College of South Wales and Monmouthshire was renamed University College, Cardiff in 1972.
=== 1988 merger ===
In 1988, University College Cardiff ran into financial difficulties and a declaration of insolvency was considered. This led to a merger with the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology (UWIST) to form the University of Wales College of Cardiff. The principal of the new institution was Sir Aubrey Trotman-Dickenson, who had been the principal of UWIST. After changes to the constitution in 1996, its name was changed to the University of Wales, Cardiff.
In the early 1990s, the university's computer systems served as the home for The Internet Movie Database.
=== Independence and 2004 merger ===
The college was granted degree-awarding powers by the Privy Council in 1997 although, as a member of the University of Wales, it did not use them at that time. In 1999, the public name of the university was changed to Cardiff University.
In 2002, ideas were floated to re-merge Cardiff with the University of Wales College of Medicine (UWCM), after the publication of the Welsh Assembly Government's review of higher education in Wales. This set in train a series of constitutional reforms. On 1 August 2004, Cardiff University ceased to be a member of the University of Wales and became an independent "link institution" affiliated to the federal university. The process of the merger with UWCM was completed on 1 December 2004, when the Act of Parliament transferring UWCM's assets to Cardiff University received royal assent. On 17 December it was announced that the Privy Council had given approval to a new supplemental charter for the keys institution. This was sealed on 11 March 2005, granting university status to Cardiff and legally changing the name of the institution to Cardiff University. Cardiff awarded University of Wales degrees to students admitted before 2005, but has subsequently awarded its own degrees.
In 2005, Wales College of Medicine, as part of the university, launched the North Wales Clinical …
