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Studying Medicine in the UK from Canada: 2027 Entry Guide

Dr Akash GandhiDr Akash Gandhi·NHS GP and Medicine Admissions ExpertUpdated 14 October 2026

Reviewed by Dr Shaneil Tanna

In Canada, medicine is a second degree: outside Quebec, medical schools admit applicants after at least two to four years of university, most entrants already hold a degree, and many require the MCAT. In the UK, medicine is a first degree. A Canadian student can apply in Grade 12, sit one aptitude test (the UCAT, not the MCAT), start a five or six-year medical degree at 18, and qualify as a doctor at about 23 or 24. That is why the questions Canadian families ask us are so consistent: do I need the MCAT, what Ontario or BC grades are enough, do Canadian student loans cover a UK degree, and can I keep the option of practising in Canada open?

This guide answers each of those for 2027 and 2028 entry: the Canadian offers UK medical schools publish, school by school; every UCAT test centre in Canada; the UCAS deadline in Eastern and Pacific time; fees in Canadian dollars and what the Canada Student Loans Program does and does not cover; and the honest position on practising in Canada as an international medical graduate, for families who want that option kept open.

At TheUKCATPeople we have supported international applicants to UK medical schools since 2012, including students from University of Toronto Schools, The Bishop Strachan School, Turner Fenton Secondary School, Regiopolis-Notre Dame, Collingwood School, Southridge School, Shawnigan Lake School and Rundle College. Our Ultimate Package for international students combines one-to-one mentoring with a UK doctor, UCAT tutoring, personal statement editing and interview coaching, all online and scheduled around Canadian time zones.

Studying medicine in the UK from Canada: Canadian offers at UK medical schools, UCAT test centres in Canada, fees in Canadian dollars and options for practising in Canada

Do Canadians Need a Degree or the MCAT for UK Medicine?

No to both. UK medicine is an undergraduate degree entered straight from high school, so a Canadian applies in Grade 12 and starts at 18. The admissions test is the UCAT, and UK schools do not accept the MCAT in its place: Glasgow, for example, states that it "will not consider any other medicine entry test (e.g. GAMSAT / MCAT) in lieu of the UCAT". The SAT and ACT are not needed either.

If you already hold a degree, a few schools publish a graduate offer for Canadians on the standard course (Edinburgh and Aberdeen both ask for a minimum GPA of 3.25 from a four-year degree), and the UK graduate-entry courses that admit international students use the GAMSAT or the UCAT, not the MCAT. For most Canadian families, though, the point of the UK route is that it saves the undergraduate degree altogether.

UK Entry Requirements for Canadian Students: Ontario, BC, Alberta and Quebec

UK medical schools accept the Canadian high school diploma on its own; you do not need A Levels. Offers are written as a percentage average across your Grade 12 courses, usually the top five or six, with Chemistry compulsory and Biology, Mathematics or Physics alongside it. The table quotes what each school publishes for Canadian applicants to medicine, as we read it on 14 October 2026. Where a school has only a general Canada page, we say so, because several warn that medicine asks for more than the general figure.

Medical school

Published offer for Canadian applicants (checked 14 October 2026)

St Andrews

Over 85% in Grade 11 to be considered for interview; offer of 85% overall in the top six Grade 12 subjects, with 90% in Chemistry and 90% in two of Biology, Mathematics or Physics. Ontario: 4U courses with no more than two 4M. Chemistry needed in Grade 11 and 12

Edinburgh

85% overall in Grade 12, with higher grades in Chemistry and two of Biology, Mathematics or Physics; UCAT required. No separate English test needed at the 85% standard

Glasgow

85% overall in five Grade 12 subjects (six for Ontario and Quebec), no grade below 85%, including Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics or Physics

Aberdeen

80% average across five or six Grade 12 subjects, with Chemistry at 80% or more and two of Mathematics, Biology or Physics; or three APs at 5, 5, 4 including Chemistry

Birmingham

Depends on the province; for Ontario, 85% overall in six Grade 12 U, U/C or M courses. Up to 28 places for international students

Queen Mary (Barts)

90% in each of six Grade 12 courses (4U or 4M) including Chemistry or Biology plus a further science; Quebec DEC at 90%

Queen's University Belfast

90% overall in six Grade 12 courses, with 90% in Chemistry and Biology; Mathematics, Physics and English expected to Grade 11. IB 36 with 6, 6, 6 at Higher Level

Liverpool

85% average with 80, 80, 80, 70, 70 in Grade 12 subjects including Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Mathematics and English; Ontario applicants offer six subjects (2026 entry guidelines; the 2027 version was not yet online)

University of Lancashire

Ontario: 90% average across six Grade 12 subjects, at least four of them 4U, with 90% in Chemistry and one other science and 85% in Mathematics; Quebec: one or two years of CEGEP at 90%

Exeter

General Canada page: 80% to 90% average across Grade 12, with 90% treated as A*AA, the medicine offer

Sheffield

General Canada page: Ontario 87% across six Grade 12 U or M courses at the top band

Imperial

General equivalence: 85% across Grade 12 including five subjects at 85%, with a warning that some courses ask for more

Treat 85% as the floor, not the target. Two schools ask for 90% in every course, international places are a small fixed quota, and every offer is conditional on your final Grade 12 marks. Manchester and Bristol publish only general Canada pages (80% to 90%), and Manchester says its medicine course may differ, so email admissions before you spend a UCAS choice on them.

