Admissions Policy 2023

Cardiff Metropolitan University supports admissions processes that are fair and transparent and protect applicants’ interests. The purpose of the Admissions Policy's is to explain the admissions process of the University.

Cardiff Metropolitan University seeks to accept all people who would benefit from higher education. Applications are considered on their individual merits, and will take into account a wide range of formal qualifications as well as any relevant work experience. Cardiff Metropolitan University values diversity and encourages a wider student population by welcoming applications from all those interested in higher education. We welcome applications from all, irrespective of age, disability or special needs, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex or sexual orientation. This information is set out in our Equality and Diversity Policy.

We follow the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA - www.qaa.ac.uk/) code of practice on Recruitment and Admissions when undertaking admissions procedures and guidance from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and the sector. We are also committed to the five core principles of fair admissions as defined in the Schwartz Report 2014: An admissions system based on transparency, selection based on applicants’ achievements and potential, adopting assessment methods that are reliable and valid, minimising barriers to entry, and professional in every respect and underpinned by structures and processes. It is our intention to sign up to the Fair Code of Practice for the next cycle to demonstrate our commitment to Fair Admissions.

All applications received by the appropriate UCAS and Direct Course Application deadlines of the year of entry are given equal consideration. Applications received beyond these dates are considered at the discretion of the University, dependant on availability of places.

Responsibility for the University Admissions policy lies with the Head of Admissions who reviews the policy annually in conjunction with the Head of Student Recruitment and Outreach and Head of International Recruitment. The Director of Marketing.

Communications and Student Recruitment will recommend any policy changes to Academic Board for approval.

The Admissions Policy will be subject to ongoing review but will be updated and published by the start of the application cycle in September.

The policy covers all applications to all taught programmes on Cardiff Metropolitan campuses as well as home franchised programmes when applying through UCAS and related to entry in the academic year 23/24.

Cardiff Metropolitan University operates a centralised admissions procedure for the majority of its programmes, under which decisions are made by admissions staff, based on set criteria provided by admission programme tutors within academic schools.

This is not suitable for all programmes or programmes that require interview, so in these cases decisions are made solely by admission programme tutors. The admissions unit before sending down applications to admission tutors carry out an initial sift to ensure that applicants have the relevant entry requirements.

All arrangements for interviews are made within the admissions unit and its aim is to be as accommodating as possible. Applications for franchised courses are considered by the relevant institution. All procedures in relation to the processing of offers are made by the unit and all correspondence is sent from the department concerning admission. The unit deals with all enquiries including feedback for unsuccessful applicants and carries out all confirmation and clearing procedures. For further information concerning feedback please refer to the Feedback Policy in the policies section below.

Application and Enrolment targets are set by the Planning Department and Schools.

Any queries in relation to the admission process can be raised with members of the Admissions Team by e-mailing askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk

All personal data requested and held by the University through the application process will be used in accordance with the Data Protection Principles, at all times, as highlighted within the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and our internal Data Protection Policies and Procedures. For information on both our Data Protection and Openness Policies please refer to www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/DataProtection or contact DataProtection@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

The university will only correspond about an application or decision with the applicant, unless when the applicant is under 18 and has provided consent to the University to correspond with a nominated contact (family member, agent, representative).

Cardiff Metropolitan University principle is to ensure that information provided to applicants on courses, facilities, entry requirements and procedures are as detailed and accurate as possible.

It also aims to ensure that all staff are continually trained in admissions procedures and are as polite and helpful as possible.

Cardiff Metropolitan University regularly reviews and monitors all matters relating to student admissions to ensure that the process is as fair and transparent as possible through both market research and feedback.

Applications for full time undergraduate courses and full time postgraduate teacher training are made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS - http://www.ucas.ac.uk/). Cardiff Metropolitan University processes its applications according to UCAS' systems and procedures.

Applications for our part-time, postgraduate and research courses (excluding postgraduate teacher training) are made directly to Cardiff Metropolitan University through the Self Service system.

Cardiff Met graduates progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate are expected to reapply through Cardiff Met’s direct Self Service application system. Information on the application needs to be completed fully, so that Admissions are made aware of any updates to information and changes in circumstances.

