Routes into Medicine
On this page:
Qualifications
A-levels
Access courses
Foundation/premedical years
Graduate entry
Transferring
In order to secure a place in medical school you will have to meet the entry requirements for that particular school. Outlined below are the main qualifications needed. It is essential that you check up with each school before applying. Remember that there are also non-academic requirements to be met! Most medical schools require a certain amount of GCSE grades, however the number, grades and subjects vary. It is best to check with each school before applying. If you do poorly in your GCSEs it may be worth putting your AS levels, and your teacher statement can explain why the grades were low, and how you have improved. For students applying outside of the UK (or those not doing an A-levels curriculum), it is recommended that you look at each university's websites to see if they outline the expected grades for your curriculum type (please note: this information may not be available for all medical schools). Some universities require you to set an extra qualifications before entry. Check out our entry exams page.
A Levels
A levels are the 'normal', traditional or 'straightforward' route into medicine. Most people who apply will be school leavers following their A levels. Most medical schools require A2 grades of AAB, but a few still offer ABB and some require AAA. Some may offer combinations of AS and A2. The general rule is that chemistry is required (although not always) and that general studies is not accepted. However, some schools also require biology (at AS or A2) as well. Some universities like two sciences and some universities prefer if you have a balanced set of qualifications. Some universities also require a certain grade in a certain subject. This is where you will need to check up on each medical school as they will all be different - see our links pages. The British Medical Association produce a useful table outlining the basics of every medical school's admissions criteria (http://www.bma.org.uk/images/qualificationstable_tcm41-199525.pdf).
There is also a forum dedicated to Access to Medicine on Newmediamedicine.com (link opens in new window).
Access Courses
Access courses are designed for those people who don't have the correct qualifications to enter a medical degree (either grades or subjects). They are usually offered by further education colleges and are not qualifications in medicine. Some medical schools accept them instead of A. levels, but you must check this out before applying!
Also, there may be specific requirements e.g. you must come from the local area. People who go through access routes still have to write a personal statement and go for interview if they want to apply for medicine. Here are a few institutions who provide access qualifications (links open in new windows):
- University of Bradford
- University of Leeds
- Lambeth College
- Manchester College of Arts and Technology
- City and Islington College
Foundation Year Courses
These are six year courses whereby you enter in the foundation year, sometimes called year 0. Following successful completion of the foundation year, you enter the standard five-year course with everyone else. They are often aimed at people who have good A levels, but with no science background or to those of you that satisfy certain widening participation criteria (e.g. first person in higher education, low income etc.). Therefore it's best that you check up these courses before you apply as you may not be eligible. Here are some of the universities that do a foundation year:
- University of Bristol
- University of Dundee
- University of Southampton
- University of London, King's College
- University of Cardiff
- University of Sheffield
- University of Manchester
- University of London, St. Georges' (in association with Kingston University)
Graduate Entry Programmes
Universities which offer four year, graduate entry programmes are listed below. You must check with each university to make sure you are eligible. They are designed for people who already have an undergraduate degree. They are very competitive, and most graduates also apply to at least one five year course as well (note, you can still only apply to four medical degrees whether they be a four or five year course). They are usually much more intensive and have less holidays. As an extra admissions hurdle to cross some of these require you to sit an exam (specifically GAMSAT). For more information about medical school entry exams, click here. Some allow people with any degree to gain a place, some only accept biomedical science-type degrees or health related degrees. Most require at least 2(i) degree, although some offer 2(ii). Some may allow you to top up your degree with Open University (opens in new window) credits.
It is your job to do the research; check out the links below (links open in new windows).
- University of London, Barts and the London Queen Mary School of Medicine and Dentistry
- University of Birmingham
- University of Bristol
- University of Cambridge
- University of London, King's College
- University of Leicester
- University of Liverpool
- University of Newcastle
- University of Nottingham
- University of Oxford
- University of Southampton
- University of London, St. Georges
- University of Swansea
- University of Warwick
Please see our page for mature students.
Transferring
Most medical schools do not accept people who want to transfer from a non-medical degree (e.g. biomedical sciences), as it questions the person's commitment and career intentions. However, a few medical schools reserve a number of places for candidates on a biomedical science-type course to transfer onto medicine AT THAT INSTITUTION, although this is very competitive and EXTREMELY RARE!
Page last updated by WAMS 26/01/12