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Learn About Our Programme See How We Can Support Your Application →4-year accelerated programme for graduates of Cardiff's recognised science feeder degrees
HOW WE BUILT THIS
We compile these profiles from each university's own published admissions pages and review them monthly. Entry requirements do change mid-cycle, and universities sometimes publish updates without announcing them.
Use this page to get oriented quickly, build your shortlist, and work out which questions to ask — then confirm the specifics that your application depends on (grades, admissions test, fees, eligibility) directly with the university before you apply. If you spot something that looks out of date, tell us and we will check it.
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Entry year covered: 2027
Important: Cardiff GEM has very specific eligibility criteria. Not all graduates can apply. Please read the eligibility section carefully before considering this programme.
Cardiff GEM Medicine is a graduate entry programme with its own set of admissions criteria. This guide covers entry requirements, the application process, and what distinguishes this programme for 2027 entry.
Cardiff University's Graduate Entry Medicine programme (A101) is a 4-year accelerated route into medicine. It is open only to graduates of four named science feeder degree streams, and is specifically designed to train doctors for Wales.
Cardiff is one of the UK's leading medical schools with excellent facilities at the University Hospital of Wales and strong research links. GEM students benefit from the same clinical training and teaching quality as students on the 5-year programme.
Cardiff A101 is restricted to graduates (or final-year students) holding a 2:1 or above in one of these recognised feeder degrees:
There is one other route in. Cardiff's entry requirements also accept graduates of dentistry who have completed further postgraduate training and obtained appropriate professional qualifications, and who meet the other criteria. Dental graduates are considered for UCAS A101/A102 only, must submit a full CV to the Admissions Office, and the application must include an academic reference or a reference from a Maxillofacial Surgeon.
Note: This is not a general Welsh-residency route. If you are not a graduate of one of these specific feeder streams and not a qualified dentist, you cannot apply to Cardiff A101. Consider other graduate-entry programmes such as Swansea, Nottingham, or Southampton.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Degree Classification | 2:1 or above (First or upper second class) |
| Degree Subject | One of the four recognised feeder degrees (Cardiff Biomedical Sciences, Cardiff Medical Pharmacology, Bangor Medical Sciences, or University of South Wales Medical Sciences) |
| Degree Status | Completed or in final year at time of application |
| Qualification | Requirement |
|---|---|
| A-Level Grades | BBB / ABC or above (or equivalent) |
| Required Subjects | Must include Biology and Chemistry |
Cardiff awards points for achieved qualifications, out of a maximum of 27. Points come from nine GCSE subjects (which must include Biology, Chemistry, English first language or Welsh first language, and Maths or Numeracy), achieved A-level grades, and your degree.
| Qualification | Points |
|---|---|
| GCSE grade 9, 8 or A* | 3 points |
| GCSE grade 7 or A | 2 points |
| GCSE grade 6 or B | 1 point |
| A-level A* | 3 points |
| A-level A | 2 points |
| Degree (minimum GCSE and A-level grades required) | Counts towards the 27-point total |
The cut-off score for interview is not published — Cardiff states it varies each year with the competitiveness of the field. Cardiff also notes that this scoring process is currently under review.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Admissions Test | UCAT (not GAMSAT) |
| Cut-off Score | Not published. Cardiff states: “We don't have a minimum threshold score.” |
| How It's Used | Cardiff “may use UCAT scores in our application assessment procedure when deciding who to interview”. The 27-point academic score is the published ranking mechanism; the UCAT sits alongside it. |
| SJT Band | Not published for A101. Cardiff does not publish an SJT band rule for this course — confirm with medadmissions@cardiff.ac.uk rather than assuming one. |
"Cardiff GEM is very niche - the eligibility criteria rule out most applicants before they even start. But if you do qualify, it's an excellent programme at a top medical school. The small cohort size means you get personalised attention, and Cardiff's clinical training is outstanding."
— Dr. Ash, Future Doc
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) |
| Number of Stations | Not published. Cardiff describes “a series of short, carefully timed interview stations that you will rotate around in turn” without giving a number. |
| Duration | Not published |
| Interview Period | Not published for 2027 entry. Confirm dates with the admissions team. |
| Offers without interview | Never — Cardiff states: “We won't make an offer without an interview.” |
Accelerated coverage of core biomedical sciences with early clinical exposure. Your existing science knowledge allows faster progression through foundational content.
Hospital and community placements across Wales, including University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, and district general hospitals throughout the region.
Not Eligible
Cardiff GEM is only available to Home students who are graduates of one of the recognised feeder degree streams. International applicants are not eligible.
A contextual offer is an adjustment a university makes for applicants whose circumstances have made their education harder than the grades alone suggest. Universities use them because they recognise that two students with the same predicted grades have not always had the same run at them. They are a formal, published part of the admissions process — not a favour, and not something you have to argue for.
