How do interviews differ between Cardiff and St Andrews?

Cardiff uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). St Andrews uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). The format is the same, so the same prep approach applies — practise ethics frameworks, NHS hot topics, and (for MMI) structured 5-7 minute station answers. Interview windows: December - February (Cardiff); December - March (St Andrews).

Where are Cardiff and St Andrews located, and how does that affect cost?

Cardiff is in Cardiff, UK. St Andrews is in St Andrews, 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.

When does each school release decisions?

Cardiff typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. St Andrews 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.

Medical school comparison

Cardiff vs St Andrews

Cardiff and St Andrews are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Cardiff is based in Cardiff (Wales) while St Andrews sits in St Andrews (Scotland), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.

St Andrews is the older institution (founded 1413); the other (founded 1893) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Cardiff and St Andrews.
Comparison field	CardiffCardiff	St AndrewsSt Andrews
Quick comparison
Location	Cardiff, UK	St Andrews, UK
A-Level offer	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.	AAA at A-level (offer and predicted) including Chemistry and one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics
TrueScore	Cardiff TrueScore 1700	St Andrews TrueScore 1850
UCAT home cut-off	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).	No threshold published. Applicants who meet the requirements are ranked on their UCAT global score, and roughly the top 650 are invited to interview.
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	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	RUK Student (2025): 123/162 = 74%; Scottish + RUK: 411/505 = 81%; International (2023): 56/82 = 68%
Decision date	March onwards	March onwards

A-Level offer	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.	AAA at A-level (offer and predicted) including Chemistry and one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics
Contextual A-Level offer	-	AAB at A-level for widening-access applicants
Required A-Level subjects	Biology and Chemistry both required	Chemistry plus one of Biology / Mathematics / Physics
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.	Resits considered with extenuating circumstances.
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.	Minimum 5 GCSEs at grade 7/A in one sitting (achieved A-level applicants may be considered with fewer). GCSE grade 5 in Biology, Mathematics, and English (Language or Literature) required if not offered at A-level. GCSE resit allowed.
GCSE scoring methodology	GCSE-heavy: top 9 GCSEs scored /27. Welsh-domiciled and contextual applicants receive up to 3 additional points. UCAT only applied as tie-break when too many applicants reach 27/27.	Used only as a minimum threshold - once met, shortlisting is entirely UCAT-based
Scottish Highers	-	Standard entry: AAAAB in S5, predicted to achieve at least BBB in Highers, Advanced Highers or a mix in S6. Minimum entry: AAABB in S5, predicted at least BB in S6.
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	Mix of Highers and Advanced Highers in S6 acceptable - minimum BB
International Baccalaureate	36 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level including Biology and Chemistry	38 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level + 6,6,6 at Standard Level. Minimum: 36 points (6,6,5 HL + 6,6,5 SL). Must include HL Chemistry and HL in one of Biology / Mathematics / Physics. If Maths not at HL, applicants must have SL in Biology, Maths and English. Either Maths Analysis & Approaches or Applications & Interpretation accepted.
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.	ScotGEM applicants must have achieved (or be predicted to achieve) a 1st or 2:1 Honours degree in any discipline (Arts, Science, etc.). Plus: Chemistry Higher or A-level (grade A or B) or equivalent; Mathematics at Standard Grade Credit 1/2, Intermediate 2 (A or B), National 5 (A or B), or GCSE (B). GAMSAT required.
Alternative qualifications	-	-

Contextual cut-off	-	Widening-access applicants receive a 10% uplift on their UCAT score.
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	-	-
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	Not considered at all	No use of SJT (was many years ago but not any more or in the future)
UCAT notes	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 sepa…	St Andrews warns explicitly that the 2025 UCAT changes - three subtests and a maximum of 2,700 - mean historical UCAT figures are not comparable with current cycles, so older "lowest invited" numbers…

Degree awarded	MBBCh	BSc (Hons) Medicine, then MBChB/MBBS elsewhere
Course length	5 years	6 years (3 at St Andrews + 3 clinical)
Teaching style	Case-based learning + Spiral	Integrated
Anatomy teaching	-	Dissection
First patient contact	-	Year 1
Placement geography	Across Wales	St Andrews for three years, then a partner school
Named placement sites	-	-
Intercalation	-	-
Course highlight	You can spend all or part of the course based in north Wales and still graduate from Cardiff.	You graduate with a BSc Honours before you begin clinical training.