5.1 Overseas Fee Paying Applicants

International applicants can apply through UCAS or directly to Cardiff Met through the online applications at International Students - How to Apply - Cardiff Metropolitan University for Foundation and Undergraduate courses. For Postgraduate and Research courses applicants must apply direct at International Students - How to Apply - Cardiff Metropolitan University

5.2 Franchise Applicants

Cardiff Met has a number of courses run in partnership with local colleges. These courses are listed both on UCAS and our course pages and applicants can apply through UCAS or directly to the college.

Transfers from other Universities and from within Cardiff Met.

Cardiff Met considers transfers to all years from other Universities as long as the entry requirements are met for the chosen course. Applicants applying from another University need to submit an application through UCAS. International applicants need to apply through International Students - How to Apply - Cardiff Metropolitan University.

Proof of current studies are welcome to be sent to Admissions so that an assessment about suitability can be made, before an application is submitted. Please refer to section 20, on Recognition of Prior Learning for information on entry to years 2 and 3.

Current Cardiff Met students wishing to transfer to another course, need to contact the admissions course tutor and do not need to reapply through Admissions. If the transfer is agreed the transfer process will need to be completed by your current course tutor.

The Admissions Cycle runs from September to October and generally consists of the following actions.

Application - Applications are received, reviewed and processed by the Admissions unit, with each stage of the admissions process being recorded on the electronic admissions and student system.

Offers - Admissions staff make offers on behalf of academic schools for the majority of undergraduate courses and some postgraduate courses according to agreed set criteria. Ensuring applicants meet the specified academic and English Language requirements, comparability of non-UK qualifications, fee status and UKVI compliance issues. Please refer to Cardiff Metropolitan course pages, international pages and UCAS for entry requirements.

Interview - For Postgraduate and Research courses, as well as courses that interview or have professional requirements Admissions staff undertake the initial assessment and then refer applications to admissions course tutors within schools to make the decision. Applications which do not meet the standard admissions criteria are also sent to admission course tutors for their review and decision.

Decisions - All decisions are processed by the Admissions unit and communicated to applicants via UCAS for those applying through UCAS, or for direct and international applicants via Cardiff Met’s application systems. Communication concerning decisions is also sent directly from Cardiff Met through e-mail from cardiffmet.ac.uk and letter from the Admissions unit. Applicants are advised to check their junk folders for correspondence.

Each application is considered on an individual basis, based on the information provided as part of the application form.

Offer criteria generally includes:

• Past achievement, for example GCSE grades for undergraduate students or degree performance for postgraduate programmes.
• School/college reference for undergraduate students or university reference for postgraduate students
• Predicted grades or achievement
• Evidence of commitment and motivation via the personal statement
• Relevant experience
• Interview performance for courses that interview
• Contextual data
• Extenuating circumstances

Course pages on our website list entry requirements with examples of qualifications, including any subject specific requirements. Applicants holding qualifications which are not specified on our website may contact Admissions prior to application to ask if these qualifications meet the entry requirements. For less commonly encountered qualifications this will be judged on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the admissions course tutor. The University reserves the right to exercise academic judgment and discretion when assessing prior attainment.

The Admissions cycle start in September and runs through to October. For home applications early applications need to be submitted by the end of January through UCAS and late applications are submitted from February until the end of the main cycle at the end of June. Clearing applications are submitted from the beginning of July until September. Please refer to UCAS via www.ucas.com for cycle dates.

The following specifies how particular types of applications will be managed by the University during the admissions cycle.

9.1 UCAS Applications

Full time undergraduate applicants are required to submit their applications by the dates stipulated by UCAS. Applications received by the UCAS early equal consideration date at the end of January, will receive full and equal consideration. Applications received after this date are welcome and will be considered as long as the course has vacancies. Once a course has filled its places UCAS will be informed and updated so no more applications can be received.

When there are vacancies we are happy to consider applications after deadlines, prior to the 30th of June. After this date applicants will need to apply through clearing and check on UCAS or on Cardiff Met’s web pages that courses are available in Clearing.

9.2 Direct Applications

The deadline for applying for courses is normally 4 weeks before the start date or 12 weeks if a visa is required. We recommend however, that you apply as early as possible as possible as courses may close due to sufficient application numbers. There are however some courses which have earlier deadlines which are shown on course pages on the University’s web site.. Deadlines are also shown for International applicants for those who may require a visa which can take more than 3 months. If a visa is required to study it is important that you allow sufficient time for both the application and visa process.

