Fee and access plan 2023-2025

1. Fee levels

1.1. Fee levels or the determination of a fee level at each location

(Guidance paragraphs 88-97)

1.2. Aggregate fee levels

(Guidance paragraphs 98-102)

The aggregate fee for the full course is the total of the fees for each year of the course. Fees in 2023/24 and 2024/25 may change in line with Welsh Government policy. Where fee variations apply to courses due to a period of placement or overseas study while registered at Cardiff University, these are clearly communicated at the time of application.

Cardiff University’s communications are aimed at potential applicants to the University, current students, parents and carers, staff in secondary schools and colleges including teachers and careers advisors, and University staff in order to ensure that all stakeholders receive accurate, timely and consistent information. We ensure that the information provided meets the requirements set out in the UK Quality Code for Higher Education with specific reference to course design and development. We endeavour to comply with the letter and the spirit of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and are committed to incorporating all higher education consumer law advice and guidance into our internal processes.

Our student complaints and appeals procedures meet the requirements set out in the UK Quality Code for Higher Education with specific reference to the theme of concerns, complaints and appeals and the requirements of the OIA Good Practice Framework. We take into account consumer legislation and relevant guidance from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Office for Students (OfS) and Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), and the national and sector context, as well as the individual circumstances of the student’s case.

Communication methods include:

Website

• Dedicated web pages contain information on tuition fees, funding opportunities including scholarships and bursaries, and student support. The pages include links to other related websites including Student Finance Wales/England/Scotland/Northern Ireland, States of Jersey/Guernsey and the Isle of Man, as well as signposting applicants to useful University contacts.
• We continue to develop our Key Information Sets (KIS), standardised information about undergraduate courses which are designed to be comparable across all UK higher education institutions. This has ensured that a wide range of information specific to each course of study, and on the institution in general, is made available to prospective students.  Each KIS is presented as a webpage that provides information on a programme of study and includes details of; course overview, entry requirements, tuition fees, course structure, placement opportunities, accreditation, learning and assessment, and degree programme structure. It is possible for users to select their year of entry to ensure they view information applicable/most relevant to them.

An example of our KIS: Architecture (BSc/MArch) - Study - Cardiff University

The content of the web pages has been significantly enhanced with the addition of more supporting subject related information helping prospective students make the best possible decisions. Example:

Architecture - Study - Cardiff University

In addition, it’s possible for prospective students to chat online to current students to find out more about the course they are interested in and there is also a chat bot to provide a further source of information.

Marketing materials/open days/outreach activity

• The University communicates information on fees and support available to prospective students at physical/virtual open days, visit days, webinars, HE Fairs and schools and colleges liaison activity. It is also available in prospectuses, brochures, a student finance guide and advice from University staff. Information is included in presentations for teachers and careers advisers as well as in the student finance talks for applicants.
• We use social media including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogs and YouTube to communicate with prospective and current students.
• Relevant information is also communicated to those taking part in our various Widening Participation programmes.

Email

• Applicants to the   University receive an email acknowledging receipt of their application and   providing links to our online fee information.
• We communicate with all offer holders in the form of a newsletter which details scholarship and bursary provision.

Our formal offer letter details the tuition fees payable for the first year of the programme and outlines any potential increase in fees for subsequent years of study. We communicate fee charges throughout the duration of study.

2. Student Partnership

(Guidance paragraphs 103-106)

The Way Forward 2018-23 sets out our commitment to ‘ensuring an educationally outstanding and consistently high-quality student experience, driven by creativity and curiosity, with excellent teaching and services to enhance learning, and support student life. Via our Education and Students strategy we are making changes in six main areas:

• Creating an inclusive learning community
• Enhancing the learning environment
• Planning for successful student futures
• Valuing and promoting teaching excellence
• Supporting student life and learning community
• Valuing our students as partners.

Our Widening participation strategy 2020-25 has four main aims:

• To engage and inspire people of all generations to consider higher education as a realistic and achievable   option.
• To attract and recruit students with academic potential, regardless of background or personal experience.
• To enable successful transition to university and foster an excellent and supportive student experience.
• To nurture and encourage confident and successful futures for all.

