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Physiotherapy

Course details
  • BSc (Hons)
  • 3 Years
  • Full-time
  • 28/09/2026
  • Undergraduate
Course location
Main Site - Cardiff
Awarded by:
Cardiff University (Prifysgol Caerdydd)

Course summary

Studying physiotherapy at Cardiff means you will be studying at one of the top 3 physiotherapy courses in the UK as ranked by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019.

Our physiotherapy programme will result in you being eligible to apply to the HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council) for registration which means you will be licenced to practice as a qualified physiotherapist after graduating.

Physiotherapy is an exciting and ever-evolving professional career concerned with supporting individuals to live fulfilling and active lives. A career in physiotherapy opens up opportunities for you to work closely with public health organisations, exploring innovative ideas around health promotion.

Physiotherapy offers you the chance to work in stimulating, sociable and supportive environments working closely with other professions as part of multi-disciplinary teams, patients and their families.

Our hands-on course offers you the chance to study through both academic and placement learning. Meaning you get to take what you’ve learnt in theory and put it into real practice when you’re out on placement.

You will study areas such as movement and exercise, manual therapies, electrotherapies, education and advice, and behavioural and psychological therapies. Your academic learning will be supported by researchers and academics. You will have a designated personal tutor to support your learning throughout your studies with us. Practical teaching takes place in specially designed labs and simulation suites.

Your placement learning takes place across Wales and takes up about one third of the course. Placements are an essential part of the course and they will give you the confidence and skills to practice physiotherapy professionally in real-life situations with qualified professionals supervising and supporting you. Placement learning also helps you gain insight as to the wide-ranging employment opportunities available to you upon qualification.

We constantly try to make sure you have plenty of opportunity to take part in extra-curricular activities such as physiotherapy-related support with the annual Cardiff Half Marathon. Above all else, we strive to ensure that our graduates are ready for the next step in their career. That’s why 97% of our physiotherapy students are in employment or further study after 6 months of graduating (UNISTATS 2018).

Distinctive Features

Here are some of the reasons why we think our programme will make you the best physiotherapist you can be:

  • Our programme is validated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP).

  • For Home/EU students you have the option to choose a fully funded place on the programme or receive a full NHS bursary for Tuition fees providing you agree to work in Wales for two years after qualifying.

  • Throughout the 3 years there is opportunity for you to undertake a global learning experience, either within the UK or overseas.

  • You’ll be studying at a Russell Group University which supports a strong research profile. Our programme is one of the few physiotherapy courses where you complete a full dissertation project opening up careers in research.

  • We have well-equipped skills laboratories which enable you to learn in simulations relating to your profession. Lifelike simulations mean you can safely practice and develop essential skills, developing your confidence and expertise before going out into placement.

  • Placement learning across Wales is an essential part of the programme and with unrivalled access to clinical settings throughout Wales means we can offer you a range of practice-based learning opportunities to ensure your experience is competitive in the UK employment market.

  • There are opportunities to participate in professional body activities, such as becoming a Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Student Representative, and to take part in ‘Community Engagement’ projects.

Professional bodies

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

  • Physiotherapy, Chartered Society of
  • Health and Care Professions Council

How to apply

Apply by
14 January

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
B162
Institution code:
C15
Campus name:
Main Site - Cardiff
Campus Code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

International applicants

An NHS placement is a required part of this course. The NHS only makes placements available to students who are eligible to pay UK fees. Therefore, this course is not available for international students.

Open days

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

UCAS Tariff - Not accepted

A level - AAB - BBB

Must include Biology or Human Biology.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - DDD - DDM

in a BTEC Extended Diploma in Applied or Medical Science.

Access to HE Diploma

Welsh domiciled students studying/having successfully completed certain Access to Higher Education Diplomas related to Healthcare may be eligible for a guaranteed interview on application. Please contact the Healthcare admissions team for specific details: HCAREadmissions@cardiff.ac.uk

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - 34 - 31 points

34-31 overall or 666-665 in 3 HL subjects. Must include grade 5 in HL Biology.

WJEC Level 3 Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales

The Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales will be accepted in lieu of one A level at the A level grades specified, excluding any subject specific requirements.

