Which Medical School?

Medical schools in the UK set their own selection criteria. The table below gives the typical A-level grades required at first attempt for entry to medical school (excluding foundation courses) for 2010 applications. Please note that requirements may change and you should always confirm these with the medical school of your choice, before making your application. Individual medical schools will also be able to advise applicants with other qualifications, such as those obtained from overseas, whether these meet their entry requirements.

A-levels

The majority of medical schools require good grades in science subjects as these form the foundation of the medical curriculum. Academic requirements for entry into medical school can vary greatly between institutions and can change each year. In general, most courses now require AAA grades at A-level, many with an additional a or b grade in an AS subject. Many courses will specify what they would like the A-levels in, for example, they may look for a good grade in Chemistry at A-level and often A-level Biology. Other science subjects may also be required.

General studies A-level is generally not accepted by the majority of medical schools and an increasing number of medical schools are not accepting Critical Thinking as a relevant qualification.

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Some medical schools will accept students who have studied non-science related subjects, although a general understanding of the sciences is preferred. These medical schools will require you to take a foundation course, also known as a pre-medical course. Following successful completion of the foundation year, you enter the standard five-year course with everyone else. Taking a foundation course will effectively add an extra year to the standard five-year course.

A foundation course is designed to allow students with good grades in non-science related A-level subjects, the opportunity to study basic science, and thereby providing a route into studying the full medical degree.

The following Universities currently offer a foundation or pre-medical course and you can find more information on them by clicking on the relevant link:

Medical school entry requirements for 2010 applications

We have listed below the entry requirements for each medical school for anyone applying in 2010. By clicking on the name of the individual medical school you will find more information and a complete profile of the course including:

Factfile at a glance
How to apply, number of places, number of applications, number of interviews, number of offers, male/female ratio, interview dates and format, exam requirements, contact details and open days

Entry requirements
More detailed information on the main academic requirements for each medical school

The application process
Information on precisely what each medical school is looking for from applicants, the significance of the personal statement, how the UKCAT or BMAT scores are used in assessing applications, the interview process and what to expect

The features of each particular medical school

Course overview
Detailed information on each course curriculum including topics covered, SSCs, exams and assessments, electives, teaching, intercalation, ERASMUS and overseas study opportunities and anatomy teaching

The pros & cons of each medical school in summary

Medical School	No of places	Application ratio	Entry requirements	A- Level specific requirements	UKCAT	BMAT	GAMSAT	Graduate entry (BSc grade)
Aberdeen Medical School	175	9:1	AAB	Chemistry required, plus at least one from Biology, Mathematics or Physics & one other. General Studies excluded	Y	N	N	N
Barts and the London School of Medicine	282	7:1	AAAb	Chemistry or Biology, General Studies & Critical Thinking excluded	Y	N	N	Y (2:i)
Belfast Medical School (Queen's)	266	3:1	AAAa	Chemistry at grade A and Biology, Mathematics or Physics at grade A. General Studies excluded	Y	N	N	N
Birmingham Medical School	372	7:1	AAA	Chemistry and either Biology or Physics or Mathematics. General Studies excluded	N	N	N	Y (2:i)
Brighton & Sussex Medical School (BSMS)	144	16:1	AAA	Biology or Chemistry required at grade A. General Studies excluded	Y	N	N	N
Bristol Medical School	235	17:1	AAB	Chemistry at grade A and one other laboratory based science at grade A or B. General Studies & Critical Thinking excluded	N	N	N	Y (2:i)
Cambridge Medical School	298	5:1	A*AA	Chemistry highly desirable	N	Y	N	Y (2:i)
Cardiff Medical School	304	9:1	AAAc	Two required from Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Mathematics and Statistics, one being Chemistry or Biology. General Studies & Critical Thinking excluded	Y	N	N	N
Dundee Medical School	154	7:1	AAA	Chemistry at grade A. General Studies is excluded	Y	N	N	N
East Anglia Medical School (UEA)	168	8:1	AABb	Biology should be at least at grade B. General Studies & Critical Thinking excluded	Y	N	N	N
Edinburgh Medical School	218	11:1	AAAb	Chemistry and any of Mathematics, Physics or Biology	Y	N	N	N
Glasgow Medical School	239	8:1	AAA	Chemistry required and one from Biology, Mathematics or Physics. Biology or Human Biology in addition to Chemistry is preferred. General Studies is excluded	Y	N	N	N
Guy's, King's & St Thomas' (GKT)	335	10:1	AAAb	At least one from Biology and Chemistry. General Studies & Critical Thinking excluded	Y	N	N	Y (2:i)
Hull York Medical School (HYMS)	140	8:1	AAAb	Chemistry and Biology required. General Studies excluded	Y	N	N	N
Imperial College London	286	8:1	AAAb	Biology or Chemistry required. General Studies excluded	N	Y	N	Y (2:i)
Keele Medical School	130	9:1	AAB	Chemistry plus one from Biology, Physics, Mathematics plus one further academic subject if only two sciences are offered	Y	N	Y	Y (2:i)
Leeds Medical School	243	13:1	AAA	Chemistry required. General Studies & Critical Thinking excluded	Y	N	N	N
Leicester Medical School	175	10:1	AAA	Chemistry required at grade A. General Studies excluded	Y	N	N	Y (2:i)
Liverpool Medical School	316	8:1	AAAb	Chemistry and Biology required. Critical Thinking excluded	N	N	N	Y (2:i)
Manchester Medical School	380	8:1	AAA	Chemistry and either Biology or Human Biology or Physics or Mathematics, plus a futher rigorous academic subject. General Studies excluded	Y	N	N	N
Newcastle Medical School	327	9:1	AAA	Chemistry or Biology required. General Studies and Critical Thinking excluded	Y	N	N	Y (2:i)
Nottingham Medical School	249	7:1	AAA	Chemistry and Biology required. General Studies and Critical Thinking excluded	Y	N	Y	Y (2:ii)
Oxford Medical School	152	8:1	AAA	Chemistry with either Mathematics, Biology or Physics. General Studies excluded	N	Y	N	Y (2:i)
Peninsula Medical School	230	10:1	AAAb	Two from Biology, Chemistry or Physics plus a fourth subject at AS level. General Studies excluded	Y	N	Y	N
Sheffield Medical School	248	10:1	AAB	Chemistry and any science subject. General Studies excluded	Y	N	N	N
Southampton Medical School	210	11:1	AAA	Chemistry required. General Studies excluded	Y	N	N	Y (2:i)
St Andrews Medical School	135	7:1	AAA	Chemistry and Biology, Mathematics or Physics. General Studies excluded	Y	N	N	N
St George's Medical School	175	8:1	AAAb	Chemistry and Biology required. General Studies excluded	Y	N	Y	Y (2:ii)
Swansea Medical School	70	9:1	Graduate entry		N	N	Y	Y (2:i)
UCL Medical School	330	7:1	AAAe	Chemistry and Biology required	N	Y	N	N
Warwick Medical School	178	8:1	Graduate entry		Y	N	N	Y (2:i)

Entry requirements are noted as, for example, AABc - this means applicants must have two A levels at grade A, one at grade B and an AS level at grade C (denoted by the lower case).

The information on this page is correct as of August 2010