Where To Apply › Dentistry › Cardiff
Cardiff — Dentistry
Figures are on the current UCAT scale of 2700 unless a cell says otherwise.
Cardiff - Dentistry
BDS Dental Surgery (A200), 5 years
How this university scores applications, with the figures it publishes.
High level summary
Simple summary. Excruciating detail below.
| Question | Answer |
|---|
| Is there a score to clear? | Yes, but it is set after applications close, so nobody knows it in advance. Past years are below. |
| How to read the UCAT figures here | A lowest score and an average are both published. Judge yourself against the average. The lowest is one person. |
| What else counts | GCSEs are a gate. Meeting the minimum is what counts; beating it earns nothing.
The SJT band does not affect shortlisting. |
| The odds | Of every 100 who applied, about 16 were interviewed and about 9 were offered a place.
(All applicants, 2026/27 entry (FOI26-279).) |
| Where it is decided | Before interview. Most applicants never get one, so the score does most of the work here.
Of those interviewed, about 53 in 100 were offered a place. |
Confirmed by FOI response FOI26-279, August 2026
| Question | Cardiff's answer |
|---|
| Is a fixed UCAT threshold used? | No fixed cut-off for any given year or applicant group. Different applicant groups may have different scores, varying with the calibre of each cycle's applicants |
| Is the SJT used? | No, since the 2025/26 cycle. It was scored in bands up to and including 2024/25 entry - see the SJT table below |
| UCAT decile distribution and SJT band counts | Not recorded |
| Contextual places | No fixed number of places |
| Weighting and scoring matrix | Withheld under section 21 as reasonably accessible - Cardiff points to the dentistry course FAQs and the School of Dentistry admissions policy |
Applications, interviews and offers, A200, released under FOI
| Entry year | Applications | Interviews offered | Offers made | Offers accepted | Places |
|---|
| 2022/23 | 1170 | 307 | 103 | 79 | 74 |
| 2023/24 | 1431 | 285 | 100 | 78 | 74 |
| 2024/25 | 1754 | 319 | 128 | 104 | 74 |
| 2025/26 | 1743 | 327 | 138 | 85 | 74 |
| 2026/27 | 2056 | 337 | 179 | 98 | 74 |
UCAT of those interviewed and those offered a place (average / lowest / highest)
| Entry year | Interviewed - average | Interviewed - lowest | Interviewed - highest | Offered - average | Offered - lowest | Offered - highest |
|---|
| 2022/23 (of 3600) | 2634 | 2190 | 3190 | 2602 | 2310 | 3160 |
| 2023/24 (of 3600) | 2637 | 2023 | 3190 | 2664 | 2310 | 3190 |
| 2024/25 (of 3600) | 2735 | 2210 | 3260 | 2726 | 2260 | 3260 |
| 2025/26 (of 2700, excluding widening-participation applicants) | 2737 | 2040 | 3400 | 2776 | 2130 | 3400 |
| 2026/27 (of 2700) | 1972 | 1500 | 2550 | 2090 | 1670 | 2530 |
SJT bands, until Cardiff stopped considering the SJT for dentistry after the 2024/25 cycle. As released, not independently corrected for band direction
| Entry year | Average band for interview | Minimum band for interview | Lowest SJT band actually interviewed | Lowest SJT band that received an offer |
|---|
| 2022/23 | 1.98 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 2023/24 | 1.30 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 2024/25 | 3.45 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| 2025/26 onwards | Not considered | Not considered | Not considered | Not considered |
Reserve list, A200
| Entry year | Placed on waiting list | Received an offer from the waiting list |
|---|
| 2022/23 | 126 | 24 |
| 2023/24 | 92 | 20 |
| 2024/25 | 170 | 9 |
| 2025/26 | 89 | 12 |
Summary of the selection model
| Item | Detail |
|---|
| Scoring approach | Personal statement must show commitment to dentistry, the required qualities and evidence of work experience. A level resits not accepted. Cardiff confirmed under FOI (August 2026) that it does NOT look at the SJT, and that there is no fixed UCAT cut-off for any year or applicant group. FOI data shows the SJT was scored in bands up to 2024/25 entry but has not been considered for dentistry since the 2025/26 cycle |
| UCAT | Required |
