In the United Kingdom, medical school generally refers to a department within a university which is involved in the education of future medical practitioners. All leading British medical schools are state-funded and their core purpose is to train doctors on behalf of the National Health Service. Traditionally, courses lasted four to six years: two years of pre-clinical training in an academic environment and two to three years of clinical training at a teaching hospital and in community settings; however, many modern curricula are now integrated, combining clinical exposure with academic study throughout the course. Medical schools and teaching hospitals are closely integrated. The course of study is extended to six years if an intercalated degree is taken in a related subject.
Admissions In the United Kingdom students generally begin medical school after secondary education. This contrasts with the US and Canadian (outside Quebec) systems, where a bachelor's degree is required for entry to medical school. Entry to British medical schools is very competitive.
Application Applications for entry into medical school (in common with other university courses) are made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). UCAS allows four applications per applicant for medicine, as opposed to the usual five. The remaining one can either be left blank, or be used to apply for a non-medical course.
Most UK medical schools now also require applicants to sit additional entrance tests such as the Universities Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) (required by 26 universities) and the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) (formerly required by 8 universities). As of 2025 entry into medical schools the BMAT has been discontinued and students now only need to sit the UCAT exams.
The number of available medical school places had risen by 3,500 since 1998. There are national quotas imposed on the number of places for students on medicine and dentistry courses in the UK as much of the training needs to occur in a healthcare setting. In 2016, places at medical school were offered through the clearing process for the first time, with St George's, University of London opening up places on its five-year medical degree undergraduate course.
The UCAS personal statement gives applicants the opportunity to write about why they are suitable for medicine. Common subjects discussed during these statements include work experience, subject research and extra-curricular activities. Personal statements are reviewed by university admission boards and applicants scoring highly in tests and with a good personal statement will be called to interview, though the exact selection procedure varies greatly between universities.
Medical schools in the United Kingdom tend to base their first sift purely on predicted grades for the main school exit exams e.g A Levels exams and UCAT scores. Once students pass through the first sift they then get invited to interview in most universities and everyone then is back in an equal playing field. The Interview then determines if students get to the next stage of an offer from the University. The key at medical schools in the UK is to ensure students get as high a UCAT score as possible. That requires hours of practice which must not be disregarded or taken lightly. The UCAT scores have a direct correlation on how much practice is done by students.
The interview Interviews for medicine differ between individual universities. The majority of medical school interview applicants using either a Traditional interview or the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) formats. Oxford and Cambridge medical schools have their own distinct way of interviewing with focus on science questions and other medical schools also use group tasks to assess applicants.
Traditional The traditional medical interview consists of 2–4 interviewers sat across a table from the candidate. Interviewers take turns to ask the candidate set questions and rate their responses on a Likert scale. Interviews last between 15–30 minutes. Questions cover a range of desirable criteria that future doctors should possess.
Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) Developed at McMaster University Medical School in Canada in 2004, the MMI format assesses candidates as they cycle through a selection of 'mini' interview stations similar to the medical school OSCE. 1-2 interviewers assess candidates at each station (which typically last 5–8 minutes each) and each station is focussed on a particular skill desirable of a doctor. Criteria assessed at individual stations may include: Reasons for application to study medicine Influence of work experience Contribution to school and society Academic ability and intellect Knowledge of the course and medical careers Descriptive skills Dexterity Empathy Communication skills Initiative and coping under pressure Reasoning and problem solving skills Teamwork skillsLogan, A (2013). Get Me Into Medical School: The Ultimate Guide. UK: Meddicle . p270-4.
