Cardiff medicine interview and selection guide
Cardiff receives around 3,000 medicine applications a year, interviews about 1,000 and makes around 600 offers. It shortlists on achieved GCSEs and your UCAT decile, ignoring predicted grades, and scores applicants within separate groups including Welsh-domiciled and widening participation applicants. This guide explains the points system, the MMI and Cardiff's entry requirements.
Facts checked against Cardiff's official pages on .
Independent service: Key2MD is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Cardiff University. Everything below is general guidance drawn from publicly available information, may change between cycles, and is not official advice. Always confirm current requirements, fees and program details on Cardiff's official pages.
Read facts and coaching advice separately. Facts on this page are taken from Cardiff's published pages and linked in the sources list. Preparation advice is Dan's independent guidance. This page does not reproduce confidential interview questions, and your invitation from Cardiff takes precedence over anything here.
On this page
Published selection and interview guidance
-
Academic and UCAT points
Eight GCSEs plus a UCAT decile score. Achieved results only.
- Cardiff does not look at predicted grades or AS-levels at any stage. Your GCSEs carry the shortlisting.
- The personal statement is screened but not scored.
- Applicants are scored within groups: Welsh-domiciled, rest of UK, contextualised rest of UK, widening participation and overseas. Cut-offs may differ between groups so each is represented.
-
Interview selection
About 1,000 interviews. A UCAT cut-off is used only if too many applicants share top academic scores.
- Any UCAT cut-off is not set in advance, is unrelated to previous years, and can differ between groups.
- Step-Up, Doctoriaid Yfory and Sutton Trust participants receive a guaranteed interview.
- Cardiff aims to contact all applicants by mid-December.
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Interview and offers
No offer without an interview. About 600 offers.
- MMI stations with themed questions, in person for home applicants and online for overseas applicants.
- You can interview in Welsh, English or both, switching freely. There is no advantage or penalty for language.
- Pathway covered
- Five-year MBBCh (A100); four-year graduate feeder routes noted separately
- Entry cycle / source status
- 2027 entry (admissions information last updated 30 September 2026)
- Published format
- Multiple Mini Interview with themed stations; in person for home applicants, online for overseas applicants; can be taken in Welsh, English or bilingually
- Shortlisting
- Points for eight achieved GCSEs plus UCAT decile points, plus one point for further or higher education achievement; a UCAT cut-off may be applied
- Applicant groups
- Welsh-domiciled, rest of UK, contextualised rest of UK, widening participation, overseas
Official sources: Cardiff University: admissions information for studying Medicine; Cardiff University: Medicine MBBCh.
Selection facts checked: . This check covers the pathway and interview summary above. Fees, eligibility exceptions and course details must be checked separately. Your university invitation takes precedence for your assessment.
The points system
| Component | Points |
|---|---|
| Each of eight GCSEs at 9, 8 or A* | 3 |
| Each GCSE at 7 or A | 2 |
| Each GCSE at 6 or B | 1 |
| UCAT in the 7th to 9th deciles | 3 |
| UCAT in the 4th to 6th deciles | 2 |
| UCAT in the 1st to 3rd deciles | 1 |
| Achievement in further or higher education (including the High Performance Programme) | 1 |
The eight best GCSEs must include Biology, Chemistry (or double science), English Language and Maths or Numeracy. Cardiff refers applicants to the UCAT Consortium's decile table for the test year. For reference, the 2026 UCAT deciles were:
| Decile | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 total score | 1590 | 1700 | 1780 | 1850 | 1920 | 1980 | 2050 | 2140 | 2250 |
Eight GCSEs can earn up to 24 points, while UCAT earns at most 3. At Cardiff, a strong set of GCSE grades matters far more for shortlisting than a few extra UCAT points, unless a UCAT cut-off is introduced.
A fourth A-level does not help, and the EPQ is not considered.
