches, 15 British Lions and several Olympic gold medallists. Cardiff Metropolitan University's student football team plays in the Welsh Premier League (promoted in 2017). Fashion designer Julien MacDonald and TV presenter John Inverdale are also among its alumni.