Courses that have deadlines or become full will be shown on course pages on the University’s website, and will not show on the direct application systems for applications to be submitted.

The University reserves the right to close courses for application or to offer an alternative choice or deferred place where a course reaches capacity. The University also reserves the right to operate waiting lists, for applicants made unsuccessful who may be reconsidered if places become available.

For applicants that apply late, after the end of June in the Admissions cycle the University has the right to offer an alternative choice or deferred places if f there is not sufficient time to process all the requirements for the course by the start date.

Applicants who wish to transfer from another course at Cardiff Met or from another University also need to ensure that course deadlines are adhered too.

9.3 Deferred Entry

Applicants may apply and request to defer their entry, but there is no automatic right to defer as it is at the discretion of the University.

Normally deferred entry is granted for one year but this is dependent on the programme applied for. Certain professionally accredited programmes do not accept deferral, due to changes in allocated numbers and with course requirements.

If a request for deferral is required after applying applicants will need to contact the Admissions unit to request this informing of the reason for the deferral.

Deferred places can only be confirmed for applicants holding an unconditional firm place. UCAS applicants who receive a deferred offer will need to meet the conditions of their offer either by the 31st of August or the 7th of September and will be informed of this in communications from the University.

9.4 Incomplete Applications

All sections of the application form should be completed in line with guidance available on the UCAS website and the University’s direct application form, as well as the University’s website section on Advice for Applicants. The University reserves the right to make incomplete applications unsuccessful. Applicants are welcome to seek advice on completing the application form from the admissions team and admissions tutors prior to submitting an application.

9.5 Making more than one application in the same admissions cycle and re- application

Applicants applying through UCAS will have 5 choices to use as part of the application process.

Applicants may apply for more than one course during the same application cycle when applying direct to the University.

Re-application is considered for the majority of courses at Cardiff Met and where this is not possible this will be specified on feedback provided. Applicants who have been unsuccessful in securing a place should consider any feedback provided before re-applying for the same course.

The University reserves the right to refer to information from previously submitted applications, in line with the Universities data retention policy, when considering re-applications.

Applicants will be provided with further information in the offer communication received from the University how to accept an offer of a place.

UCAS applicants will need to accept their offer on the UCAS hub. Applicants applying through UCAS accept 1 of their 5 choices as Firm (1st choice) and 1 as Insurance (2nd choice).

All applicants who are offered a place and firmly accept will be sent information, with the aim of supporting and guiding them through the Acceptance stage of the Admissions cycle. This will include the Universities terms and conditions, fees policy, admissions policy, complaints policy and the Student Handbook, as well as information on enrolment, starting at the University and transition activities.

Direct International offer holders will be expected to pay an advanced fee payment/deposit within the notified deadlines, outlined on the offer communications to accept and confirm their place.

Unsuccessful applicants are provided with generic feedback and can request additional feedback by contacting the Admissions unit.

The University will normally only provide feedback, due data protection legislation to applicants, unless notified of a nominated contact. Requests for feedback can be made by e-mail to askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk or by telephoning the Admissions unit. For further information please refer to Cardiff Met’s feedback policy linked in the Policies section below.

All applicants who have qualifications/transcript which are not English may be required to provide notarised translations into English or Welsh.

UK Visas and Immigration requires a fully-certified original translation for each document you provide that is not in English.

• be made by a professional translator or translation company
• include details of the translator or translation company credentials
• include confirmation from the translator that it is an accurate translation of the original document
• include the date of the translation
• include the original signature of the translator or an authorised official of the translation company.

If your translation does not meet all the requirements, you must have a new translation made. Your visa application can be refused if the translation does not meet the requirements.

Applicants resitting examinations are welcome to apply for our programmes.

Undergraduate and PGCE teacher training applicants who are made a conditional offer, and are awaiting results from a re-mark or appeal, will be accepted and offered a place, provided the terms of the offer are met by the 31st of August.

For direct applications including postgraduate and part time, the University is normally able to consider applicants awaiting on appeals and re-marks until the week before the start of the programme.