Degree awarded After successful completion of clinical training a student graduates as a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, abbreviated as 'MB ChB' for Aberdeen, Anglia Ruskin, Aston, Birmingham, Bristol, Buckingham, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Keele, Lancaster, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield 'MB ChB' for Warwick requires a first degree; 'MB BS' for schools currently or previously part of the University of London (King's College London GKT School of Medical Education, Barts and The London School of Medicine, St George's, UCL Medical School) and also Norwich Medical School, Hull York Medical School, Imperial College School of Medicine, University of Central Lancashire, and Newcastle University. 'MB BCh' for Cardiff; 'MB BCh' for Swansea requires a first degree; 'BM BCh' for Oxford, 'BM BS' for University of Nottingham, Peninsula Medical School - now split into the University of Exeter Medical School and the University of Plymouth Medical School and Brighton-Sussex, 'BMBS' for Southampton, 'MB BChir' for Cambridge. Queen's University Belfast gives the degree of 'MB BCh BAO' (BAO is Bachelor of the Art of Obstetrics). The University of St Andrews offers a pre-clinical BSc or BSc(Hons) with subsequent entry to either Manchester, Barts, Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh or Aberdeen for Clinical Teaching and a Subsequent MB ChB/equivalent
Course types
Broadly speaking, undergraduate medical education in the United Kingdom may be thought of along two continuums: The teaching method is one continuum - on which problem based learning is one extreme, and lecture based learning is the other extreme. The course structure - on which a clear pre-clinical/clinical divide is one extreme, and a totally integrated curriculum would be the other extreme. These two can be combined in different ways to form different course types, and in reality few medical schools are at the extremes of either axis but occupy a middle ground.
Teaching methods
Problem-based learning
Problem-based learning (PBL) is a principle based on the educational philosophy of the French educationalist Célestin Freinet in the 1920s, and is used in many subject areas including medicine. It was first developed in relation to medical education at McMaster University Medical School in the late 1960s.Neufeld V R, Barrows H S. The McMaster philosophy: an approach to medical education. Journal of Medical Education 1974, 49, 1040–1050Walsh W. The development of the McMaster programme in medical education. British Journal of Hospital Medicine 1973, 12, 722-730 It was introduced to the UK by Manchester University. It refers to a whole process, and not merely to a specific event (the PBL tutorial).
In the UK, the focus is on a PBL-tutorial which is conducted in small groups of around 8–10 students (although this varies with seniority and between medical school) with a tutor (or facilitator) who usually comes from either a clinical or academic background, depending on the level of the course. There is an academic, clinical or ethical scenario, where the students select which areas of study to pursue in their own time. Academics at Maastricht University developed seven steps of what should happen in the PBL process: The group read the scenario and clarify terms they do not understand They define what the problem is They brainstorm possible hypotheses or explanations Come up with a possible solution Define a series of learning objectives they should achieve by the next tutorial, arising out of the problem Gather information to fulfil the learning objectives - this can be in the form of private study or reading; attending a lecture; having a discussion or teaching session with a relevant "expert"; attend a ward round or clinic; interview a relevant patient At the next tutorial, students share the information they have gathered since the last tutorial, and discuss areas where information they have gained conflicts - this may lead to further learning objectives if they find they are still not clear.
In keeping with the ethos of self-directed learning, during sessions it encourages a shift in power from an academic tutor to the students in a PBL group.Ahmed M, Ahmed F. Leading problem based learning. sBMJ. 2007 Sept;15: 315-16 However, it will be seen that lectures, tutorials and clinical teaching sessions can play a part in problem-based learning - but the emphasis is on the student to decide how these will enable them to fulfil their learning objectives, rather than passively absorb all information.
The introduction of PBL in the UK coincided with a General Medical Council report in 2003, Tomorrow's Doctors,General Medical Council. Tomorrow's doctors. London: GMC, 2003 which recommended an increased proportion of learning should be student-centred and self-directed. This encouraged medical schools to adopt PBL, however some medical schools have adopted other methods to increase self-directed learning, whilst others (notably Oxford and Cambridge) have always had a high proportion of student-centred and self-directed learning, and have therefore not introduced PBL. Manchester Medical School adopted a new PBL curriculum in 1994, and were followed by Liverpool Medical School and Glasgow Medical School. The Norwich Medical School, at the University of East Anglia also uses a PBL based curriculum. Some of the UK medical schools created since that time have adopted problem based learning. Brighton and Sussex Medical School has a lecture-based approach supported by small-group and self-directed work. Similarly, Imperial College London employs mostly lecture-based teaching but uses supplementary teaching methods such as PBL to deliver a more rounded education.