Our approach to student engagement reflects the principles of Wise Wales.

Working with the Students’ Union

The Student Charter outlines what students can expect from the University and the Students' Union, and our students’ responsibilities in making the most of their university experience. It includes expectations of openness, honesty, equality, diversity and celebration of Welsh language and culture. It is reviewed annually by the Students’ Union and University to ensure its continued relevance. The University supports the Students’ Union to achieve its goals, including: engaging all students, providing developmental/volunteering opportunities, creating sector-leading facilities and providing sporting activities, societies and independent advice services. Participation in recognised activities is included in the University’s enhanced transcripts for students.

Students’ Union elected officers participate as full members of major University committees and strategic groups including:

• Senate - our chief academic authority, responsible for academic priorities.
• Council - the governing body of the University. It is responsible for the executive management and conduct of the affairs of the University, including finances and estates.
• Governance Committee - advises Council on the level of compliance by the university with the mandatory requirements of legislation and other regulations.
• Policy and Resources Committee - responsible for scrutiny of capital funding for initiatives and evaluating impact.
• Education and Student Experience Committee - responsible for providing strategic direction and advising the University on all matters relating to education and the student experience across the full range of its provision for   students.
• Academic Standards and Quality Committee - responsible for oversight of student progression and attainment.
• Welsh Medium Education Strategy Group - responsible for oversight of the university’s Welsh medium strategy and development of further Welsh medium provision.
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee - shall be responsible for advising the Council through the Governance Committee on the development and implementation of strategies for ensuring legal compliance and best practice   in all matters relating to equal opportunities and diversity.

Student officers also serve on the steering boards for all our student-facing projects. They have direct and regular access to senior decision-makers, including the Vice Chancellor and other members of the University Executive Board (UEB). As part of our quality assurance processes students are formal members of the standing panel that considers all significant programme changes and developments, our Annual Review and Enhancement Committees and all Periodic Review Panels.  Students’ Union officers also serve on our Academic Appeals, Complaints, Disciplinary and Fitness to Practise appeal panels.

The university is a supportive partner in the Students’ Union annual ‘Speak Week’, which is a highlight of the student voice calendar. Students are asked ‘If you ran the University, what would you keep and what would you change?’; a question which consistently generates a wide range of constructive feedback. From the student feedback gathered during Speak Week, the Students’ Union produces an annual Student View for our University Council. A University response to The Student View and an action plan are agreed by University Executive Board and received by University Council for scrutiny. Activities and actions are monitored and evaluated by the Student View Strategy Group which meets at least three times a year and is co-chaired by the Students’ Union President and the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Student Experience & Academic Standards.

We have an established partnership project model to develop a deeper understanding of student views on specific issues in The Student View and to inform policy development and organisational change. Each project includes membership of staff and students. Examples of topics covered include  Understanding the experience of mature students; experience of students based at Heath Park campus; building learning community; and providing opportunities for meeting people.

The final meeting of the Student View Steering Group for the academic year culminates in a showcase of the findings and recommendations of the partnership projects.

Student Voice

We value our students’ views and opinions, and our many student voice activities, working in partnership with the Students’ Union, provide opportunities throughout the year for students to share their views about what the University is doing well and what it can do better. We also have mechanisms in place to communicate to students and to staff how student feedback has brought about change across the University. Work is ongoing to develop more agile and local feedback mechanisms for students, and in particular to reflect on the success of the new student voice mechanism Cardiff Pulse, introduced during 2021 to enable more rapid student feedback and support.

Managed in partnership with the Students’ Union, our student academic representation system enables student representatives to play an important role in decision-making at course level, drawing on feedback from the wider student body. There is an annual cycle of training for our student representatives led by the Students’ Union and delivered in partnership with School Student Rep Coordinators, and an annual training conference. Student reps engage with their programme cohorts and speak on their behalf in a range of well-established School and College fora. These include student-staff panels and regular College meetings of student panel chairs. This involvement ensures the student voice is heard and considered in decision-making.