International applicants need to meet the conditions deadline, detailed on offer communication as well as Cardiff Met’s website. Applicants requiring a student visa will need to ensure that there is sufficient time for this to be issued.

It is the responsibly of applicants to inform the Admissions unit of the outcome of the appeal or re-mark.

Applicants who wish to withdraw or cancel their application to study at Cardiff Met once they have accepted a place may do this through UCAS within 14 days of replying to offers. After this period and for direct applicants Cardiff Met’s cancellation form can be completed and returned to askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/study/adviceforapplicants/Documents/Cancellation%20form%20final.pdf

Cardiff Met has a fair and transparent policy in relation to fees charged to students, which includes tuition fees and additional course related costs. All fees and fee policies are reviewed annually. Further information can be found at Student Finance & Tuition Fees - Cardiff Metropolitan University - Study in Cardiff

Applicants are classed as Home or International for fee paying purposes. The Welsh Government undertakes an annual review of ‘Home’ undergraduate fees for Universities in Wales, in relation to increases to fees. Should inflationary increases be implemented these would be for all fees that apply to both new and continuing undergraduate students with Home fee status.

Home fee status considers the following and information on fee assessment is provided in section 29, below.

• Are you a British Citizen or do you have Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK?
• Do you have a Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode in the UK?
• Have you been ordinarily resident in the UK for 3 years prior to 1st September of this year? (however, if the main reason for you being in the UK during any of that period was for full-time education then you must answer 'No')

The Universities Fee and Access plan, approved by Higher Education Founding Council Wakes, sets out the fees charged and commitment to equality to opportunity and promotion of Higher Education. Further information can be found at Fees and Finance Fee Plans (cardiffmet.ac.uk)

Entry requirements for courses are published on the Cardiff Metropolitan University website as well as UCAS and the Universities prospectus.

Entry criteria and procedures for selection are followed consistently and professionally by University staff involved in the admissions process. Applications however are considered on an individual basis considering all available information to ensure individual circumstances are taken into account, and offers can vary taking into account a range of experiences and expertise.

Guidance for international qualifications is taken from staff within our Regional Officers, Recruitment Officers and UK NARIC Home Page (ecctis.com).

For undergraduate applicants the University understands that predicted grades are an estimate. We will consider applicants with predicted grades that fall below the published entry criteria taking all the information on the application into consideration. Any offer made however will not be lower than our published entry criteria.

Previous study, work experience and training can also count as credit towards your programme of study, this is known as Recognising Prior Learning (RPL) and please refer to the section on Prior Learning. We encourage students of all ages and from all backgrounds to study with us and know that significant achievement can be obtained through work or private study.

The University guarantees not to change its entry requirements published on course pages on Cardiff Met’s website and UCAS for courses during an Admissions cycle from September to September. Entry requirements however may change for undergraduate applicants applying through clearing.

Entry requirements are reviewed annually by the Intake Management Committee from input from Academic Schools, Admissions and Planning. Any changes to entry requirements are updated in the September before the year of entry

Once an application is received it will be considered by the University as outlined in section 9.0 above, and a decision will be made to make applicants an offer.

All offer/s made by Cardiff Met are dependent on the receipt of a full and complete application that meets the admissions criteria outlined on course pages and UCAS.

10.1 Undergraduate Offers

Standard undergraduate offers are processed within two weeks of receipt, with non-standard and those requiring interview taking longer. International applications which are incomplete or missing evidence may also extend beyond the typical turnaround times.

Undergraduate offers will usually be communicated to applicants in the form of UCAS Tariff Points. For International applicants and those taking qualifications that are not included in the Tariff, offers will be expressed in appropriate equivalence.

10.2 Postgraduate Offers

Postgraduate offers are generally processed within two weeks of receipt, as long as all information is provided as part of the application. Where additional information is required turnaround times will differ. Courses that require interview also have an increased turnaround period.

10.3 Research Offers

The university will make an offer of for a research degree when it can provide supervision arrangements in the applicant’s area of research.

10.4 Alternative Offers

The university may offer a place on alternative courses at point of offer and/or confirmation stages for applicants who do not meet the entry requirements.

Alternative offers are made when an applicant does not meet the requirements of their original choice but meets the requirements of an alternative choice, which the University deems appropriate from the information provided at application. If applicants do not wish to receive the alternative offer they are not obliged to accept the change and can decline the offer made.

