BM4 takes a 2:1 in any subject, asks for no A-levels and gives no preference to science degrees. What decides your chances is your UCAT score, then one in-person selection day with an interview and a group task.
By Dr Akash Gandhi · Last checked: 22 September 2026
Southampton Graduate Entry Medicine (BM4, UCAS code A101) is a four-year BMBS for home applicants with a 2:1 honours degree (achieved or predicted) in any subject, four GCSEs at grade C/4 including English, maths and science, and a UCAT score from the 2026 test.
Southampton ranks eligible BM4 applicants by UCAT total and invites the top scorers to an in-person selection day made up of an interview and a group task. Offers are based on selection day performance, and UCAT may be used to separate tied selection day scores.
BM4 is closed to international applicants, who are directed to the five-year BM5 course. Southampton does not publish a UCAT cut-off or a BM4 place number.
Southampton's graduate requirement is short. You need an upper second-class honours degree in your first degree, in any subject, and the university states that no preference is given to applicants based on the subject taken. The course page says this includes arts and humanities degrees.
| Situation | Outcome |
|---|---|
| 2:1 or first, achieved or predicted | Eligible |
| 2:2 or below, achieved or predicted | Rejected |
| 2:2 followed by an MSc or PhD | Rejected: postgraduate degrees cannot stand in for the 2:1 |
| Ordinary (non-honours) degree | Not accepted |
| Degree taken longer than the standard time, or with repeated years | Considered case by case, with supporting documents |
| A-levels | No requirement for graduate applicants |
| GCSEs | Four at C/4 or above: English language, maths, and Biology plus Chemistry, Combined Science, or Science plus Additional Science |
Graduate applicants must give a full education and work history with no gaps, either on the UCAS form or by email to the admissions team. You must be 18 or over at the start of the course, and anyone who has previously started a medical degree cannot apply.
International graduates apply to BM5
Only home students are eligible for BM4. International graduates are directed to the five-year BM5 course, which also allocates some places to graduates. Home graduates may apply to both BM4 and BM5, but the two applications are assessed separately and use two of your four UCAS medicine choices.
Source: University of Southampton, Medicine BM4 Graduate Entry (BMBS) course page (2027-28 (entry requirements and modules tabs)); University of Southampton, Selection Procedure and Policy for the Faculty of Medicine (BM4, BM5 and BM6) (2027 entry or 2028 deferred entry)
Ranked by UCAT
All BM4 applicants are ranked by UCAT total. You must sit the test between July and September 2026, and the score is valid for this cycle only.
Academic screening
Applications are checked against the degree and GCSE requirements, using achieved or predicted grades at the point of application.
Selection day places set
Southampton sets the number of selection day places, then invites the highest-ranked eligible applicants. Your reference is not used in selection.
Selection day
An interview and a group task, attended in person in Southampton.
Offers
Offers are made on selection day performance. Where scores are tied for the last places, UCAT may be used to decide between candidates.
Southampton does not publish a minimum UCAT score or a past cut-off for BM4. One group gets separate treatment: University of Southampton graduates applying to BM4 are ranked on their own, and the highest scorers among them are guaranteed a selection day. The rest are ranked with everyone else.
Because the UCAT total is the only shortlisting measure once you meet the academic bar, you could put most of your early preparation into the test. Our UCAT tutoring is built for that stage.
Source: University of Southampton, Medicine BM4 Graduate Entry (BMBS) course page (2027-28 (entry requirements and modules tabs)); University of Southampton, Selection Procedure and Policy for the Faculty of Medicine (BM4, BM5 and BM6) (2027 entry or 2028 deferred entry)
1-1 UCAT tutoring with top-decile tutors, planned around a degree or a full-time job.
Southampton does not run online interviews for BM4, and the selection policy says it does not offer extra time and that every applicant takes part in the group task. Invitations arrive by email two to three weeks before your date, and Southampton cannot offer an alternative date to the one on your invitation.
The course page says the selection days run from January to the end of February and that 2027 dates will be published in the autumn. The 2027 entry selection policy gives January to February 2027 as its provisional window.
At interview, Southampton draws on your personal statement. Across the day, selectors look for evidence that you:
A group task calls on different skills from a one-to-one interview, so it helps to practise working through a problem with others while being observed. Reread your personal statement before the day, since the interview draws on it; interview coaching can help with both parts.
Source: University of Southampton, Medicine BM4 Graduate Entry (BMBS) course page (2027-28 (entry requirements and modules tabs)); University of Southampton, Selection Procedure and Policy for the Faculty of Medicine (BM4, BM5 and BM6) (2027 entry or 2028 deferred entry)
Southampton numbers the four BM4 years as 1, 2, 4 and 5. The first two years are bespoke to the graduate cohort; the last two are taught alongside students from BM5 and BM6.
