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Application Guide 2024:
UCAS
UCAS Medicine Application Guide & Timeline 2024: A Comprehensive Guide
Dr. Akash Gandhi
Medicine Admissions Expert
Introduction
Thinking of applying to study medicine via UCAS? Find out everything that you need to know about applying for Medicine (A100) via UCAS in 2024 for 2025 entry.
Applying for medical school in the UK is a complex and competitive process that requires careful planning and organisation.
With numerous important dates and deadlines to keep track of, it is essential to have a clear understanding of the medicine application timeline.
In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through every step of the application process and show you how our Ultimate Package can provide all the support you need for a successful application.
You should note that an application to study medicine is due at an earlier date than an application to study most other courses.
Remember the key UCAS dates for 2025 entry (ie you will be starting university in 2025):
The UCAS Medicine Deadline for 2025 entry is 15th October 2024 at 18:00. Keep up to date with information on this page for updates.
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What is the UCAS medicine application?
Anyone applying to study medicine in the United Kingdom must do so via UCAS.
UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) is the centralised body that manages all higher education applications in the UK.
Your UCAS application is then sent to all four medical universities to which you are applying, so you don’t need to worry about applying to each of them individually.
This guide features all the information you need - from how many universities you can apply to in the UK to what you can expect in terms of costs.
We expect dates to be the same next year in 2024 for 2025 entry.
Key UCAS Dates for 2025 Entry (in 2024):
30 Apil 2024: UCAS search tool displays 2025 courses.
7 May 2024: Adviser portal opens for 2025 entry.
14 May 2024: Undergraduate applications open for 2025 entry.
3 September 2024: Completed undergraduate applications can be submitted to UCAS.
15 October 2024 [18:00]: Applications for Oxford, Cambridge and most courses in medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine/science should arrive at UCAS by 18:00 (UK time).
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What is the timeline for medicine 2024 entry?
The key aspects of your UCAS Medicine application, which will be considered in this timeline are:
Deciding on Medicine
BMAT (no longer used) - learn more about BMAT Cancellation here
For careers such as Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine - UCAS tariff points are generally not looked at.
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Step 1: Deciding on Medicine
We know how difficult it is to decide on your career path while young. But really, the earlier the better, to give you a better chance of successfully planning and organising all of the components of a strong medicine UCAS application.
Step 1. Deciding on Medicine
First, it’s important to ensure that a career in medicine is right for you! Crucially, you should look into what being a doctor is like - by looking online or reading relevant books, and talking to any contacts you may have in the medical world.
The career certainly isn’t for everyone, and it’s important not to view it through rose-tinted glasses.
👉🏼 Check out our guide to Deciding on Studying Medicine in the UK
👉🏼 Read more: Compared: UK Medical School Fees For International Students (2024 Updates)
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Step 2: Organising Work Experience
Medicine Work Experience
Having some work experience and volunteering under your belt is fundamental for your medicine application. This is best done in the summer between years 11 and 12 or in the summer between years 12 and 13, and it can also be done online.
Of course, work experience can be done throughout the year - it is completely up to you. But it takes time to organise - so get organised!
There are many benefits to medical work experience:
First, it will help you be sure that Medicine is the right career path for you!
Second, it shows universities that you’ve really thought about this and bolsters your application significantly. You can get work experience in local hospitals, work experience in GP practices, volunteering in care homes and even online medicine work experience.
👉🏼 Check out our Comprehensive UK Medicine Work Experience Guide for 2024
Volunteering for Medicine
Volunteering is a crucial aspect of any medicine application for UK universities, as it not only demonstrates a strong commitment to helping others but also showcases the development of essential skills and qualities required for a successful career in medicine.
Medical schools value applicants who have gained real-world experience through volunteering, as it reflects compassion, empathy, and an understanding of the challenges faced by patients and healthcare professionals.
To strengthen your application, seek out volunteering opportunities in various healthcare settings, such as hospitals, care homes, hospices, or even local community projects. Engaging in diverse experiences will provide you with a broader perspective on healthcare and allow you to develop key skills, such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.
By dedicating your time to volunteering, you will not only enhance your personal and professional growth but also demonstrate your passion and dedication to a career in medicine.
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Step 3: Doing Well In Your A-Level Mock Exams
Step 3: Sitting Your School Exams
How hard is it to get into medical school? Well, unfortunately, the answer is that getting into medical school can be very hard - and only around 30% of applicants are successful.
However, you can maximise your chances with great grades that will help you to stand out when applying to medical school.
In particular, look to take Biology and Chemistry to a high level.
For more specific information on grade requirements and recommended A-level combinations for Medicine:
👉🏼 Check out Our Article On Medicine Entry Requirements
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Step 4: Sitting the UCAT Exam
Step 4: Sitting the UCAT
Almost all medical schools in the UK require you to sit the UCAT exam, both of which is an exam designed to test your lateral thinking skills.
The UCAT is mandated by more medical schools, though both are used widely. You should check which of these is required for the schools which interest you the most. Here are a list of UCAT Medical Schools in 2024.
The UCAT requires no prior knowledge beyond basic maths skills and is an extremely time-pressured multiple-choice exam.
For most people, it is important that you do sit the UCAT to keep your options open.
Our Ultimate Package includes expert tutoring, practice questions, and exam strategies to help you excel in these challenging exams and boost your chances of securing a place at your desired medical school.
