Choosing your course

Graduate Entry Medicine

Choosing Where to Apply

The 4 year Graduate Entry Medicine programs are highly competitive to get into and it is thus essential that applicants think carefully about which schools to apply to in order to maximise their chances. The application requirements vary widely from one school to another, as do the selection formulae. This is good news for applicants as it means that even if they do not meet the entry requirements to a medical school program, they are very likely to meet the entry requirement to a different program. Many students apply each year to programs for which they do not meet the requirements while missing out on opportunities to apply to programs where their profiles are evaluated more favorably based on the schools' selection formulae. For example, if you have a 2:2 in your undergraduate degree, the three medical schools you really should apply to are the University of Nottingham Medical School (4 year program), St George's College of Medicine in London (4 year program) and Peninsula Medical School (5 year program). This is because, even with a 2:2, you can still meet their entry criteria and thus have a chance of getting accepted which is not the case at medical schools that require a 2:1 in your undergraduate degree.

Note that there are 7 programs in total that will accept less than a second class honours degree under certain circumstances. These medical schools tend to have more stringent requirements for admissions tests such as the GAMSAT or the UKCAT and non academic factors. You can find more information about this in the MSAG Graduate Entry Medicine 2012-2013 guidebook. 

One of the most important elements of getting into medical school is applying to the right place.

Looking at selection criteria carefully is important for students with very high academic credentials as well. Some medical schools will give an automatic interview if your UKCAT result is above a certain score or if your GAMSAT result is above a certain score. If you know you have done well in those exams or are likely to do very well (based on mock exam results), it is worth applying to medical schools that will give you an automatic interview based solely on those results. 

One of the common mistakes is applicants who have a B in their A-levels applying to medical schools who will not look at any applications without A-A-A at A-levels. Unless you have extenuating circumstances which explain the "B", this would be a waste of one of the four choices in UCAS. Some graduate entry programs do not take into account A-levels grades at all, and these are the programs that applicants with lower A-level grades should apply to to maximise their chances. 

When you are applying for Graduate Entry Programs, it is usually too late to change your grades of your undergraduate degree and sometimes too late to increase your experience in healthcare. A lot of your efforts should thus now be focused on making sure you know the entry criteria of every medical school your are eligible for and apply where you have the greatest chances. It is also worth spending time and effort in preparing for entry exams such as the UKCAT and the GAMSAT as these carry a significant weight in many selection formulae in British medical schools.

Where one has the greatest chances of getting in is for many people the main factor taken into account when thinking of where to apply. However, some students may also want consider the class size, if undergraduate and graduate students are together in lectures or in separate programs completely, the town the medical school is located in, the length of travel during clinical placements and the overall reputation of the medical school in national and international rankings. 

More Information

You may browse our website or click on the links below to find out more about Graduate Entry Medicine in the UK:

• Graduate Entry Medicine UK admissions requirements
• Graduate Entry Medicine UK - The application process
  
• List of medical programs for graduates in the UK
  
• The admissions statistics for graduates in the UK
  
• The GAMSAT

Find out more about our guidebooks:

• Browse content of MSAG Graduate Entry Medicine UK: Content of the MSAG Graduate Entry Medicine guidebook
• The Medical School Application Guide - Graduate Entry Medicine UK 2013-2014 guidebook
• The Medical School Application Guide - Worldwide 2013-2014 guidebook

You can also find information on medical school application at home and abroad:

• Irish medical courses: Irish medical schools information
• Australian medical courses in Enlgish: Australian medical schools information
• Polish medical courses in English: Polish medical schools information
• Other Estern European medical courses in English: Eastern European medical schools information
• Caribbean medical programs in English: Caribbean Medical schools information
  
• American medical schools: American medical schools information
• Canadian medical schools: Canadian medical schools information

• UK medical courses for students who have an undergraduate degree: Graduate Entry Medicine UK
• UK medical courses for students finishing secondary school: Medicine for undergraduate applicants UK