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Medical school comparison

Cardiff vs Glasgow

Cardiff and Glasgow are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Cardiff is based in Cardiff (Wales) while Glasgow sits in Glasgow (Scotland), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination. Glasgow is the older institution (founded 1451); the other (founded 1893) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Cardiff

Cardiff

Quick comparison

Location
Cardiff, UK
A-Level offer
AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry
TrueScore
1700
UCAT home cut-off
~1700+ /2700 (Welsh-domiciled - UCAT bar much lower; low priority over GCSE)
Interview format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance
International (2024): 60/146 = 41%; Welsh: 232/349 = 66%; RUK: 347/664 = 52%; ~600 offers from 1000 interviews in 2025
Decision date
March onwards

Glasgow

Glasgow

Quick comparison

Location
Glasgow, UK
A-Level offer
AAA at A-level including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics
TrueScore
1850
UCAT home cut-off
-
Interview format
MMI Format for Dentistry, Panel Interview for Medicine
Post-interview chance
Scottish: 473/565 = 84% (2025); RUK: 128/216 = 59%; International: 114/161 = 71%
Decision date
March onwards
Compare different schools

Cardiff vs Glasgow - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Cardiff requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology. Glasgow requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology. Both demand the same A-Level grade band, so academic prediction is unlikely to differentiate your application between them — provided you meet the required subject combination at each. GCSE profile matters at both schools — Cardiff: Top 9 GCSEs scored out of 27 points (must include Maths, English Language, Biology, Chemistry). A*/8/9 = 3 pts, A/7 = 2, B/6 = 1. Glasgow: GCSE English at grade 6/B; Biology at grade 6/B if not studied at A-Level. GCSE retakes accepted.

Interview formats

Both Cardiff and Glasgow use MMI interviews, so the underlying prep approach is the same — practise ethics frameworks, NHS hot-topic answers and (for MMI) structured station responses against a timer. That said, the specifics differ slightly: Cardiff runs multiple mini interviews (mmi); Glasgow runs mmi format for dentistry, panel interview for medicine. Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep. Interview windows: Cardiff interviews in December - February; Glasgow in December - February.

Curriculum and teaching style

Cardiff runs a Case-based curriculum; Glasgow runs a PBL curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Cardiff leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while Glasgow centres learning around clinical cases. Specifics: Five-year MBBCh with case-based learning. Cardiff splits clinical placements across South Wales (Cardiff & Vale, Aneurin Bevan, Cwm Taf Morgannwg). Five-year MBChB built around problem-based learning groups, with early clinical exposure from Year 1. Intake size: Cardiff — ~270 home + ~30 international places per year (A100).; Glasgow — ~40-50 RUK + ~22 international + ~190 Scottish places per year (A100).. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Post-interview offer rate

Cardiff: International (2024): 60/146 = 41%; Welsh: 232/349 = 66%; RUK: 347/664 = 52%; ~600 offers from 1000 interviews in 2025. Glasgow: Scottish: 473/565 = 84% (2025); RUK: 128/216 = 59%; International: 114/161 = 71%. Post-interview odds give you the clearest signal of how competitive each school is at the final stage — a school with a 60% post-interview success rate is structurally easier to convert than one at 25%, even if the interview thresholds look identical on paper.

What makes each distinctive

Cardiff: 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. Glasgow: One of the oldest medical schools in the English-speaking world. Personal statement and reference must meet minimum requirements but shortlisting is then driven by UCAT alone. Personal statement reviewed post-interview before offers.

Which is right for you?

Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Cardiff feeds into the Wales foundation programme network; Glasgow into the Scotland network. If you learn best in small-group case discussion, prefer Cardiff; if you prefer lecture-led foundations, the other suits better. Your firm/insurance choice should ultimately weight: where your UCAT and predicted grades sit relative to each school's threshold, which interview format you can prepare for most credibly, and where you'd actually want to live for five or six years.

Common questions

Neither school publishes a single fixed UCAT cut-off; both use UCAT as part of a composite shortlisting score alongside GCSE and personal-statement weighting. Cardiff guidance: ~1700+ /2700 (Welsh-domiciled - UCAT bar much lower; low priority over GCSE). Glasgow guidance: No SJT used. Personal statement and reference checked for minimums then shortlisting is wholly UCAT-based. Personal statement reviewed post-interview before offers..

Cardiff uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). Glasgow uses Panel interview: MMI Format for Dentistry, Panel Interview for Medicine. The two formats reward different skill sets. Plan separate prep streams for each, with at least 3 full mock interviews per format before sitting either. Interview windows: December - February (Cardiff); December - February (Glasgow).

Cardiff requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology. Glasgow requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Cardiff — Cardiff considers resit applicants on a case-by-case basis.. Glasgow — Resits permitted only with exceptional circumstances; standard expectation is one-sitting AAA..

Cardiff — Top 9 GCSEs scored out of 27 points (must include Maths, English Language, Biology, Chemistry). A*/8/9 = 3 pts, A/7 = 2, B/6 = 1. Glasgow — GCSE English at grade 6/B; Biology at grade 6/B if not studied at A-Level. GCSE retakes accepted.

Cardiff's selection methodology: GCSE points + A-Level achievement points + UCAT combined. Lowest UCAT invited to interview varies year-to-year (1980-2690/3600 in recent cycles). Glasgow's selection methodology: Shortlisting is UCAT-only after minimum academic, personal statement and reference checks. Personal statement reviewed post-interview, before offers, but not scored. Understanding each school's exact algorithm is the single highest-leverage piece of pre-application research — it tells you whether your profile is competitive before you spend an application choice.

Cardiff: International (2024): 60/146 = 41%; Welsh: 232/349 = 66%; RUK: 347/664 = 52%; ~600 offers from 1000 interviews in 2025. Glasgow: Scottish: 473/565 = 84% (2025); RUK: 128/216 = 59%; International: 114/161 = 71%. Post-interview odds tell you how competitive each school is at the final stage. Two schools with similar UCAT thresholds can have very different post-interview rates — a school with a 60% post-interview success rate is structurally easier to convert than one at 25%.

Cardiff is in Cardiff, UK. Glasgow is in Glasgow, UK. Scottish-domiciled applicants funded by SAAS pay no tuition fees at Scottish medical schools — a substantial funding advantage worth tens of thousands of pounds over the degree. Rest-of-UK applicants still pay £9,250/year.

Cardiff typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. Glasgow releases medicine decisions March onwards. If one is earlier than the other, you may need to hold a decision while waiting for the second school — be ready to compare in real time.

Cardiff runs a Case-based curriculum. Glasgow runs a PBL curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Cardiff specifics: Five-year MBBCh with case-based learning. Cardiff splits clinical placements across South Wales (Cardiff & Vale, Aneurin Bevan, Cwm Taf Morgannwg). Glasgow specifics: Five-year MBChB built around problem-based learning groups, with early clinical exposure from Year 1.

You can — UCAS allows 4 medicine/dentistry choices in total, so listing both is feasible if your profile fits each school's selection algorithm. Apply to both only if your UCAT, GCSE and predicted-grade profile is competitive against each school's published weighting. A common mistake is using two of your four slots on similar schools when a more spread-out portfolio (one safe + one stretch) would maximise overall offer probability.

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 20 June 2026.