10.5 Offer Errors

Cardiff Met endeavours in its Admissions process and procedures to ensure that the offer making process is correct. However, rarely, errors will occur due to system failure or human error.

When an error has been in relation to an applicant’s offer the University reserves the right to amend this or offer an alternative where possible when

• an applicant has not accepted their place and has not therefore been disadvantaged in the decision-making process
• the applicant is not qualified, or, has not met regulatory requirements for the programme of study.

The University will inform the applicant with details of the error as soon as possible and any actions being taken as a result of the error.

Applicants will receive confirmation of receipt of their application either at point of submitting the application or once received into our student system from UCAS. Applications are reviewed and decisions are communicated to applicants throughout the admissions cycle.

Decisions for those applicants applying through UCAS are sent to UCAS from the Universities admissions system and applicants are informed of these through the UCAS Hub. Decisions for those applying directly to the University are processed through the Universities admissions systems. Applicants receive decisions either through the Admissions system and offer e-mail/letter. International applicant’s decisions are communicated via e-mail.

Communications are also sent to all applicants via e-mail in relation to their decision outcome.

Interviews are not normally required as part of the admissions process. However, interviews are required for courses where professional requirements warrant this e.g. Teacher Training and NHS courses. The majority of Art and Design programmes also require applicants to attend interview in order to demonstrate a portfolio and evidence suitability for the course.

Applicants with non-standard qualifications, or mature applicants who do not meet the standard entry requirements may also be invited to attend interview in order to demonstrate the potential to succeed. Please refer to section 8.0 above in relation to Selection.

Failure to attend for interview will normally result in the application being withdrawn, unless Admissions are informed that the date of interview is not suitable. It is recognised that there may be dates when applicants are not available for interview and in these cases the University will make reasonable efforts to offer an alternative date.

Further information on interviews is available on our Advice for Applicants web pages.

Once an offer is accepted an applicant will still need to meet any conditions specified in the universities offer of a place, unless unconditional offers are made with no non academic requirements. In the main, this will require the applicant achieving the appropriate marks/grades, or qualifications to meet the selection criteria for the programme.

For applicants applying through UCAS examination results are received for a range of examination results, the list of which can be found at UCAS How Your Exam Results Get To Universities And Colleges | UCAS

All other qualifications, and for those applicants applying directly to the University, need to be sent to the Admissions teams as soon as possible after they have been received.

Those offers that include non-academic conditions such as a DBS, Occupational Health Check, Experience, will need to be met before applicants are accepted and allowed to enrol.

Applicants are informed if they meet or do not meet the terms of their offer. Applicants who do not meet all the conditions may still be accepted into their initial choice if there are places on the course, and if academic reconsideration deems that the overall qualities and achievement of the applicant is appropriate. Alternative offers may also be made if an applicant’s initial choice cannot be accepted.

All offers made by Cardiff Metropolitan University are subject to proving that the qualifications entered on the application are verified and that applicants have achieved the results needed to meet the terms of the offer so that applicants can be enrolled as students and matriculated with the University.

International students requiring a UKVI Student visa may also be subject to immigration checks and will be informed of this on offer communications.

Applicants are required to provide evidence of an approved English Language qualification at the appropriate level as part of the criteria of acceptance.

Non-UK applicants are required to provide evidence of a sufficient proficiency in English Language, which needs to be provided before the start of the course. Details of English Language requirements are details at: www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/international/study/applying/Pages/English-Language-Requirements.aspx

For some countries, we can accept high school English qualifications, supported by either a Cardiff Met English interview (If Undergraduate excluding HND students who require SELT) OR a letter of attestation that confirms the student studied and was taught through the medium of English (Postgraduate). Information is detailed on the relevant country pages.

Applicants who do not have the required level of English Language at time of application will be asked for English as a condition of their offer, and for entry to the University.

Cardiff Met recognises that previous study, training and experience gained through work or volunteering are examples of activities that may count towards your programme of study and is known as Recognising of Prior Learning.

