Cardiff Metropolitan University (formerly University of Wales Institute, Cardiff) is one of the leading new universities in Wales, mainly due to its career-orientated courses that make graduates popular with employers. It's also a top sporting university with first-class facilities and a proud tradition of competition – and success. Cardiff is a lively, cosmopolitan and fun-loving capital city, but still manageable and easy to get around. There's some lovely countryside within easy reach and good transport links to the rest of the UK. Accommodation Not guaranteed in halls, but Cardiff Met will help with finding suitable private accommodation if necessary. Weekly prices: Cyncoed campus Catered single: £135.50 (inclusive of food) Catered single en suite: £148.50 (inclusive of food) Self Catered en suite single: £99.00-£104.50 Plas Gwyn campus Self-catered en-suite single: £98.00-£100.50 Contracts are for 40 weeks. Facilities Resources for sport are especially good, while other areas are benefiting from a £50m programme of improvements. The campus centre at Llandaff features an extended and redesigned hot food service area providing an extensive range of both hot and cold meals, a Starbucks coffee shop and student union shop with a "grab & go" facility. There is also an information zone for students – the i-Zone. The service is for all students who require help or information with non-academic related matters, such as accommodation, registry and other student services. The Cardiff School of Art and Design has now moved to a new £14m four-storey building in Llandaff from its current base in Howard Gardens. A world-class sport and exercise medicine centre, the first of its kind in the UK to assist not just elite athletes but also the general public, is based at the Cyncoed campus. Transport During term-time, the Met Rider bus service links both campuses with other parts of Cardiff, which students can take advantage of by purchasing a pass from 1 September that runs for 10 months, at a cost of less than £6 a week. The pass is transferable across the entire Cardiff bus network and will allow students to travel as far as Barry Island, the home of Gavin and Stacey. Cardiff Met operates a car-share and bike-user scheme with all-weather cycle storage and showers available on campus.