What interview format does Cardiff University use for medicine?

Multiple Mini Interview, which Cardiff describes as several individual stations with themed questions. It says it generally asks questions relating to the Cardiff course, ethics, understanding of a career in medicine, the NHS, working in teams, self-directed learning, motivation, empathy, resilience and communication. For 2027 entry the interviews are in person for home fee status applicants and online for overseas fee status applicants. Cardiff does not state how many stations there are in this document. All questions are available in Welsh, so the interview can be taken wholly in Welsh or bilingually, and switching language mid-interview does not affect the score..

Cardiff University Medicine: UCAT, A-Levels & Interview Requirements

Q: What UCAT score do I need for Cardiff University Medicine?

Cardiff University has not published a fixed minimum score for 2027 entry. Instead: Applicants are given an academic score built from eight GCSE subjects, which must include Biology, Chemistry, English first language and Mathematics or Numeracy, and from the UCAT decile ranking; the two are combined. GCSEs score 3 points for a 9, 8 or A*, 2 points for a 7 or A, and 1 point for a 6 or B, on achieved grades only. UCAT deciles score 3 points for the 9th to 7th deciles, 2 points for the 6th to 4th, and 1 point for the 3rd to 1st. One additional point is awarded for academic achievement at further or higher education. Cardiff publishes no score to aim for and says only that a UCAT cut-off may be applied to shortlist further, and that a UCAT score may be used where the number of applicants on the same academic score exceeds the number of interview places.

Cardiff University has not published a fixed UCAT cut-off for 2027 entry. Here's how UCAT, A-levels, SJT and the interview all fit together for medicine.

2027 UCAT cut off

Not published

How the UCAT is weighted

Applicants are given an academic score built from eight GCSE subjects, which must include Biology, Chemistry, English first language and Mathematics or Numeracy, and from the UCAT decile ranking; the two are combined. GCSEs score 3 points for a 9, 8 or A*, 2 points for a 7 or A, and 1 point for a 6 or B, on achieved grades only. UCAT deciles score 3 points for the 9th to 7th deciles, 2 points for the 6th to 4th, and 1 point for the 3rd to 1st. One additional point is awarded for academic achievement at further or higher education. Cardiff publishes no score to aim for and says only that a UCAT cut-off may be applied to shortlist further, and that a UCAT score may be used where the number of applicants on the same academic score exceeds the number of interview places.

SJT policy

Not published as a separate scored component. No Cardiff admissions document mentions a distinct SJT band or SJT-specific cut-off; only the overall UCAT decile score is used in selection.

A-level requirements

Standard offer AAA, which must include Biology or Chemistry plus a second science subject from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics or Psychology; a pass in the science practical element is required where that forms part of the programme of study. Graduate applicants must hold or be working towards a 2:1 and have BBB or ABC at A-level, including the same subject requirements; with a completed PhD the A-level minimum is BBC. GCSEs: English language or Welsh language at grade B/6, Double Science at AA/77 or Biology and Chemistry separately at A/7, Maths at grade B/6, and four other GCSEs at grade B/6.

Interview

Multiple Mini Interview, both, depending on the applicant.

Cardiff does not publish three of the five things a candidate needs before an interview.

Cardiff interview: full format, stations, dates and what is not published

Resits

Among the most restrictive found. Cardiff will only consider A-level resits for applicants already holding an offer to study medicine there, and only in exceptional extenuating circumstances that the exam board has not already taken into account. In practice that closes the standard resit route.

Personal statement

Screened, but not formally scored, which is a distinct position from either extreme: the statement can cost an applicant their place without ever being able to win them one. Cardiff asks for the new UCAS headings to be used and expects the statement to evidence suitability for a medical course.

What the UCAT had to be

Cardiff University does not publish one.

That is the university's own position, not a gap in our research. Any specific number quoted for Cardiff University elsewhere is somebody's reconstruction from reported scores, not a figure the medical school has confirmed. Treat it accordingly.

Cardiff publishes no minimum threshold and says a UCAT tariff may be used to help select for interview, with the score required varying each year according to how competitive the field is. Its full scoring process is set out in a separate admissions information document rather than on the course page.

Cardiff University application data, checked .

Applications, interviews and offers

Cardiff University publishes no figures for this course.

Cardiff publishes places and not a funnel, and attaches no year to the place counts. Its admissions information document gives around 300 medical school places for Year 1 including UK and Overseas, of which around 25 are overseas under a 7.5% cap. The same document covers entry 2027 for interview arrangements but carries no application, interview or offer count for any cycle. Cardiff also states that it does not currently hold a disclosure log of previous freedom of information requests, so there is no published route to the figures either.

Cardiff University application data, checked 2026-09-23.

National benchmark, for context

For context, the UCAT Consortium's own 2026 statistics report a mean cognitive score of 1918 (out of 2,700) across 42,359 tests, with the median (5th decile) at 1920 and the top decile at 2250+. This is a national figure, not Cardiff University's own threshold, since Cardiff University doesn't publish one for the current cycle.

UCAT Consortium, Test Statistics 2026

Standard A-level offer: Standard offer AAA, which must include Biology or Chemistry plus a second science subject from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics or Psychology; a pass in the science practical element is required where that forms part of the programme of study. Graduate applicants must hold or be working towards a 2:1 and have BBB or ABC at A-level, including the same subject requirements; with a completed PhD the A-level minimum is BBC. GCSEs: English language or Welsh language at grade B/6, Double Science at AA/77 or Biology and Chemistry separately at A/7, Maths at grade B/6, and four other GCSEs at grade B/6. SJT policy: Not published as a separate scored component. No Cardiff admissions document mentions a distinct SJT band or SJT-specific cut-off; only the overall UCAT decile score is used in selection. Worth knowing: Cardiff states plainly that it will not make an offer without an interview, and that a UCAT cut-off may be applied to shortlist further on top of its combined GCSE and UCAT decile score. Always confirm against the official page before applying, since this is the most recent published position rather than a guarantee for the live cycle.

Source: Cardiff University's own admissions page. Last checked 13 September 2026.

Every figure above is taken from that page. Where Cardiff University publishes nothing, this page says so rather than quoting a number reconstructed from student reports.

See the full directory or the admissions hub.

Interview season runs November to MarchFrom Invite to Offer: medicine and dentistry interview preparationThree live MMI seminars, recorded guides and a practice question bank, starting Monday 19 October.See the programme

What the UCAT had to be

Applications, interviews and offers

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