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (last awarded Summer 2024)

The Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate will be accepted in lieu of one A Level at the A Level grades specified, excluding any subject specific requirements.

Extended Project - A

For applicants taking the EPQ qualification, an A in the EPQ can be recognised to lower the entry requirements by a single grade. For example an AAB offer would be “AAB from 3 A levels or ABB from 3 A levels and a grade A in the EPQ”. Please note that any subject specific requirements must be met.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

You must have or be working towards: - English language or Welsh language at GCSE grade B/6 or an equivalent (such as A-levels). If you require a Student visa, you must ensure your language qualification complies with UKVI requirements. - five GCSEs at grade C/4. Must include Maths, and one science (from Biology, Chemistry, and Physics), or equivalent qualifications (subject and grade). In your personal statement, you need to demonstrate that you understand the profession, have an insight into the course itself and describe any relevant work experience.

T Level - D

D in T Level Health, Healthcare Science, or Science.

You must also supply a personal statement that is relevant to the profession. If you are applying to more than one professional programme, you should email a bespoke personal statement for each programme to admissions@cardiff.ac.uk at the same time as submitting your application via UCAS. In your personal statement, you should demonstrate that you understand the profession, have an insight into the course itself, and describe any relevant work experience. Only one personal statement may be submitted for each programme.

We do not accept Critical Thinking, General Studies, Citizenship Studies, or other similar equivalent subjects.
We will accept a combination of BTEC subjects, A-levels, and other qualifications, subject to the course specific grade and subject requirements.

All applicants must meet the minimum requirements at Level 2 (typically GCSE) and Level 3 (typically A-level) in order to be eligible for consideration for selection. If you meet the minimum entry requirements your personal statement will be reviewed and given a numerical score. Eligible applicants will be ranked according to this score and the top ranking applicants will be made an offer.

Additional entry requirements

Health checks

English language requirements

All applicants are expected to have demonstrable English language skills. Most courses ask for GCSE English grade C/4 or equivalent, but some courses ask for GCSE English grade B/6 or equivalent.

To find out more, please go to: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/international/english-language-requirements/undergraduate

Contextual admissions

Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.

At Cardiff we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, as part of this our contextual admissions policy aims to widen participation and improve access to Higher Education (HE).

For more information on Cardiff University contextual admissions, including how applications are scored and how we use that score, please see our website.

Learn more on the Cardiff University website

Historical entry grades data BETA

This section shows the range of grades students (with UK A-Levels or Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diplomas) who received offers were previously accepted with (learn more). It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place. Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Not enough data available

We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

LocationFeeYear
Republic of Ireland£9790Year 1
England£9790Year 1
Northern Ireland£9790Year 1
Scotland£9790Year 1
Wales£9790Year 1
Channel Islands£9790Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

Students from the UK and Islands:

A full NHS bursary, including tuition fees and a non-repayable bursary for living costs, is available to applicants from the UK. Full details, including information for applicants from the Channel Islands and the EU, are available on our NHS funding pages: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/funding/funding-your-healthcare-course

Fees stated are for the 2026/27 academic year. The University reserves the right to increase tuition fees in the second and subsequent years of a course as permitted by law or Welsh Government policy. Where applicable we will notify you of any change in tuition fee by the end of June in the academic year before the one in which the fee will increase.

Fees for entry in subsequent years are subject to increase and will be confirmed by the end of October in the year preceding your start date of your programme, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Tuition fees cover all reasonable costs required for you to complete to the degree programme stated. Please note that you may choose to participate in study trips, associated placements or purchase equipment while studying on your degree programme which will be at your own cost. Tuition fees do not include living costs such as accommodation, subsistence or travel.

Students from the EU, EEA, and Switzerland:

If you are an EU/EEA/Swiss national, unless you qualify for UK fee status, tuition fees for 2026/27 will be in line with the fees charged for international students. You can check whether you are eligible for UK (Home) fee status on the UKCISA website: https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/student-advice/fees/full-list-of-categories-for-he-in-wales/

Students from the rest of the world (international):

An NHS placement is a required part of this course. The NHS only makes placements available to students who are eligible to pay UK fees. Therefore, this course is not available for international students.

Sponsorship information

Cardiff University has many scholarships on offer to our prospective students. Please see our website at http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/funding/scholarships for further information.

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