👉🏻 Get in touch with our expert tutoring team
👉🏼 UCAT Guide
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Step 5: Writing Your Personal Statement (Summer)
Step 5: Writing a Medicine Personal Statement
When you submit your UCAS application to your chosen universities, you will be asked to provide a short medicine personal statement or dentistry personal statement to support your application.
We would recommend writing your medicine personal statement over the summer between year 12 and 13.
Universities will use this to ascertain information about you beyond your grades. You will have 4000 characters and only 47 lines to demonstrate your motivation to study medicine, depth of work experience, relevant extra-curricular activities and fitness to be a medical student.
For advice on how to write a personal statement:
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Step 6: Selecting Your 4 Medical Schools
Step 6: Selecting Medical Schools
It’s important to have a rough idea from an early stage of what medical schools you may want to target, even if you don’t know specifics.
This is because they vary in their requirements - from what school subjects you should take to which entrance exam they require their candidates to sit.
It is absolutely fundamental that you spend time working this out and researching. It is one of the most common reasons why a student receives 4 rejections.
Touring medical schools and checking out their websites & prospectuses are great ways of making sure that you’re picking the best ones for you.
For more tips:
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Step 7: Submitting Your UCAS Application
7. Submitting Your UCAS Application
Anyone applying to study medicine in the United Kingdom must do so via UCAS.
The deadline for applications this year is 15th October 2024. UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) is the centralised body that manages all higher education applications in the UK.
Your UCAS application is then sent to all universities to which you are applying, so you don’t need to worry about applying to each of them individually.
Your medicine UCAS application consists of the following components:
Your basic information & GCSE grades / A-Level Predicted grades / UCAT grades
The 4 medical schools to which you would like to apply
A medicine personal statement (no more than 47 lines and 4000 characters) - read more in our Ultimate Personal Statement Guide
A reference from your school (the same length as your personal statement)
Check out our UCAS guide for information on how the process works and what the associated costs are.
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Step 8: The Medicine Interviews
Step 8: Acing Your Medical School Interviews
After your UCAS application has been submitted, you’ll start hearing back with some medicine interview offers if your application has been successful! The interviews are usually held from November to March every cycle and can be both in person or online.
At this point, you’ll want to practice and prepare for these all-important medicine interview days.
Our full medicine interview guide contains all that you need to know, and our expert tutors are waiting to help you out with medicine interview tutoring as well as panel and MMI mock interviews.
👉🏼 Medicine Interview Tutoring
9. Waiting!
After your interviews, all you can do is wait for the hopefully good news! After this, the hard part begins - 5-6 years of medical school and post-medical school training as a doctor.
It takes 5-6 years to become a doctor in the UK, but many more before you complete your training because a UK medical degree is just the start. For more information on this training, check out our guide to a doctor’s training pathway.
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The cost of studying medicine in the UK
It is also vitally important to consider the costs of studying medicine before you apply. Studying medicine in England or Wales costs up to £9,250 per year.
In Scotland and Northern Ireland, fees vary depending on where you are from - for instance, Scottish students can study in Scotland for free.
Any UK or EU medical student is entitled to a full loan to cover the costs of studying medicine, which you can apply for here: https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-register-login.
Additionally, you can apply for assistance with the costs of living in the form of either a loan or grant, which you can check eligibility for here.
These can be applied through the link above. Some universities also offer their own bursaries and scholarships which you can check for on their website.
There is also a price to apply through UCAS. If you’re wondering how much a UCAS application costs, then check with your school as most will pay the fee for you. If they don’t, however, then you can expect to pay £20 for a single choice or £25 for multiple choices.
Of course, the costs to study medicine in the UK as an international medical student fees for medicine in the UK are far higher, ranging from £20000 to £45000 per annum in the UK.
Learn more about International Medicine Fees In The UK
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Tips to boost your UCAS Medicine Application
It is extremely important that you consider your UCAS application for medicine in a holistic manner. There are many aspects of your application that different universities place great weight upon. This includes:
A-Level Predicted Grades
It is vital that you try and optimise each area of your application towards this - which is something that we at TheUKCATPeople have been doing for 12 years - we help with every aspect of the application.
Check out the latest entry requirements for medicine in the UK here for 2024.
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Applying through UCAS with a disability
Most medical schools require that you will be fit to practice Medicine by the end of your degree. If you have a disability that would not prevent you from being able to practice Medicine, then you will still be able to study it.
If you have any questions about whether a particular medical school will suit your needs, then you should explore this further - you can check their website, go to an open day, or contact them directly.
Most universities, if not all, will have designated Disability Services who specialise in helping people in your position and will be able to give you any information that you need.
You can also declare your disability on your UCAS form so that universities know what support to prepare for you before you arrive. Additionally, as a disabled student, you may be eligible for the DSA (disabled student’s allowance) - which you can find out more about here.
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How many universities can you apply to study medicine in the UK?
You can only apply to four universities to study medicine in the UK.
Through UCAS, you can apply to no more than 5 courses. However, only 4 of these can be medicine (course code A100). Your fifth extra non-medicine UCAS choice - if you choose to make one - must be to a different course. It can, however, be to a different course at one of the 4 universities to which you are applying to study medicine.
As medicine is a highly competitive course, and every year many candidates do not receive any offers for it, we strongly encourage you to apply for a 5th “backup” course. Sadly, there is no way of adding a 5th extra medicine UCAS option.
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Related Links
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