The Complete Guide To UK Medical Schools

The UK is one of the most desirable destination for aspiring medical practitioners. With competitive medical programmes, and certificates recognised by many other countries, getting into a top medical programme in the UK is no easy task.

The UK boasts a number of excellent options for aspiring medical students, and is an especially attractive destination as it allows students to study it from the undergraduate level. According to Times Higher Education, 3 of the top 5 medical schools are in the UK: University of Oxford (#1), University of Cambridge (#3), and Imperial College London (#4).

Applying to medical school in the UK is challenging as students are required to have stellar grades as well as perform well in standardized tests such as the UCAT or BMAT. While an excellent academic track record can get your foot in the door, that is not enough to secure an admission offer. Students will need to demonstrate their motivation and additional experiences volunteering and job shadowing in their personal statement. If successful, they will later be invited to the interview stage, where motivation, personal character qualities and a sense of ethics and knowledge of the medical field will be tested.

There are over 30 medical schools in the UK, all of which boast a great track record for aspiring doctors. Out of those, 25 are recognized by the Singapore Medical Council, allowing alumni to practice medicine in the country.

Aspiring students must apply through UCAS that allows a maximum of 5 university options: 4 medical schools and 1 non-medical school.

Deadline: October 15th for Fall entry in the following year

• A Levels: A*, A*, A
• IB Program: 40+, 6s and 7s in HL
• Coursework: Chemistry, Biology, Math, Physics

Extracurriculars, school clubs, and leadership positions demonstrating teamwork skills, empathy, and communication will help your applications stand out. It is highly recommended for students to have volunteering experiences, especially ones that are related to medical or care settings.

Students are considered competitive if they completed doctor shadowing in clinics or hospitals prior to applying.

Students applying to medical schools in the UK are reqired to take either the UCAT or the BMAT, depending on which schools you are applying to.

The personal statement is an essential part of the UCAS application that showcases an applicant’s ability to write as well as their preparedness for medical school. The personal statement should be no longer than 4,000 characters including spaces. It outlines:

• Motivation to study medicine
• Academic prowess in medicine-related subjects
• Accounts of shadowing experiences
• Volunteering, teamwork skill, and empathy demonstration

The UCAS application requires students to submit a letter by a referee. Typically, this is completed by the school and the referee is one of your teachers. The recommendation should be academic in its nature, and ideally come from a teacher who knows you well and taught a medicine-related

Competitive applicants will be shortlisted to participate in an interview conducted by the school of their choice either in the UK or in the region. Interviews are either one-on-one, panel, or Mixed Multiple Interviews (MMI) where candidates rotate around several stations with questions. Topics covered in interviews are:

• Personal character qualities and fit for medicine
• Motivation to study medicine
• Knowledge of the field
• Knowledge of the NHS and public health
• Medical ethics and situational judgement
• Teamwork
• Role play
• Motivation to study at the specific university

There are many notable medical programmes in the UK, for the full list – consult the official ranking