Quality of Higher Education provision at Cardiff and Vale College confirmed by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education

The quality and standards of Cardiff and Vale College’s university-level courses has been confirmed by a Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) review.

CAVC was the first college in Wales to gain the green light from a QAA Gateway Review, enabling it to offer and award more Higher Education (HE) courses in 2019. The recent follow-up Gateway Review into the College’s HE Provision did not make any recommendations for development or improvement.

A team of QAA reviewers viewed documentary evidence and met with a wide range of College staff and students. They judged that the College was able demonstrate “robust evidence” demonstrating well-designed courses that provide a high-quality academic experience.

They also found that both academic and pastoral support for HE learners at CAVC was of a high quality, allowing them to succeed in, and benefit from, Higher Education.

The largest college in Wales and one of the largest in the UK, CAVC offers a broad range of Higher Education courses to hundreds of people each year, which it runs in partnership with subject-leading universities. In the National Student Survey 2022, CAVC scored 9% higher than the sector average for academic support and 12% higher for assessment and feedback.

Cardiff and Vale College Principal Sharon James said:

“We are delighted that the QAA’s latest Gateway Review has confirmed our dedication to providing quality Higher Education courses at CAVC. The College offers a broad range of qualifications in a wide range of subjects from HNC to PGCE and we are well placed to develop courses that meet the needs of employers in the region.

“We pride ourselves on the exceptional support we offer our students and the personal approach to our teaching, so we’re also pleased to note that the QAA reviewers mentioned its quality. Well done to everyone who helps making HE at CAVC an experience where the QAA didn’t identify any areas for development or improvement.”