Medical schools set their own academic entry requirements, so it’s important to check these with individual schools. However, for all courses entry means:
you’ll need excellent GCSE and AS level results
gaining high grades in your A level or equivalent qualifications
The majority of students take a five-year 'standard entry' course in medicine (note, there are a few that are six years long, as they include an intercalated degree).
For entry you need at least three A levels (or possibly equivalent level 3 qualifications) at very high grades. Most medical schools expect you to have at least two science subjects and usually specify chemistry and sometimes biology. If you don’t have an A level in either biology or chemistry, you may need an AS level in the subject, but check with the individual medical school.
Alternative level 3 qualifications, such as a relevant BTEC Level 3 National or Access to Medicine qualification may be acceptable. You may need to offer relevant AS/A levels alongside.
It is essential to check up-to-date entry requirements with individual medical schools, ideally before choosing your level 3 qualifications.
Use our course finder to search for all approved degree courses in medicine.
Medicine with a Preliminary Year
These courses take the form of either a five-year standard entry medicine course with an additional year at the start, making a six-year course, or sometimes the preliminary year is taken as a standalone one-year course.
This course is designed for those who achieved highly at A level, or equivalent, but who did not take the required science subjects. This extra year gives students the necessary science training to catch up. It is not a means of boosting the grades of those who do not meet the entry requirements of a standard entry medicine course.
Medicine with a Gateway Year
These medical degrees are designed for those who are of high ability but who may be coming from situations where they have had barriers to their learning.
The courses can take this into account in different ways, for instance by using ‘adjusted criteria’ to change the entry requirements for applicants from low participation areas.
Use our course finder to search for all approved degree courses in medicine.
There are a number of routes for graduates through medical school. You could:
apply for four-year 'accelerated' Graduate Entry Programmes (GEPs), available at some medical schools. These courses are very intense and you’ll have shorter summer holidays
apply for standard, five-year programmes. This would give you more choice as not all medical schools offer four-year courses
As a graduate entrant, most medical schools expect you to have at least a 2:1 degree, but if you have a postgraduate qualification, this might be less important. There may also be GCSE and AS/A level (or equivalent) requirements.
Normally your degree should be in a science subject, but some courses accept non-science subjects. If you don’t have the necessary degree grade or subject, you could consider taking an Access to Medicine programme before applying.
You may be expected to complete the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) or another admissions test. Competition for places is particularly high for four-year GEPs, although this varies from course to course.
It’s important to contact medical schools directly for details of graduate entry programmes and to check their entry requirements.
Use our course finder to search for all approved degree courses in medicine.
You should check the financial commitments of graduate entry, especially if you already have student debt from your first degree and/or are used to earning money from employment.
You could also apply to a medical school overseas (eg Charles University in Prague or St Georges in the Caribbean).
It is essential that you research such options carefully. Find out:
the entry requirements (these are often lower than in the UK)
whether the course is taught in English or in a language in which you are proficient
the fees – outside the European Union you will be classed as an international student, so fees may be high and you may not be entitled to financial support
whether you would be eligible to do the Foundation Programme in the UK after your degree. This is really important, as with most non-UK medical schools you will usually need to complete an internship year and this means you will be given full GMC registration. Having full GMC registration means that under current rules you will not be eligible for the full two-year foundation programme. This means that it will be much tougher than usual to get into training in the UK
There are also some courses run in the UK but using a foreign medical school curricula eg School of Health and Neural Sciences, Nottingham.
If you are a UK national and want to work in the UK as a doctor after achieving an overseas qualification from a medical school outside the UK, EEA or Switzerland, you have to pass the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test to gain registration. Find out from the General Medical Council (GMC) whether the degree you would get would make you eligible to sit the PLAB.
You would also have to take PLAB if you are a national of a country outside the UK, EEA or Switzerland who graduated from a medical school outside the UK.
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