Applicants wishing to claim credit for prior learning are asked to review our information on recognising prior learning at www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/study/adviceforapplicants/Pages/Recognising-Prior-Learning-(RPL).aspx

If qualifications or modules of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree at another university has been achieved by applicants, we can consider these for module exemption or direct entry into a year or level of entry. The exemption allowed will be dependant on what has been achieved and its relevance to the course applied for.

This process is called Credit Transfer and applicants wishing to apply for this need to apply through the standard routes and put on their application their proposed point of entry. Transcripts for the obtained credit (studies) needs to be provided so this can be sent to the relevant admissions programme tutor to determine if use can be made of a the credit transfer.

Applicants are normally required to provide an academic reference/letter of recommendation. If a reference/letter of recommendation is not required this will not be included as part of the information required at application.

Certain programmes also require additional references/letters of recommendation and this will be stipulated on our entry criteria and the Universities direct application system called self service.

A reference/letter of recommendation will need to evidence the details of the referee and be signed and dated.

References/letters of recommendations for undergraduate applicants are normally required from an applicant’s school/college or previous education establishment.

Postgraduate applicant’s references will normally be required to provide a reference from their university or place of study. Where an applicant has not been in education for more than five years a reference/letter of recommendation from an employer may be used at the University’s discretion.

Cardiff Met is an adult environment where students are normally age 18 or over. However on occasion, the University does admit students who are under the age of 18 at the start of their course.

The University recognises that anyone aged under 18 years is legally a child and that students under 18 have different needs in relation to the support and wellbeing. An under 18’s policy is in place which stipulates what is expected from student and the support that will be put in place.

Students are expected to assume adult levels of responsibility and it is important that applicants and their parents/guardians understand this before starting at Cardiff Met.

Undergraduate students aged 21 years and over in the year of entry are deemed as mature students. We welcome applicants from this group of students who will be given equal consideration.

‘Contextualised Admissions’ is a term used by the University to describe a situation where additional information, e.g., where an applicant lives and school attended, enables the University to consider the circumstances that have affected educational achievement. The aim of using this information is to help build a more rounded view of an applicant’s achievement and potential.

The University operates a contextualised offer scheme considering a number of contextual indicators and will make a reduced offer when applicants meet these indicators.

There is no need to apply for a contextualised offer as information provided as part of your UCAS application will be considered, but it is important that this is completed fully.

Examples of contextualised offers are detailed on course pages on Cardiff Met’s website and please refer to the Contextualised Admissions Policy on the website.

Extenuating circumstances is a term used by the University to describe a medical or personal nature significantly affecting an applicant during a relevant period of time and or during an assessment/examination period. Cardiff Met considers extenuating and personal circumstances as part of its contextualised Admissions policy and applicants can complete the contextualised Admissions form linked off the website.

In completing the Form, Applicants should include: information and evidence of the nature of the extenuating circumstances; specify which elements of study were impacted; and reasons why it was not possible to report these to the relevant examination board.

Please include information and evidence of the nature of the extenuating circumstances, which elements of study were impacted and why it was not possible to report these to the relevant examination board.

Applicants are also able to make the University aware of circumstances by putting this on the personal statement or the referee including this information on the reference. Any supplementary should be submitted to Admissions including the applicant’s full name and UCAS or Student number.

Information will be considered as part of either the decision making or confirmation process and the University reserves the right to request further information if felt necessary. If deemed necessary and with the applicants permission relevant third parties will be contacted such as the academic intuition, examination body and doctor.

Offers of a place will be made on the basis of academic merit and potential and while circumstances will be considered as part of a holistic assessment they will not necessarily lead to an offer of a place or interview.

It is expected that circumstances affecting assessment/examinations would have been considered with the relevant examination board before results are awarded and we are unable to take account of extenuating circumstances where these have already been reported.

Cardiff Met is committed to equal opportunity for all students, aiming to provide an inclusive and accessible environment, making reasonable adjustments to support applicants with disabilities. We encourage disclosure of any disability, early in the admissions cycle so that we can make reasonable adjustments.

Applications for those disclosing a disability are considered in the same way as any other applicant, with the decision being made upon the applicant’s academic merit and potential.

