HolforHolford menekuni bidang [[teknik mesin]] di [[Cardiff University]] dengan sponsor dari [[Rolls-Royce Holdings | Rolls-Royce]] dan merupakan anggota pertama dalam keluarganya yang memiliki kesempatan untuk kuliah di [[perguruan tinggi]].<ref name=":1">{{cite web|last=Pettorelli|first=Nathalie|title=Discovery is what drives me: Meet Karen Holford|url=http://soapboxscience.org/?p=2077|publisher=Soapbox Science|date=5 June 2015|accessdate=28 Juli 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415115010/http://soapboxscience.org/?p=2077|archive-date=15 April 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> HalHolfrord tersebutmengambil terjadikuliah bidang teknik setelah guru seni sekolahnya mendorongnya untuk melanjutkan kursus teknik, meskipun penasihat karirnya telah mencegahnya untuk belajar [[teknik]], karena dianggap sebagai bidang yang didominasi oleh [[laki-laki]]. DiaSetelah itu, dia kemudian kembali ke Rolls-Royce di mana diakarena diminta untuk menyelesaikan kursusstudi lanjut [[Doctor of Philosophy |PhD]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.womanthology.co.uk/they-told-me-i-couldnt-become-an-engineer-so-i-did-it-anyway-karen-holford-professor-of-mechanical-engineering-at-cardiff-university-and-pro-vice-chancellor-college-of-physical/|title=They told me I couldn’t become an engineer … so I did it anyway – Karen Holford, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Cardiff University and Pro Vice-Chancellor, College of Physical Sciences and Engineering|date=23 December 2015|website=Womanthology|access-date=28 Juli 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601230000/http://www.womanthology.co.uk/they-told-me-i-couldnt-become-an-engineer-so-i-did-it-anyway-karen-holford-professor-of-mechanical-engineering-at-cardiff-university-and-pro-vice-chancellor-college-of-physical/|archive-date=1 June 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
