The Welsh Government has announced it will fund up to 37 additional places for students at Cardiff University School of Medicine.
There will be an additional 25 undergraduate places this academic year, with up to a further 12 places next year.
There has been an increase in the number of successful applications to study medicine and healthcare courses this year. Cardiff University needs to increase the capacity of its medical programmes to accommodate the additional numbers of students.
The funding will contribute to the students’ costs, as well as staffing and overheads to support Cardiff University in delivering the courses for the additional students.
Kirsty Williams, the Education Minister, said:
“Cardiff University is one of the strong network of healthcare and medicine education providers we have here in Wales which produce top-class graduates every year.
“I’m really pleased to be able to support Cardiff University to deliver these additional places which will contribute so much to our nation’s health and well-being over the coming years.”
The Minister for Health and Social Service, Vaughan Gething, said:
“The coronavirus has put additional strain on our NHS and healthcare sector this year and we expect to see the impact of the virus on the whole of the health and care system over the coming years.
“So supporting even more students to enrol on medicine and healthcare courses this year, here in Wales, is the best thing to do to help us meet our health and care needs now and into the future.”
Professor Stephen Riley, Head of the School of Medicine at Cardiff University, said:
“It is excellent news that Welsh Government are showing their support for the medical students who have been affected by this year’s A level results situation.
“Cardiff University is now able to provide places for all those who had fulfilled the terms of their confirmed offer over the next two years. We will work hard with our NHS partners within Wales to provide them with excellent clinical training. Hopefully they will choose to remain within Wales to be our doctors of the future.”