Cardiff Met understands that accessing education after being convicted of a criminal offence can be an important part of gaining the skills, knowledge and qualifications to move on with life and employment. Having a criminal conviction does not bar an applicant automatically from enrolling on a course at Cardiff Met, but may restrict entry for certain programmes which could bring an applicant into contact with children or vulnerable adults, dependant on the conviction. For these programmes where a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is required, this is stipulated on the entry requirements section of course pages on Cardiff Met’s website, as well as on UCAS for undergraduate courses. Offer conditions will also state where a DBS check is required.

Applicants (apart from those international applicants requiring a Visa) are not asked to disclose any unspent criminal convictions as part of the application process, but are asked to inform us if you are bound by restrictions or have probation requirements to fulfil. This ensures the University can provide appropriate support and assistance. Further information on criminal convictions can be accessed from the Advice for Applicants section on Cardiff Metropolitan’s web pages as well as from the policies section, section 36, below.

Cardiff Met has a policy of charging a deposit prior to admissions for overseas paying applicants. Those applicants requiring a visa to study in the UK will be required to pay a deposit as a condition of the release of their Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS).

Deposits are refunded for applicants that are not able to enrol and further information can be found at the following Applying to Cardiff Met Refund Terms and Conditions

If post enrolment students withdraw from a course, the university is obliged to report any Tier 4 visa holder to the UKVI.

Information on Visas and coming to the UK is available in the Universities website: Practical Information Visas and Immigration (cardiffmet.ac.uk)

Applicants are classed as Home or International for fee paying purposes. An applicant’s fee status is determined by Admissions staff in line with UKCISA guidelines. Where the fee status of applicants is not clear from the information provided on the application, additional information will need to be provided so that a fee assessment can be undertaken.

If an applicant is not happy with the outcome of a fee assessment an appeal can be made, within three months of the outcome or up until the point of enrolment whichever comes first. The appeal should be made to the Admissions Manager by e-mailing askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk Any changes to fee status after enrolment are at the discretion of the Head of Admissions and will not be processed after enrolment onto a programme.

The University reserves to right to amend a fee status immediately, if further information questioning the fee status comes to light. Further information on Cardiff Met’s fee status assessment can be found at Advice for Applicants Fee Status Assessment (cardiffmet.ac.uk)

Cardiff Met offers a number of bursary and scholarships. These include Study Life Award, Progression Award, Carers Bursary, Care Levers and Estranged Students Bursary, Performance and Elite Sports Scholarships, Sanctuary Award and Postgraduate Taught Masters Incentivisation Bursary. Cardiff met also offers an alumni discount to students who have previously studying an undergraduate course at the university. Further information on bursaries and scholarships is available from Cardiff Metropolitan’s bursary and scholarship pages.

Most schemes to do not require an application as the information provided as part of your application fulfils most requirements. Where additional information is required an application is required and can be accesses on our bursaries and scholarship page.

In order to start studying at Cardiff Met all applicants must register with the University by using the online enrolment system. All students are required to register either prior to or at the commencement of their programme of study for each academic year.

Information about enrolling and starting at the University is sent to unconditional firm applicants from July onwards.

In order for applicants to be eligible for enrolment, conditions that have been placed on offers of a place to study at Cardiff Metropolitan will need to be met. These will include both academic and non-academic conditions for example criminal record checks, occupational health checks, right to study in the United Kingdom (if being taught in the United Kingdom). Original proof of qualifications will need to be provided and information to comply with statutory obligations. Agreement to abide with universities policies, regulations and procedures through the signing of the terms and conditions of enrolment is also required.

Terms and Conditions of your Enrolment.pdf (cardiffmet.ac.uk)

All queries in relation to enrolment should be directed to the Enrolment unit within Academic Registry by e-mailing registryenquiries@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

As outlined in section 2.0 Cardiff Metropolitan University is committed to a policy of equality of opportunity and aim to provide a safe learning, working, and social environment that is free from discrimination. It aims to ensure that students, staff, visitors, and all others associated with the University are treated with dignity, respect, and equity, regardless of inappropriate distinctions such as age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy, maternity, race, religion, belief, sex and sexual orientation (as identified under the Equality Act 2010 as ‘protected characteristics’).

Admission is contingent upon the information within the application being correct. It is the responsibility of applicants to provide full and accurate information in their application and to ensure that the University is informed of any changes to contact details or personal circumstances. Applicants are also expected to respond to any additional requests for information that are required as part of the admissions process, in a timely manner.

