Funding for Medicine (MBBCh) and Dental Surgery (BDS)

If you will be coming to university for the first time and studying either Medicine (MBBCh) or Dental Surgery (BDS) then during years 1-4 of the course, you are funded by your student finance body, which is determined by where you were ordinarily resident before you started your course. Find out how this funding works, what is available dependent on where you are ordinarily resident before you start your course and how to apply.

Currently, the fifth year of study of Medicine (MBBCh) or Dental Surgery (BDS) is funded by the NHS depending on where you were resident before the start of your course. In general, this support comprises four main elements:

• tuition fee support from the NHS
• a non-income assessed NHS grant
• an income-assessed NHS bursary
• access to a fixed-rate maintenance loan (from your relevant student finance body)

For students studying Medicine (MBBCh) or Dental Surgery (BDS) as a second degree, there is limited funding available in years 1-4 and NHS funding may only be available in your fifth year of study.

Tuition Fee and Maintenance funding (Years 1-4)

There is no tuition fee loan available and you will need to self-fund the tuition fees for the first four years of your course.

Due to already having a degree you are only able to access a means-tested maintenance loan from your student finance body (dependent on where you were ordinarily resident before you started your course).

If you are from Scotland or N Ireland please check directly with your student finance body:

• students from Scotland
• students from N Ireland

Additional funding:

Depending on your personal circumstances there may be additional funding available to you via your student finance body. For example, if you have a disability, children or an adult dependent. Please check directly with your student finance body.

Fifth year of study

Currently, in your fifth year of study of Medicine (MBBCh) or Dental Surgery (BDS), you will be funded by the NHS depending on where you were resident before the start of your course. In general, this support comprises four main elements:

• tuition fee support from the NHS
• a non-income assessed NHS grant
• an income-assessed NHS bursary
• access to a fixed-rate maintenance loan (from your relevant student finance body)

Years of study include a preliminary year and/or an intercalated year but exclude any years of repeat study you have taken.

There is no commitment to work for the NHS in Wales for 2 years following qualification.

Further details about the funding in your fifth year of study will be available closer to the time.

Students who have studied the following feeder routes can apply to study graduate entry Medicine at Cardiff University:

• BSc (Hons) Medical Pharmacology Degree School of Medicine Cardiff University (B210)
• BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences Degree School of Biosciences Cardiff University (BC97)
• BMedSci Degree from the University of Bangor (B100)
• BSc (Hons) Medical Sciences Degree from the University of South Wales (B901)

There are exceptional funding arrangements for students who study Medicine through the Graduate Entry route.

Tuition Fee and Maintenance funding - Year 1

For the first year of Medicine: Graduate Entry you may be eligible to access a partial tuition fee loan, dependent on where you were resident before you start your course, but you will have to self-fund the remaining amount.

You can apply for a maintenance loan only from your student finance body. Here are the rates of maintenance loans via Student Finance Wales and Student Finance England for students living away from the parental home and who will be starting a course in September 2026.

If you are from Scotland or N Ireland please check directly with your student finance body:

• students from Scotland
• students from N Ireland

Additional funding:

Depending on your personal circumstances there may be additional funding available to you via your student finance body. For example, if you have a disability, children or an adult dependent. Please check directly with your student finance body.

Tuition Fee and Maintenance Funding – Years 2-4

Currently, students in years 2 – 4 can apply for financial support via the NHS and their relevant student finance body (both based on where they were ordinarily resident before they started their course) for help with tuition fees and living costs.

Tuition Fees:

The NHS (dependent on where you were resident before you started your course) contribute funding towards fees via an NHS tuition fee bursary, regardless of household income, subject to application.

Students then have the option to take out a tuition fee loan for the remaining balance of the fees from their student finance body (dependent on where you are resident before you start your course).

Figures for 26/27, subject to eligibility based on where you were ordinarily resident before the start of the course, are:

*26/27 figures. Please note that figures change annually

Maintenance funding:

Currently, there is maintenance support in years 2-4 comprising of

• a non-income assessed NHS grant
• an income-assessed NHS bursary
• access to a fixed-rate maintenance loan (from your relevant student finance body)

Years of study include a preliminary year and/or an intercalated year but exclude any years of repeat study you have taken.

There is no commitment to work for the NHS in Wales for 2 years following qualification.

Further details about the funding in years 2-4 will be available closer to the time.