Sims and the Student Intranet

As a student of Cardiff University you will be granted access to the Student Sims Portal and the Student Intranet. Sims and the Student Intranet are online portals that contain a vast amount of information to help you with your degree.

In addition to the above, you can also seek advice and information from:

Your Student Handbook
Your Personal Tutor
Your Academic School
Student Advice

Below is basic guidance on how to use Sims and the Student Intranet. however. If you have any questions or concerns, you to contact us for more specific advice.

Cardiff University Sims

Each student enrolled in Cardiff University has access to their own Sims portal. Sims contains your individual Student Record. You can log into your Sims portal here.

Your Student Record includes but is not limited to:

Your permanent contact details and your term-time contact details;
Your exam timetable;
Details of your Personal Tutor;
Correspondence from the Cardiff University;
Your Official Transcript(s) that detail your formal results, once they have been confirmed by an Examining Board.

It is important that you keep your details up-to-date throughout your studies as these will be used by the University to contact you throughout your programme.

You may notice a yellow ‘University Residences’ box in the bottom left hand corner of your Sims Portal. By clicking this box, you may be able to:

Apply for University accommodation for upcoming semesters. This also applies to students who are studying in Cardiff on a semester abroad.
View details of the accommodation. This may include details of arrival information and your room inventory.
Make payments for University accommodation and view your online statements.

In addition to the details outlined above, your Sims portal can be used should you need to apply for:

If your studies are being affected by personal circumstances, we would strongly advise you to speak to an adviser about any of the above procedures before you submit an application.

How to use the Cardiff University Intranet

Whilst you are enrolled at Cardiff University, you should be given access to the Cardiff University Intranet. The intranet is a hub of information about Cardiff University. This information includes, but is not limited to:

Specific details about your programme, modules, reading lists and assignments;
Cardiff University Policies and Procedures;
Information about Student Support;
Information about Cardiff University Residences;
Support and advice.

You can access the Cardiff University Student Intranet by following this link: https://intranet.cardiff.ac.uk/students

Your log in details to your Student Intranet account should be your student number, and a unique password that you should have the opportunity to personalise.

Once you have logged into the Student Intranet, you should be presented with a number of applications which take you to different University portals and services. These portals should remain available to you for the duration of your programme.

From left to right, these are:

Email – By selecting this icon, you should be re-directed to your Microsoft Office email account where you can send and receive emails from your University account. This is likely to be the most frequently used contact address for any correspondence you receive from the University. We strongly advise you to monitor this email account carefully. If you have only recently discovered or logged into your email account, it is advisable to take your time going through your inbox, and your junk folder, to ensure that you have read through all the information you have been sent.
One Drive – This button should take you to the Microsoft Office software which is available for you to download free of charge. These software packages may be useful for any note-taking, learning resources and assessments that you may be assigned throughout the academic year. Currently this package includes:
- Microsoft Teams
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft OneDrive
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft OneNote
- Microsoft Sway
- Microsoft Forms

It is advisable to take some time to explore the different software packages available to you. The more familiar you become with these applications, the easier they become.

Library Search – Library Search is an application used by Cardiff University to record and store the academic sources and literature they subscribe to. These resources are largely available and may be an integral part of your programme and assessments.
Once you have been given your reading list for your modules, you should be able to find and access these sources through Library Search.
The University has information on how to use Library Search software here.

My Timetable – The My Timetable icon should take you to your programme timetable. This will contain all the lectures and seminars that you are required to attend this semester. If you are concerned that your My Timetable application is not working as it should, we would advise you to contact your School about this error, and to seek help from the University’s IT Support team.

Learning Central – This button should take you to the student ‘BlackBoard’. This is a portal that can directly facilitate messages from lecturers and peers about your modules.
By selecting the ‘Modules’ button on the top left hand side of your screen, you should be taken to a list of modules that you have elected for this academic year. Next to each listed module, you should also see name(s) of the instructor(s) responsible for the teaching of the module.
If you were to click on a module, you should be able to see specific learning resources for the curriculum which may be updated as your progress through the semester. These learning resources may include Lecture PowerPoints, Lecture Recordings and Reading Lists.

Sims – You can also access your Sims portal (above) via the Student Intranet.

Find a PC – If you are studying in Cardiff, you may wish to use Cardiff University computers to facilitate your learning, coursework and assessments. The Find a PC tool can be used to help you locate the nearest available computers for you to use on campus.

More Applications – there are more applications available to you through the Student Intranet. To find out more, we would advise you to take some time to explore the intranet so that you are familiar with the applications that you can access.

The Student Intranet also includes a search facility. If you have a specific question about Cardiff University, or relating to a Cardiff University service, you may be able to enter a related search term into the search bar to try and find more information about what you are looking for. If you are struggling to find the content that you want, you can always contact us for advice.