What the adjustment actually is varies by school, and it matters more than most applicants realise. Depending on where you apply, qualifying can mean: a lower grade offer; being ranked against other widening participation applicants rather than the whole field; a guaranteed or prioritised interview; a lower admissions test threshold or extra shortlisting points; relaxed GCSE or subject requirements; or access to a separate gateway or foundation year route.
Cardiff decides contextual status centrally, from your UCAS form, and then applies it differently depending on the course. You will be classed as contextual if you answer yes to any of these on your UCAS application:
You are also classed as contextual if you complete one of Cardiff's own widening participation programmes — Confident Futures, the Sutton Trust Medicine and Dentistry Summer Schools, Sutton Trust Pathways to Engineering, Sutton Trust Pathways to Law, or Step Up to University — in the year you apply or the year before.
On top of that, Cardiff builds a weighted contextual score out of 330 from external data: DWP average household earnings for your postcode, POLAR4, the Welsh/English/Scottish/ Northern Irish indices of multiple deprivation, Welsh and English sixth-form performance data, school free school meal rates, and whether your parents hold a higher education qualification. A score of 100 or above counts as contextual. Below 100 is not.
Cardiff only uses information in your original UCAS application. Anything added or corrected afterwards cannot be taken into account, because the contextual score has already been applied. Check the form carefully before you submit it.
For A101 Graduate Entry Medicine, the mechanism is not a lower offer. Cardiff is explicit about which courses get which benefit, and medicine and dentistry sit in their own category.
| How it helps | What that means for you |
|---|---|
| Extra points in the shortlisting score | Cardiff states that for A100 Medicine, A101 Graduate Entry Medicine and A200 Dentistry, “contextual applicants will be given additional consideration in the scoring and selection process, which is used for determining those to be invited to interview.” Cardiff scores applicants out of 27 points from GCSEs, A-levels and degree; the interview cut-off moves each year with the strength of the field, so extra consideration can be the difference between an interview and a rejection. |
| Guaranteed interview via the Sutton Trust summer schools | Applicants who complete Cardiff's Sutton Trust Medicine and Dentistry Summer Schools are guaranteed an interview for MBBCh Medicine or BDS Dentistry — on one occasion only, regardless of how many times they apply, and only if they meet the minimum entry requirements. |
| Automatic assessment | There is no separate contextual application. Cardiff checks your UCAS answers against verified records itself. |
For a side-by-side comparison, see every UK medical and dental school's widening participation scheme.
Wales sets its own regulated fee, separate from England's. Do not assume the English figure applies here.
| Fee Status | Annual Tuition |
|---|---|
| Home (Wales and rest of UK) | 2027/28: TBC |
| Overseas | 2027/28: TBC |
Cardiff's own 2027-entry course page states, for both home and overseas status: “We are currently awaiting confirmation on tuition fees for the 2027/28 academic year.” We will not publish a guess. For reference, Cardiff's published home undergraduate fee is £9,790 for 2026/27 entry and was £9,535 for 2025/26 — Cardiff charges the maximum fee the Welsh Government sets each year. If the Welsh Government raises the cap after you accept an offer, Cardiff says it will write to you and let you withdraw without penalty.
Note that A101 is a graduate-entry course, so your student finance entitlement will differ from a first-degree applicant's. Check with Student Finance Wales or your own funding body before you commit.
Applying to medical school requires more than meeting the minimum entry requirements. Here are practical steps to strengthen your application:
For an overview of all UK medical schools and how they compare, see the UK Medical Schools hub page.
Not unless your degree is one of the four recognised feeder streams. Cardiff A101 is open only to graduates of BSc Biomedical Sciences or BSc Medical Pharmacology at Cardiff, BMedSci Medical Sciences at Bangor, or BSc Medical Sciences at the University of South Wales. Being resident in Wales or having studied elsewhere in Wales does not by itself make you eligible.
No. Cardiff GEM uses UCAT. This is important - don't confuse it with Swansea, which does use GAMSAT.
No. Cardiff GEM only accepts graduates of its four named science feeder degrees. If your degree is not one of these (including most non-science degrees), consider other GEM programmes like Southampton or Nottingham that accept any discipline.
Most applicants treat the medical school application as a series of separate hurdles: the UCAT, personal statement, work experience, university selection, and interviews. They try to solve each one independently. This creates a fragmented approach where the pieces never add up.
Future Doc works differently. Through the Predictable Offer Protocol, a dedicated coach who knows your complete profile coordinates every element of your application as one interconnected system. Every decision is made with the full picture in mind.
The result: 93% of our students receive at least one offer. If they don't, they come back next year for free.
Find Out How It Works
Last updated: February 2026
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