Medicine degree entry requirements

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CONTENTS

• What's medicine?
• Medicine entry requirements
• What subjects are needed to study medicine?
• Best universities for medicine in the UK
• How to compare medicine degrees
• How to compare medicine degrees in Clearing
• What if you can’t find a medicine degree in Clearing?

What's medicine?

Medicine concerns the science and practice of caring for patients, including diagnosis, prevention and treatment. A medicine degree will equip you with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to pursue a career as a doctor, surgeon, physician, medical researcher or similar.

Medicine entry requirements

The UCAS points to study a medicine degree range from 128 points (ABB at A-level) to 168 points (A*A*A* at A-level).

BMAT and UCAT

Most universities will require you to take the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) or University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) to gain entry onto their medicine degree. This is to test your aptitude and skills before being offered a place.

Interview

You’ll likely need to attend an interview before being offered a place on a medicine degree. Being asked to interview is a good indication that your application was impressive. See the interview as your opportunity to talk about your passion for medicine, what your career aspirations are and why you’d be a good fit for the course.

What subjects are needed to study medicine?

A-levels for medicine

You’ll need at least a B in both chemistry and biology for most courses. Top universities will ask for at least an A in both. Some universities will accept another science-based subject alongside chemistry, such as human biology, physics or maths.

BTECs

A BTEC qualification is not usually accepted on its own. You’ll typically need to combine this with a chemistry or biology A-level.

GCSEs

You’ll need five GCSEs with at least a grade B/6 in biology and either chemistry, physics, maths or sometimes psychology. Two of these five A-levels will also need to be in English and maths.

International Baccalaureate

Most universities will require at least a 6, 6, 6 at Higher Level. One of these Higher Levels will need to be in chemistry and another in any science-based subject. Top universities will ask for a 7, 6, 6 at Higher Level.

Best universities for medicine in the UK

Our sister site, the Complete University Guide, publishes university league tables every year ranking UK unis nationally and in 70+ subject areas. Check out the latest rankings to see the best UK unis for medicine.

How to compare medicine degrees

Whatuni’s Find a Course tool will be your best place to search, save and compare any medicine degrees you’re interested in. Type ‘medicine’ into the search bar and browse what’s on offer.

You can use filters to design your search around what factors you consider important. When you select a course, you’ll see full course information, including course outline, module choices, entry requirements, fees and key course stats.

Once you’ve compiled a shortlist of courses, begin your research. Order each university’s prospectus to give you an overview of learning facilities, accommodation, social activities, support and much more.

Booking an open day will let you scope the university’s campus, speak to current students and potential tutors. This will be a chance to get an idea of what your student life could be like, and come prepared with any questions you have.

Reading student reviews will offer further insight into what you can expect from your student experience. Simply enter the university and subject to see what students are saying.

How to compare medicine degrees in Clearing

There tend to be very few medicine courses in Clearing, but there may be some places available. When Clearing opens in early July, you’ll be able to use Whatuni’s Clearing tool to search, save and compare what’s available.

To stay up to date, pre-register for Clearing with Whatuni. This will give you access to monthly Clearing content via newsletters, Whatuni’s Clearing guide and allow you to start saving and comparing any medicine courses that may have places in Clearing.

What if you can’t find a medicine degree in Clearing?

There will be different options to consider:

• Study medicine with a foundation year: Some universities offer medicine degrees with foundation/gateway years. Entry requirements are much lower than a normal degree and you’ll be equipped with the skills to study medicine at degree level but note the time and cost the extra year will add on to your studies. Most foundation year programmes are predominantly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

• Study a course with an alternative route: Look out for courses that provide an alternative route onto a medicine degree. Some unis offer the option to transfer from a buomedical science course to medicine after you’ve completed the first year.

• Study a similar subject: Study your bachelor’s degree in another subject and then apply for a graduate-entry medicine degree. Many unis offer these courses, including King’s College London, University of Birmingham, University of Nottingham, Queen Mary University of London and St George’s, University of London. Some will even accept students with non-science degrees, such as the University of Nottingham who’ll accept students with a minimum of a 2:2 degree in any discipline.

• Take a gap year and resit your exams: If you have your heart set on a course but don’t get the grades you need, consider taking a year out and resitting your exams either in autumn or next year. During the year you can study and gain relevant work experience to boost your university application.

Header image: Photo by Günter Valda on Unsplash