Interview window	December - February	December - March
Interview details	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.	MMI format with chatty, casual interviewers across multiple stations. Topics include ethical scenarios, role-play and motivation for the unusual three-year BSc Honours course before transferring to a…

Specialities	Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy	Medicine, Medical Sciences, Gateway to Medicine
Established	1893	1413
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
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…	Three-year pre-clinical course at St Andrews followed by transfer to a partner medical school for clinical years. SJT not used (was used many years ago, not now or in future). Scottish students face m…
Official course page	https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/course/medicine-mbbch	https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/medicine/medicine-bsc-a100/

Cardiff

Quick comparison

Location: Cardiff, UK
A-Level offer: 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.
TrueScore: Cardiff TrueScore 1700
UCAT home cut-off: 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).
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

St Andrews

Quick comparison

Location: St Andrews, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level (offer and predicted) including Chemistry and one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics
TrueScore: St Andrews TrueScore 1850
UCAT home cut-off: No threshold published. Applicants who meet the requirements are ranked on their UCAT global score, and roughly the top 650 are invited to interview.
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: RUK Student (2025): 123/162 = 74%; Scottish + RUK: 411/505 = 81%; International (2023): 56/82 = 68%
Decision date: March onwards

Cardiff vs St Andrews - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Cardiff requires 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.

St Andrews requires AAA at A-level (offer and predicted) including Chemistry and one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics.

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 /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* =… St Andrews: Minimum 5 GCSEs at grade 7/A in one sitting (achieved A-level applicants may be considered with fewer). GCSE grade 5 in Biology, Mathematics, and English (Language or Literature) required if not…

Interview formats

Both Cardiff and St Andrews 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.

Interview windows: Cardiff interviews in December - February; St Andrews in December - March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Cardiff runs a Case-based curriculum; St Andrews runs a Traditional curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Cardiff leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while St Andrews uses a more traditional lecture-led structure.

Specifics: Five-year MBBCh with case-based learning. Cardiff splits clinical placements across South Wales (Cardiff & Vale, Aneurin Bevan, Cwm Taf Morgannwg). First 3 years at St Andrews leading to BSc (Hons) Medicine. Most students then transfer to a partner clinical school for years 4-6 of MBChB.

Intake size: Cardiff — ~270 home + ~30 international places per year (A100).; St Andrews — RUK ~24 places, Scottish ~150, International ~30 (3-year pre-clinical only - clinical years at partner schools).. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Post-interview offer rate

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.

St Andrews: Three-year pre-clinical course at St Andrews followed by transfer to a partner medical school for clinical years. SJT not used (was used many years ago, not now or in future). Scottish students face much lower cut-offs than RUK applicants.

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; St Andrews 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: 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).. St Andrews guidance: No threshold published. Applicants who meet the requirements are ranked on their UCAT global score, and roughly the top 650 are invited to interview..

Cardiff requires AAA including Biology or Chemistry plus a second science from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics or Psychology. St Andrews requires AAA including Chemistry and one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics. 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.. St Andrews — Resits considered with extenuating circumstances..

Cardiff — 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. GCSE-heavy: top 9 GCSEs scored /27. Welsh-domiciled and contextual applicants receive up to 3 additional points. UCAT only applied as tie-break when too many applicants reach 27/27. St Andrews — Minimum 5 GCSEs at grade 7/A in one sitting (achieved A-level applicants may be considered with fewer). GCSE grade 5 in Biology, Mathematics, and English (Language or Literature) required if not offered at A-level. GCSE resit allowed. Used only as a minimum threshold - once met, shortlisting is entirely UCAT-based

Cardiff's selection methodology: Cardiff combines GCSE points with UCAT decile scores to rank applicants, adding a point for academic achievement in further or higher education. Points come from nine GCSE subjects, which must include Biology, Chemistry, English (first) or Welsh (first), and Mathematics or Numeracy. There is no minimum UCAT score: a cut-off is introduced only when the number of applicants with the highest academic scores exceeds the roughly 1,000 Cardiff can interview, and it moves every cycle. No offer is made without an MMI. St Andrews's selection methodology: Applicants who meet the academic requirements, provide a positive reference and can show relevant medically related work experience are ranked on their UCAT global score; roughly the top 650 are interviewed. Offers then turn on the interview score and the route applied for. St Andrews teaches the first three years (BSc Medicine) and most students then transfer to a partner clinical school such as Glasgow, Manchester or Dundee. 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. St Andrews: RUK Student (2025): 123/162 = 74%; Scottish + RUK: 411/505 = 81%; International (2023): 56/82 = 68%. 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 runs a Case-based curriculum. St Andrews runs a Traditional 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). St Andrews specifics: First 3 years at St Andrews leading to BSc (Hons) Medicine. Most students then transfer to a partner clinical school for years 4-6 of MBChB.

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.

Where to go next

CardiffEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

St AndrewsEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Other medical school comparisons

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 19 September 2026.

Cardiff vs St Andrews

Side-by-side comparison

Cardiff vs St Andrews - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Interview formats

Curriculum and teaching style

Post-interview offer rate

What makes each distinctive

Which is right for you?

Common questions

What UCAT score do I need for Cardiff vs St Andrews?

How do interviews differ between Cardiff and St Andrews?

What A-Level grades do Cardiff and St Andrews require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Cardiff vs St Andrews?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Which has a higher post-interview offer rate, Cardiff or St Andrews?

Where are Cardiff and St Andrews located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Cardiff and St Andrews use?

Should I apply to both Cardiff and St Andrews?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons