| Subject | QS | THE | ARWU | U.S. News |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geography | #51-100 | — | #35 | — |
| Communication & Media | #37 | — | #151-200 | — |
| Dentistry | #41 | — | #101-150 | — |
| Public Administration | #101-150 | — | #46 | — |
| Biological Sciences | #144 | — | #47 | #142 |
| Architecture | #50 | — | — | — |
| Archaeology | #51-100 | — | — | — |
| Nursing | #51-100 | — | #76-100 | — |
| Business & Management | #141 | — | #51-75 | — |
| Law | #151-200 | #126-150 | #51-75 | — |
| English Language & Literature | #62 | — | — | — |
| Sociology | #101-150 | — | #76-100 | — |
| Psychology | #79 | #80 | #151-200 | #110 |
| Modern Languages | #101-150 | — | — | — |
| Pharmacy & Pharmacology | #101-150 | — | #151-200 | #374 |
| Earth & Geosciences | #101-150 | — | #101-150 | #125 |
| Statistics | #101-150 | — | — | — |
| Medicine / Clinical | #127 | — | #101-150 | #112 |
| Water Resources | — | — | #101-150 | — |
| Artificial Intelligence | — | — | #101-150 | — |
| Public Health | — | — | #101-150 | #160 |
| Arts & Humanities | #120 | #126-150 | — | #113 |
| Life Sciences & Medicine | #121 | #176-200 | — | — |
| Social Sciences & Management | #153 | #126-150 | — | — |
| History | #151-200 | — | — | — |
| Linguistics | #151-200 | — | — | — |
| Civil Engineering | #151-200 | — | #151-200 | — |
| Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering | #151-200 | — | #151-200 | — |
| Environmental Science | #151-200 | — | #201-300 | #245 |
| Accounting & Finance | #151-200 | — | #151-200 | — |
| Education | #151-200 | #201-250 | #301-400 | — |
| Political Science & IR | #151-200 | — | #151-200 | — |
| Computer Science | #301-350 | #201-250 | #151-200 | #303 |
| Economics & Econometrics | #301-350 | — | #151-200 | #186 |
| Business & Economics | — | #176-200 | — | — |
| Clinical & Health | — | #176-200 | — | — |
| Chemistry | #188 | — | #301-400 | #318 |
| Philosophy | #201-225 | — | — | — |
| Electrical & Electronic Engineering | #201-250 | — | #201-300 | #348 |
| Physics & Astronomy | #201-250 | — | #301-400 | #236 |
| Engineering & Technology | #228 | #201-250 | — | #211 |
| Natural / Physical Sciences | #239 | #201-250 | — | — |
| Chemical Engineering | — | — | #201-300 | — |
| Energy Science & Engineering | — | — | #201-300 | #211 |
| Mathematics | #251-300 | — | — | — |
| Telecommunication Engineering | — | — | #301-400 | — |
| Agriculture & Forestry | — | — | — | #465 |
Cardiff University ranks #181 in QS 2026, #225 in THE 2026, #201-300 in ARWU 2025 and #192 in U.S. News 2026. Its consensus position across the major rankings is #194 globally.
QS weights employer reputation and international metrics more heavily; THE places more weight on research influence and teaching environment. Differences of this size between the two systems are common — see our methodology comparison.