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UK Medicine · 2027 Entry
Cardiff Medical School2027 Entry Requirements & Interview Format
Location Cardiff, UKEstablished 1893Interviews December - FebruaryDecisions March onwards
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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.
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Prepare for the Cardiff interview
Format breakdown, school-specific sample questions, FAQs and prep tips from tutors who interviewed here.
Read the guide →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 it 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.
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).
Research strengths
Cardiff has notable research strength in Neuroscience & mental health, Cancer, Infection & immunity, Population medicine.
Intercalation
Optional intercalated BSc - selective.
Interview
Cardiff interviews via 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.
Intake
~270 home + ~30 international places per year (A100).
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
Entry requirements
What you need to apply to Cardiff
A-Level requirements
AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry
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
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.
Rest of UK - lowest invited
15752021 entry15082022 entry14852023 entry20182024 entry
International - lowest invited
14782024 entry
GCSE-heavy /27 scoring. UCAT only applied as tie-break when many applicants score 27/27 GCSE. SJT 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
December - February
Decision date
March 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 Bank620 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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UCAT Tutoring
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Practise the Multiple Mini Interviews format with students who interviewed at Cardiff.
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Learn moreFAQ
Cardiff — frequently asked questions
Home applicants: ~1700+ /2700 (Welsh-domiciled - UCAT bar much lower; low priority over GCSE). International applicants: ~1500+ /2700 (2024 entry lowest invited ≈ 1478 /2700). GCSE-heavy /27 scoring. UCAT only applied as tie-break when many applicants score 27/27 GCSE. SJT not used.
AAA including Chemistry and Biology
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 typically interviews in December - February.
Decisions are released March onwards.
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.
Apply to Cardiff with confidence
We've helped students turn their UCAT, personal statement and interview prep into offers from Cardiff and other UK medicine schools.