Students are encouraged to provide feedback through a number of mechanisms either directly via feedback tools or via their peers of student representatives or the Student Champions team (see below). These include:

• Student-staff panels (SSPs) enable all student academic reps to meet with staff in their schools and share their   student experiences on a regular basis. These meetings are chaired by a nominated student rep and minutes are   taken by a student rep. SSP minutes are shared with the Students’ Union who create a termly ‘impact report’, which outlines the key issues students are facing as well as areas of particular strength. Student-staff panel chairs are also invited to Boards of Study to discuss the feedback from students.
• College Forums are an opportunity for student chairs of School student-staff panels to come together and raise   issues which have arisen in student-staff panels with the Students’ Union officers, College Deans and other members of staff by invitation.
• Student Champions are current students engaged in paid positions by the university as change agents to help   us to develop a deeper understanding of student views on specific issues, and ensure students are engaged with us as partners. They are supported through the Learning & Teaching Academy. These students have been involved in a variety of projects, including the design of user-experience (UX) methodology for the Digital Learning Environment Review as well as providing valuable input into the development of our new system for Module Evaluation, increasing engagement with the National Student Survey and facilitating partnership projects and workshops   for various initiatives relating to student experience.
• Module evaluation, now called Module Enhancement, has been redeveloped and built on a new system Blue, by Explorance. It provides students the opportunity to give feedback on all their modules via an easy-to-use, mobile-friendly online tool. These data provide a deeper understanding of trends in student satisfaction across the University and help to highlight priorities for responsive and appropriate action at school and University levels. Module convenors report back to students on module enhancement data and actions taken as a result of student feedback.
• National Student Survey (NSS) responses and feedback are received via the annual NSS of undergraduate final   year students. The results of the NSS are scrutinised at school, college and university levels, with priorities for action and improvement identified and monitored via the Education and Student Experience Committee.
• Survey Management Framework - A singular institutionally owned framework which ensures that the student voice   be heard and acted upon, with closure of feedback loops at all levels. The framework provides a streamlined cycle of design, analysis, reporting and publication for all student surveys as well as clarity on the governance,  responsibility, data ownership and engagement with key stakeholders. We are in the process of reviewing our Survey Management Framework to come into effect for 2022/23. The changes will include further in-year monitoring; more  robust risk management and intervention; and clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
• Cardiff Pulse is newly introduced in 2021 and invites students to provide feedback to the University about how they are getting on at five key touchpoints in the year, through a series of six short questions. Cardiff Pulse is integrated into the universities VLE and is framed as a conversation with students rather than a survey. Results, and closing the loop feedback, are reported to students each cycle via an intranet page.

Alongside these mechanisms, significant improvements have been made to Student Voice through the Student Voice programme of work which commenced in January 2021 and looks to radicalise the University’s approach to student voice over the next three years. A Student Voice Steering Group was established in Summer 2021, which is developing a framework and roadmap for student voice for the next three years. The group also oversees key projects that enable enhancements to student voice and the student experience including reviewing our module evaluation system, our use of data, our approach to using local level feedback, and ensuring we have staffing structures in place to support a more local and agile approach to student voice. We have recently recruited ten Student Engagement Officers to support Student Voice at a local school level.

Development of the FAP is also influenced through consideration of the participant feedback that is routinely collected and analysed as part of our student experience programmes including:

• Step-Up
• Student mentoring
• Wellbeing champions
• Employability initiatives, and
• Global opportunities.

Our students also help to deliver several programmes and activities set out in the Plan. For instance:

• On-campus internships for developing Learning, Teaching and Research at Cardiff where undergraduate students have the opportunity   to work collaboratively with staff on projects to enhance learning, teaching   and research.
• HE roadshows delivered in partnership with Cardiff Metropolitan University, raises awareness of higher education and provides advice at an early stage about  careers and subject choices. Our students design and deliver interactive  presentations to pupils in years 9-11. It aims to raise awareness of higher education and its benefits and to motivate pupils. It provides careers advice  relevant to HE at an early stage so that pupils make an informed choice about GCSEs and FE.

Student and staff feedback on these schemes is very positive, with academic colleagues noting the important impact of having student involvement on projects, giving it currency; students noting the scheme gives them an opportunity to be a co-partner with academics on projects as well as providing valuable employability experience.

