Cardiff University began to recruit students on October 24, 1883, and was granted the Royal license in 1884 to appoint Sir Abdel as the first president of the University. The school was first named University College of South Wales and Monmouth county.

In 1893, the University, together with the University of North Wales College and Aberystwyth University of Wales College in Wales, proposed the establishment of the University of Wales with a license and began to confer degrees separately as part of the University of Wales. The school of medicine was established the following year (1894), but it was separated from the school in 1931 to establish the University of Wales Medical School.

In 1972, the school was renamed Cardiff University College. In 1988, due to serious financial difficulties, the University merged with the school of science and technology of the University of Wales to become Cardiff University of Wales College.

In 1996, due to changes in the composition of the University of Wales, the University was renamed Cardiff University of Wales. In 1997, the Privy Council authorized schools to award degrees independently, but the schools were still part of the University of Wales. In 1999, the University was renamed "Cardiff University" and joined Russell university group.

In 2004, the former medical school of the University of Wales was reintegrated into Cardiff University. In December of the same year, Britain's Privy Council granted the status of an independent university, officially named "Cardiff University", independent of the University of Wales.

Comprehensive ranking

In 2020, the World University of soft science ranked 151-200;

2021 times higher education world university ranking 191;

2021qs world university ranking 159;

2021 wur ranked 153 in the world universities;

2020cwur ranked 16th in UK;

In 2019, the World University of soft science ranked 101-150, and the UK ranked 9-16;

The world university ranks 198 in 2020;

2020u.s. news ranked 163 in the world universities and 21 in the UK;

The Academic Ranking of the World University of soft science in 2017 ranked 99;

Ref 2014 the official ranking of British universities ranks second in the UK in terms of academic influence;

Ref 2014 the official ranking of British universities ranks 5th in the UK in terms of comprehensive academic ranking;