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UK Medicine · 2027 Entry
Cardiff Medical School2027 Entry Requirements & Interview Format
Location Cardiff, UKEstablished 1893Interviews (2027 entry) December 2026 - February 2027Decisions (2027 entry) March 2027 onwards
Photo: Jeremy Segrott (from Cardiff, Wales, UK) / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · cropped
Photo: Jeremy Segrott from Cardiff, Wales, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Photo: Armonjones · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: M J Richardson · CC BY-SA 2.0
Tutor videos
Walk through the interview with a current student
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Full guide
How to get into Cardiff medicine
Step-by-step: entry requirements, UCAT prep, personal statement, interview format and the key deadlines.
Open the guide →Interview guide
Prepare for the Cardiff interview
Format breakdown, school-specific sample questions, FAQs and prep tips from tutors who interviewed here.
Read the guide →The course
What the Cardiff medicine course is like
Case-based learning + Spiral, 5 years, placements across Across Wales.
See the course →Overview
About Cardiff
Cardiff is Wales's leading medical school, with the C21 spiral curriculum and the unique CARER community placement that runs through the entire course.
What makes Cardiff different
Leading Welsh medical school with strong community-medicine and research focus. GCSE-heavy scoring (/27) - full points typically requires 9 grade 8/9s. UCAT is used to rank candidates only when there are too many at the maximum GCSE score.
Cardiff course & teaching
Case-based curriculum. Five-year MBBCh with case-based learning. Cardiff splits clinical placements across South Wales (Cardiff & Vale, Aneurin Bevan, Cwm Taf Morgannwg).
Cardiff research strengths
Cardiff is strong in these research areas:
- Neuroscience & mental health
- Cancer
- Infection & immunity
- Population medicine
Intercalation at Cardiff
Optional intercalated BSc - selective.
How the Cardiff interview runs
Format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
MMI format with stations testing motivation for medicine, communication, ethics and understanding of the Welsh healthcare context. You are told the general topic of each station beforehand.
Cardiff intake
~270 home + ~30 international places per year (A100).
Cardiff at a glance
Founded in 1893. Based in Cardiff.
Programmes offered:
- Medicine
- Dentistry
- Pharmacy
TrueScore
Predicted UCAT for Cardiff
TrueScore
What is TrueScore?
A data-driven estimate of the UCAT score you'll likely need to be invited to interview at Cardiff for 2027 entry entry — based on its published cut-offs and recent admissions data. Treat it as a target to aim past, not a guarantee.
- Home1700
- Rest of UK2050
- International1550
Cardiff's TrueScore is 1700. Build a week-by-week UCAT plan that works back from your test date — free for the first two weeks.
Entry requirements
What you need to apply to Cardiff
A-Level requirements
AAA at A-level including Biology OR Chemistry plus a second science from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics or Psychology. A pass in the science practical element is required where applicable.
Required A-Level subjects
Biology and Chemistry both required
A-Level resit policy
Resits only considered for applicants who held a conditional offer in the previous cycle and provide evidence of exceptional circumstances. GCSE resits accepted within one year of original sitting (English Language any time). No use of predicted A-level grades - achieved grades only.
GCSE requirements
Top 9 GCSEs scored /27, must include Mathematics, English Language, Biology, Chemistry (or Double Science): A*/8/9 = 3 pts, A/7 = 2 pts, B/6 = 1 pt. Achieved A-levels add up to 3 further points (A* = 3, A = 2). 27/27 typical for RUK.
International Baccalaureate
36 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level including Biology and Chemistry
Graduate-entry degree requirement
Graduate applicants need a 2:1 (Hons) or to be working towards one, plus BBB/ABC at A-level including the subject requirements and the minimum GCSEs. Applicants who have completed a PhD need only BBC at A-level, with all other criteria still met.
UCAT Selection at Cardiff
Weighting
GCSE-heavy /27 scoring (top 9 GCSEs incl. Maths, English Lang, Biology, Chemistry; 3 pts per A*/8/9). 27/27 typically required for RUK. Welsh applicants and contextual candidates receive up to 3 additional points. UCAT only applied as a tie-break when too many applicants reach 27/27. Personal statement reviewed but not scored.
SJT band
Not considered at all
Contextual / WP eligibility
Welsh-domiciled and contextualised applicants get up to 3 extra GCSE points and additional consideration in initial selection. UCAT bar significantly lower for Welsh applicants - in some years effectively no UCAT minimum.
Cardiff is academically led: GCSE and UCAT decile scores are combined to rank applicants, with an extra point for academic achievement in further or higher education. The UCAT therefore acts as a separator among a strong academic field rather than as an entry gate. The SJT is not used.
SJT Band
Not considered at all
Specialities offered
Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy
Interview
How Cardiff interviews applicants
Format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Interview window (2027 entry)
December 2026 - February 2027
Decision date (2027 entry)
March 2027 onwards
Post-interview chances
International (2024): 60/146 = 41%; Welsh: 232/349 = 66%; RUK: 347/664 = 52%; ~600 offers from 1000 interviews in 2025
Tutor insight
Be specific about why Cardiff: the C21 spiral curriculum and CARER placement come up often in "why this school" questions. Prepare to discuss differences between Welsh and English healthcare systems - they often surface in scenario stations.
Practice
Practise for your Cardiff interview
PrometheusQuestion Bank621 medicine questions inside
Interview questions matched to Cardiff
Two questions our tutors flagged as a strong fit for Cardiff’s interview style. Try answering them out loud, then open Prometheus for the model answers and follow-up tips.
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Apply to Cardiff with confidence
We've helped students into Cardiff and other UK medicine schools — get tailored support for each stage of the application.
UCAT Tutoring
Hit the UCAT cut-off for Cardiff with one-to-one tutoring from top scorers.
Learn moreInterview preparation
Practise the Multiple Mini Interviews format with students who interviewed at Cardiff.
Learn morePersonal statement help
Get your personal statement reviewed by successful applicants.
Learn moreSources
Where Cardiff's figures come from
Checked field-by-field against Cardiff University's official course page on 14 August 2026.
FAQ
Cardiff — frequently asked questions
Home applicants: No minimum. Cardiff states there is no minimum UCAT score, and that a cut-off is only introduced - and varies each cycle - when more applicants reach the highest academic scores than it can interview (around 1,000).. Cardiff is academically led: GCSE and UCAT decile scores are combined to rank applicants, with an extra point for academic achievement in further or higher education. The UCAT therefore acts as a separator among a strong academic field rather than as an entry gate. The SJT is not used.
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We've helped students turn their UCAT, personal statement and interview prep into offers from Cardiff and other UK medicine schools.