The MMI
| Format | A series of short, timed stations with themed questions, rotated in turn. |
|---|---|
| Typical themes | The Cardiff course, ethics, your understanding of a medical career, the NHS, teamwork, self-directed learning, motivation, empathy, resilience and communication. |
| What Cardiff looks for | Whether you can think on your feet, have considered issues important to the profession, can critically appraise information and communicate ideas effectively, plus the personal qualities important to a medical career. |
| Delivery for 2027 entry | In person for home fee status; online for overseas fee status. |
| Welsh and bilingual interviews | A set number of Welsh or bilingual interview dates are available. All questions exist in Welsh, and you can switch languages at any station. |
Published by Cardiff
- The points system and applicant groups
- Approximate applications, interviews and offers
- Interview themes and what is assessed
- Delivery mode for 2027
Not published
- The number or length of stations
- Academic or UCAT cut-offs for each group
- How interview scores convert to offers
Entry requirements
| GCSEs | Eight GCSEs including Biology and Chemistry at 7/A (or double science 7/7), Maths at 6/B, English Language at 6/B, and four more at 6/B or above. GCSE resits are accepted within a year (English Language at any time). |
|---|---|
| A-levels | AAA, including Biology or Chemistry and a second science from Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Physics or Psychology, plus any academic third subject (the Welsh Baccalaureate counts). A-level resits are not accepted except for offer holders in exceptional circumstances. |
| IB | 36 points (excluding TOK and the Extended Essay) with HL 666, including 6 in HL Biology or Chemistry and 6 in a second HL science. |
| Graduates | A 2:1 Honours degree (held or in the final year) plus BBB or ABC at A-level with the required subjects, and the GCSE requirements. With a PhD, the minimum A-level requirement is BBC. Graduates apply to the five-year A100 unless on an agreed feeder route. |
| Not accepted | BTECs and T levels. The only Access course accepted is the Agored Cymru Access to HE Diploma (Medicine). |
| UCAT | Required, taken between July and October of the application year. |
| Personal statement | Should cover insight into medicine, reflection on caring experience, personal responsibility, a balanced life and self-directed learning. It is screened, not scored. |
Welsh applicants and widening participation
| Welsh-domiciled applicants | Treated as one of Cardiff's contextualised groups, reflecting the under-representation of Welsh students in UK medical schools. |
|---|---|
| Guaranteed interviews | Participants in the Step-Up programme, Doctoriaid Yfory or the Sutton Trust programme. You can only reapply once from one of these programmes. |
| Graduate feeder routes | A four-year route is only open to students selected for agreed feeder streams from Cardiff Bioscience, Cardiff Medical Pharmacology, Bangor Biomedical Sciences or USW Biomedical Sciences. |
Dan's preparation advice for Cardiff
The following is independent coaching advice, not Cardiff's rubric.
- Know the Cardiff course. Cardiff lists questions about its course among its themes. Learn its case-centred team-based learning and its placements across Wales.
- Prepare for the NHS and Wales. Read about how health care is organised in Wales and the pressures it faces, not just England.
- Show critical appraisal. Cardiff names it. When given information, question where it came from and what it leaves out before you conclude.
- Consider a Welsh interview. If you are more natural in Welsh, the option is there with no penalty for switching.
Fees and funding
| Home students | Cardiff charges home students the maximum fee set by the government each year. It was awaiting confirmation of 2027/28 fees when checked. |
|---|---|
| Overseas students | About 25 Year 1 places (a 7.5% cap). 2027/28 fees were awaiting confirmation. |
Frequently asked questions
How does Cardiff select for medicine interviews?
It awards points for eight achieved GCSEs and your UCAT decile, plus one point for further or higher education achievement, within separate applicant groups. A UCAT cut-off may be used if too many applicants share the highest academic scores.
Does Cardiff use predicted grades?
No. Predicted grades and AS-levels are not considered at any stage of selection.
What is the Cardiff medicine interview like?
A Multiple Mini Interview with themed stations, in person for home applicants and online for overseas applicants for 2027 entry. Themes include ethics, the NHS, teamwork, motivation, empathy and resilience.
Can I do my Cardiff interview in Welsh?
Yes. There are Welsh and bilingual interview dates, all questions are available in Welsh, and you can switch languages freely without affecting your score.
How competitive is Cardiff medicine?
Cardiff reports around 3,000 applications a year, about 1,000 interviews and around 600 offers, for about 300 Year 1 places.
What A-levels do I need for Cardiff medicine?
AAA including Biology or Chemistry and a second science from Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Physics or Psychology.
Does Cardiff score the personal statement?
No. It is screened but not formally scored.
How Key2MD fits
Key2MD is independent practice for the skills an interview rewards, not a copy of Cardiff's interview.
- 255 MMI stations and 100 CASPer scenarios across ethics, teamwork, communication, professionalism and current health topics.
- Ethics, NHS and teamwork stations matching Cardiff's published themes.
- Data and critical appraisal practice for the skills Cardiff names.
- Feedback on six criteria, including communication, reasoning and empathy, with your progress tracked over time. Your first AI-marked review is free.
Sources
Facts on this page come from the sources below, checked on .
- Cardiff University: admissions information for studying Medicine (updated 30 September 2026): scoring, groups, numbers, interviews, requirements
- Cardiff University: Medicine MBBCh: A-levels, IB, points system, MMI qualities, fees
- UCAT: test statistics: 2026 deciles
Practise MMI stations for Cardiff
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