3. Under-represented groups

(Guidance paragraphs 107-113)

Identified by HEFCW as under-represented in higher education:

• people of all ages domiciled in the Welsh Index of Multiple Index bottom two quintiles (WIMD40 and separately WIMD20)
• people of all ages from low participation neighbourhoods (POLAR 4)
• part-time higher education students
• people with protected characteristics
• Welsh medium students.

Identified by the Reaching Wider programme:

• within the bottom two quintiles of the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation:
  • post-16 young people
  • adults without level 4 qualifications, to provide progression to level 4 provision.
• and Wales-wide:
  • children looked after
  • care leavers
  • carers in all age groups

Identified by Cardiff University as under-represented, student who are/have :

• disability (including autism)
• refugees/asylum seekers
• military experienced
• estranged from families
• parents not educated to HE level
• DWP household gross annual earnings (currently <£35k)
• age - mature
• home black, Asian and minority ethnic

4. Objectives as they relate to supporting equality of opportunity and the promotion of HE

(Guidance paragraphs 114-148)

4.1. Equality of Opportunity

4.2. Promotion of higher education

Authorisation of the fee and access plan application to HEFCW (required for publication)

In authorising fee and access plan applications, the governing body:

1. confirms that it continues to be an institution that provides higher education in Wales and is a charity.
2. has seen and considered appropriate evidence to support the declarations being made in this application.
3. confirms that there has been appropriate consultation with its students, both those studying at the institution and at other providers where education is delivered on its behalf.
4. confirms that the information provided in this fee and access plan application is accurate and current, at the time of writing, and is based on verifiable data.
5. confirms that: [delete one or more statements, as appropriate]
   1. it is acceptable for HEFCW to use financial, quality and/or other information/data that it holds about a currently regulated institution, regardless of whether the information/data was originally provided for purposes of regulation under the 2015 Act;
   2. it is not acceptable for HEFCW to use financial, quality and/or other information/data that it holds about a currently regulated institution for purposes of regulation under the 2015 Act; and
   3. it is submitting new, up-to-date, more recent information/data to inform HEFCW’s assessment.
6. understands that HEFCW reserves the right to undertake a visit to the institution to better understand eligibility related to the organisation and management of financial affairs, the data submitted on fee and access plans and/or the quality of education provided on, or on behalf of, the institution.
7. understands that it must provide HEFCW and/or HEFCW’s agent, with information, assistance and access to its facilities and the facilities of other bodies providing higher education on its behalf.
8. understands that HEFCW may carry out, or arrange for an agent to carry out, a review relating to the quality of education provided by, or on behalf of the institution, and its governing body must take into account any advice given to it by HEFCW or the body appointed by HEFCW for this purpose.
9. confirms that all education provided by, or on its behalf, regardless of the level or location of the provision has been taken into account in this fee and access plan application.
10. confirms that the institution is at a low risk of failure on financial grounds over the medium- to long- term.
11. confirms that the accounts are audited each year by a registered auditor and that the registered auditor is not the same firm and/or individual that prepared the accounts.
12. confirms that the institution complies with Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) guidelines for higher education.
13. understands that any financial commitments to students made in the fee and access plan, as approved by HEFCW, must be honoured.
14. confirms that it will continue to invest the same proportion of full-time undergraduate fee income to promote equality of opportunity and promote higher education and not reduce invest to promote equality of opportunity which is intended to support only under-represented in higher education.
15. confirms that it will continue to invest its institutional contribution to the Reaching Wider Programme aligned to its agreed Reaching Wider Strategy and Implementation Plan.
16. confirms that it will maintain student support levels.
17. confirms that the institution will ensure that a copy of the fee and access plan can be made accessible to its students in any format.
18. confirms that the institution will clearly signpost its students to HEFCW’s complaints processes.
19. take all reasonable steps to supporting under-represented groups that are studying for postgraduate courses.
20. considers how investment can best support students most impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic where they are not already identified as under-represented groups.

Fee and access plan application submission to HEFCW

Fee and access plans published on the institution’s websites must only include versions approved by HEFCW.

Final fee and access plan submission once HEFCW has confirmed it has no further issues (where applicable)