| UCAT threshold | No fixed cut-off for any year or applicant group. Groups may differ and the level varies with the calibre of each cycle's applicants. 2026/27 entry, offers made (of 2700): average 2090, lowest 1670, highest 2530. FOI26-279 2023 entry mean offer holder: about 1910 on the current scale, converted from 2664 of 3600. |
| UCAT lowest accepted | 2026-27 entry, applicants who received an offer, of 2700: lowest 1670, highest 2530 (FOI26-279). |
| UCAT average accepted | 2026-27 entry, applicants who received an offer, of 2700: average 2090 (FOI26-279). For 2023 entry the mean offer holder was 2664 of 3600, about 1910 on the current scale. Five years of numeric UCAT, SJT and application data were released. |
| Interview format | MMI |
| Resits | A level resits not accepted |
| Data status | Complete - FOI response received August 2026, including five years of numeric UCAT, SJT and application data |
Source
FOI: Cardiff University FOI response FOI26-279, 18 August 2026 (direct to requester) (dental applications FAQs 2026, including SJT band history) | Web: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2026/dental-surgery-bds ; https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/public-information/students-applicants/admissions-policies
Entry requirements
| Item | Detail |
|---|
| Country | Wales |
| Course (UCAS code) | BDS Dental Surgery (A200), 5 years |
| GCSE | English Language 6, Biology 7, Chemistry 7 |
| A level | AAA including Biology and Chemistry |
| Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers | Contact admissions |
| IB | 36 overall or 666 in three HL subjects, including grade 6 in HL Biology and Chemistry |
| English language | GCSE English Language grade 6 |
| Resits accepted? | No |
Volumes, places and competition
| Item | Detail |
|---|
| Figures cover | All applicants, 2026/27 entry (FOI26-279) |
| Places | 74 |
| Applications | 2056 |
| Interviewed | 337 |
| Offers | 179 |
| Interviews per place | 4.55 |
| Offers per interview | 0.53 |
| Previous years - application year and UCAT figure | Average UCAT of offer holders, released under FOI26-279 (scale 3600 to 2025/26, 2700 from 2026/27). 2022/23: 2602. 2023/24: 2664. 2024/25: 2726. 2025/26: 2776. 2026/27: 2090. SJT was scored in bands for entry to 2024/25 (average band as low as 1.30, meaning most applicants scored the strongest band) but Cardiff has not considered the SJT for dentistry since the 2025/26 cycle |
Further detail
| Item | Detail |
|---|
| Course type | Standard entry |
| Degree requirement (graduate routes) | Unknown |
| Position on the national scale (converted) | Current-scale equivalents, mean offer holder. 2022/23 entry 2602 = about 1920 (7th decile), estimated table. 2023/24 entry 2664 = about 1960 (8th decile), estimated table. 2024/25 entry 2726 = about 2020 (8th decile). 2025/26 entry 2776 = about 2060 (8th decile). The 2026/27 figure of 2090 is already on the 900 to 2700 scale and needs no conversion; it sits just below the 8th decile. Cardiff's own note that the scale changed from 2026/27 confirms these labels are entry years. |
How the UCAT is turned into a score
| Item | Detail |
|---|
| Is a UCAT points conversion published? | No points conversion has been published. What the University does say about the UCAT is in the row below. |
| How the UCAT is used, in the University’s own words | Personal statement must show commitment to dentistry, the required qualities and evidence of work experience. A level resits not accepted. Cardiff confirmed under FOI (August 2026) that it does NOT look at the SJT, and that there is no fixed UCAT cut-off for any year or applicant group. FOI data shows the SJT was scored in bands up to 2024/25 entry but has not been considered for dentistry since the 2025/26 cycle No fixed cut-off for any year or applicant group. Groups may differ and the level varies with the calibre of each cycle's applicants. 2026/27 entry, offers made (of 2700): average 2090, lowest 1670, highest 2530. FOI26-279 2023 entry mean offer holder: about 1910 on the current scale, converted from 2664 of 3600. |
Entry requirements and places, as shown on the comparison table
| Item | Detail |
|---|
| Degree requirement | Unknown |
| SJT - how the band is used | Not looked at. Cardiff confirmed this under FOI in August 2026. It was scored in bands up to 2024/25 entry. |