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Phase 1 (first 18 months) | Clinical topic weeks in local NHS hospitals and GP practices, worked through in graduate groups with a facilitator. Topics run from congenital disorders and cardiac function to stroke and depression. |
| Phase 2 (second year, after Christmas) | Full-time clinical attachments: six-week placements in medicine, surgery and primary care. |
| Phase 3 (third year and into the final year) | Acute care, child health, ethics and law, obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry, and specialty weeks in neurosciences, dermatology, head and neck and ophthalmology. |
| Phase 4 (after finals) | A six-week assistantship as an apprentice FY1 doctor, plus a student selected unit: an elective, clinical placement, or research or education project. |
Clinical experience starts in the first weeks and may involve some evening and weekend work. Later placements include hospital trusts, GP surgeries, the ambulance service and third sector organisations.
Source: University of Southampton, Medicine BM4 Graduate Entry (BMBS) course page (2027-28 (entry requirements and modules tabs))
July to September 2026
Sit the UCAT. Only a 2026 test counts for 2027 entry.
University of Southampton, Selection Procedure and Policy for the Faculty of Medicine (BM4, BM5 and BM6) (2027 entry or 2028 deferred entry)
15 October 2026
UCAS deadline. Southampton must be on your application by this date; swaps made later are not considered.
University of Southampton, Selection Procedure and Policy for the Faculty of Medicine (BM4, BM5 and BM6) (2027 entry or 2028 deferred entry)
Early November 2026
The faculty receives UCAT scores.
University of Southampton, Selection Procedure and Policy for the Faculty of Medicine (BM4, BM5 and BM6) (2027 entry or 2028 deferred entry)
November 2026 to February 2027
Screening and selection day invitations, sent two to three weeks before each date.
University of Southampton, Selection Procedure and Policy for the Faculty of Medicine (BM4, BM5 and BM6) (2027 entry or 2028 deferred entry)
January to February 2027 (provisional)
Selection days. Exact 2027 dates are due in the autumn.
University of Southampton, Selection Procedure and Policy for the Faculty of Medicine (BM4, BM5 and BM6) (2027 entry or 2028 deferred entry)
Late March 2027
Decisions for BM4 applicants.
University of Southampton, Selection Procedure and Policy for the Faculty of Medicine (BM4, BM5 and BM6) (2027 entry or 2028 deferred entry)
April to May 2027
Offer holder days.
University of Southampton, Selection Procedure and Policy for the Faculty of Medicine (BM4, BM5 and BM6) (2027 entry or 2028 deferred entry)
Warwick GEM
Also UCAT and any degree subject, with published lowest-invited UCAT totals and in-person MMIs in December.
Surrey GEM
Also accepts any degree, but accepts GAMSAT from any degree and UCAT only from five science degrees, and interviews online.
Sheffield GEM
Also UCAT only and home only, but restricted to life sciences graduates from widening participation backgrounds.
Worcester GEM
Accepts any degree subject and takes UCAT, GAMSAT or MCAT, with panel interviews after shortlisting.
See every UK course side by side in the graduate entry medicine comparison table, or read the full Southampton medical school profile for the five-year course, rankings and admissions statistics.
Graduate entry guides
Help with a graduate application
Practise in the format this school uses, with mock MMI and panel interviews and written feedback after every session.
Yes. Southampton accepts a 2:1 honours degree in any subject, including arts and humanities, and states that no preference is given based on the subject you studied.
No. Southampton rejects applicants with a 2:2 or below in their first degree, and says an MSc or PhD cannot be considered in place of the 2:1.
No. There is no A-level requirement for graduate applicants. You do need four GCSEs at grade C/4 or above, including English language, maths and science.
Southampton does not publish a minimum or a past cut-off. Eligible applicants are ranked by UCAT total and the top scorers are invited to a selection day, so the score needed depends on the field each year.
No. The selection day must be attended in person and includes an interview and a group task. Southampton does not offer online alternatives.
Selection days run from January to the end of February. The 2027 entry selection policy gives January to February 2027 as provisional, and the course page says exact dates will be published in the autumn.
No. BM4 is for home students only. International applicants, including graduates, are directed to the five-year BM5 course.
Last checked: 22 September 2026. Universities update entry requirements during the cycle, so confirm on Southampton's own pages before you apply.
Photo: University of Southampton Library by Fernweh, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.
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