Applicants who do not follow the relevant application procedures for the University, and UCAS or who make false or fraudulent applications including nondisclosure of information will have their place withdrawn. Please refer to Cardiff Metropolitan’s policy on dealing with applications that include false or fraudulent information in the policies section below.

Where an applicant or, third party acting on behalf of an applicant, has knowingly misled the University by providing false or incorrect information, the University will notify relevant parties. These include UCAS in relation to the undergraduate applications, UK Visas and Immigration where information declared may be used to falsely obtain entry into the UK, and the relevant UK police force in relation to matters of serious fraud and deception.

32.1 Restrictions

Applicants who have left the University in bad academic standing i.e. without successfully completing the year of study upon which they were last enrolled, shall not normally be permitted to enrol on a different course at the University. If an applicant who has left in bad academic standing enrols without disclosing their standing and obtaining specific permission from the Course Director of the course previously enrolled on, then they will be subject to investigation under the student disciplinary procedure for dishonesty and all sanctions including exclusion will be available to the investigating officer.

Applicants who are in debt to the University for any reason shall not normally be permitted to enrol on a course at the University. If an applicant who is a debtor enrols without disclosing the debt and obtaining specific information from Finance, then they will be subject to investigation under the student disciplinary procedure for dishonesty and all sanctions. including exclusion will be available to the investigating officer. Further information on the Universities Debtors Policy and procedure can be accessed from the policies section below.

The University takes seriously its safeguarding duties, please refer to the policy in the policies section below. Where information is provided to the University in relation (or potentially in relation) to a safeguarding matter, the University will discharge it duties to record and report as appropriate any concerns to applicable parties (only) within the University and with relevant external organisations such as the Police (including the Counter Terrorism Agency) , Children’s Services or Social Services.

The University collects data on admissions from applicants in order to meet requirements for admissions which include being able to make decisions, contact applicants and provide information for meeting statutory reporting requirements. If the University does not receive this data it will mean that you will be unable to be admitted as a student.

Personal information submitted by applicants is processed under Data Protection legislation including but not limited to the General Data Protection Regulation. Information will only be accessed by those staff involved in the processing of applications and will form part of the student record if applicants accept a place and enrol at the university.

The legal requirements for processing are

• The legitimate interests of the University and the purposes of entering into an education contract with you.
• Undertaking processes in the public interest which include our obligation to determine suitability for courses with specific requirements e.g. education and health
• Legal obligations
• Consent including consent for legal obligations where applicable
• Processing for reasons of substantial public interest
• Processing for protecting the public against dishonesty
• Processing in relation to employment, social security, social protection law and health or social care purposes

Data for unsuccessful applicants is kept for one year and then securely destroyed. Data for successful applicants where relevant will form part of the student file and be maintained for up to 7 years after graduation.

Under the Freedom of Information Acr individuals have a right to access their own personal information and to correct this as necessary or request his to be deleted.

More information on Cardiff Met’s data protection policy and information in relation to who can be contacted can be accessed at University Structure & Governance Data Protection (cardiffmet.ac.uk)

The University reserves the right to make changes to course content, entry requirements, method of delivery or to suspend, combine or withdraw a programme, both prior to and after a student’s enrolment to the University, if such action is reasonably considered necessary.

Details of the type of changes are outlined in our terms and conditions published on our website. In the event of such a change, we will write to any affected applicant(s) promptly to notify them of the change and provide applicant(s) with details of the courses of action available to them.

In the event that, prior to a student commencing their study (who holds a confirmed offer of a place), we withdraw a course, a student may either:

• transfer to another programme as offered by the University, which the student is qualified to undertake (meets minimum entry requirements) and where places are available (a number of programmes cannot exceed managed in-take numbers due to Government controls, limited professional placements which are integral to that specific programme of study and/or funding)
• withdraw from the University without any liability for fees.

In these circumstances if a student wishes to withdraw from their place and to enrol in a course at a different University, we will also take reasonable action/s to assist in finding a suitable alternative place.

A complaints procedure is also in place for those applicants who are not happy with the service that they have been provided with. Complaints in relation to admissions are managed in accordance with the Universities Complaints procedure which can be accessed at the following Cardiff Met Complaints