Cardiff and the Welsh Language

Out of a 36,000-strong population of staff and students, the University boasts an estimated 4000 fluent Welsh speakers.

Our commitment to Welsh culture, on which the health of its language so much depends, is outlined in the The Way Forward 2012-17. Here it is stated that we aspire to be a “world-leading” institution, which as well as striving for research excellence, fulfils its “social, cultural and economic obligations to Cardiff, Wales and the world.”

How we fulfil our obligation to the Welsh language is exemplified by the recent renewal of our Welsh Language Scheme. This was rolled out across the University in June. The Scheme is a statutory document prepared under the Welsh Language Act 1993 and the Government of Wales Act 2006.

Backed by the Language Commissioner’s Office and held up as a model of good practice, the Scheme sets out to staff and students how we will work further to embed the Welsh language within our culture, educational provision and working practices.

The Scheme’s chief aim is to engender a change in attitude towards the Welsh language and actively to promote the principle that Welsh will be treated no less favourably than English when dealing with University staff, current and prospective students, as well as the general public.

Also among the Scheme’s aims is to ensure that we have sufficient Welsh speaking staff to meet the needs of our students and members of the public, whilst recognising and providing any training needs for staff.

Get more information on how the Welsh Language Scheme affects you, or watch the video we made which shows staff and students sharing their experiences of using Welsh in their everyday lives and studies.

Useful information and links:

We now offer students 118 modules, which can be studied wholly or partly through the medium of Welsh, across a wide range of subjects including Law, Healthcare, Medicine, Mathematics, Biosciences, Philosophy, Journalism and Welsh.

We have exciting plans to develop many more opportunities to study through the medium of Welsh which you can read about on the Cardiff branch of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol site.

We offer students wishing to develop or improve their Welsh language skills a range of options to learn Welsh as part of or alongside their programme of study, including free-standing modules for beginners and support to undertake the Coleg’s Welsh Language Skills Certificate, with further extracurricular learning opportunities through a “Welsh for All” programme currently in development.

We can provide Welsh speaking students with the opportunity to apply for accommodation which is specifically set aside for Welsh speakers at two halls of residence: Senghennydd Court and Talybont North.

The Students’ Union has a dedicated Welsh Language Officer, whose role is to represent the interests of Welsh-speaking students both within the Union itself and across the University as whole.

It’s never too late to learn Welsh – we provide a number of ‘Welsh for Adults’ courses which cater for a range of abilities from complete beginner to proficient.

For further advice and guidance on the full range of the University’s Welsh/bilingual services and the support available, please contact the Welsh language team.