Ontario, BC, Alberta and Quebec in practice

  • Ontario (OSSD): six Grade 12 U or M courses, with most medicine offers asking that nearly all are 4U. Take SCH4U Chemistry, SBI4U Biology and MHF4U or MCV4U Mathematics
  • British Columbia (Dogwood) and Alberta: five or six academic Grade 12 courses at the same percentages, with Chemistry 12 or Chemistry 30 compulsory and Biology, Mathematics or Physics alongside
  • Quebec: Secondary V alone is not enough. Schools that publish a Quebec route ask for the DEC or at least one to two years of CEGEP at around 90% (Barts and the University of Lancashire); elsewhere, ask admissions directly
  • Advanced Placement: most UK medical schools list APs under their US requirements, and only Aberdeen names an AP route for Canadians. APs in Chemistry and Biology still strengthen a diploma application, so take them if your school offers them
  • IB Diploma and A Levels at a Canadian school: treated exactly as they are for UK and international students, typically 36 to 40 IB points with 6s and 7s in Higher Level Chemistry and Biology, or A*AA to AAA

St Andrews A990: the route built for Canadians

St Andrews runs a medicine route designed only for Canadian students who plan to practise in Canada (UCAS code A990, open to applicants with Canadian residency rights who pay international fees). You take a three-year BSc in medicine at St Andrews and then three clinical years at the University of Edinburgh, graduating with an Edinburgh MBChB, and a partnership with the University of Alberta provides mentoring and residency guidance aimed at the Canadian match. For 2026 entry the UCAT threshold for A990 interviews was 1940. Other international students at St Andrews take A100 and complete their clinical years at Manchester. Older guides, including the previous version of this page, described it as a "Scottish-Canadian" programme with a choice of partner universities; that is no longer accurate.

Profiles of the schools Canadians apply to most: St Andrews, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Queen’s University Belfast, Exeter, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, King’s College London, Sheffield, Liverpool and Barts. Our UK medical school entry requirements guide lists the standard offer everywhere, the IB requirements for medicine guide covers every IB offer, the UK medical schools ranking hub compares them side by side, and the UK foundation medicine courses guide explains the few foundation routes open to international students. A Canadian who skipped a grade should also read our minimum age for medicine guide.

UK, Ireland or a Canadian Degree First?

Most Canadian families weigh three options. The UK saves the undergraduate degree, costs international fees, and leaves you an IMG in Canada if you want to practise there straight after graduating. A Canadian degree first keeps you a Canadian graduate for the residency match, but you start medicine at about 22, the admissions odds are long, and many schools favour applicants from their own province. Ireland sits in between: its medical schools recruit North American students through a dedicated route, also at international fees, and its graduates are IMGs in Canada too.

If you are weighing Ireland, read our guide to studying medicine in Ireland, the Atlantic Bridge Programme page, which covers the single application route for students applying from Canada and the US, and the Irish medical school profiles. For Europe and further afield, see studying medicine abroad and our international students’ guide to UK medicine. Many Canadian applicants apply to the UK and Ireland in the same year and decide in the spring.

UCAT in Canada: Test Centres, Dates and Fees

The UCAT is the admissions test for nearly every standard-entry medicine course in the UK, and Canadian applicants sit it at a Pearson VUE test centre in Canada. It is not the MCAT: there is no science content, no essay, and it is taken before you apply, in the summer between Grade 11 and Grade 12. You sit the UCAT (UK), not the UCAT ANZ, and you can sit it only once per cycle.

Where can I sit the UCAT in Canada?

When we searched the UCAT test centre locator on 14 October 2026 it listed 37 centres in Canada, in eight provinces. Two gaps matter. There is no UCAT centre in Quebec, so Montreal students sit in Ottawa (about two hours by road) or across the US border in South Burlington, Vermont, and there is none in New Brunswick. Older guides, including the previous version of this page, listed Montreal: it is not on the current locator.

Province

UCAT test centres on the Pearson VUE locator (14 October 2026)

Ontario

Toronto: Pearson Professional Centres Downtown (1235 Bay Street), Midtown (21 St. Clair Avenue East), East (2255 Sheppard Avenue East) and West (1 Eva Road); Canadian Systems Inc. (680 Rexdale Boulevard); Net Plus Computers, Scarborough (1891 Kennedy Road). Also Mississauga (SSCI, 3105 Dundas Street West), Oakville (1567 Michigan Drive), Hamilton (175 Longwood Road South), Kitchener (triOS College, 235 King Street East), London (395 Wellington Road South), Windsor (Xyna International School, 600 Ouellette Avenue), Sudbury (Cantcl Solutions, 450 Second Avenue), Thunder Bay (VBC Network, 106 North Cumberland Street) and Ottawa (11 Holland Avenue; Ottawa East, 1420 Blair Towers Place; Willis College, 1200 St Laurent Boulevard)

British Columbia

Vancouver (505 Burrard Street, Bentall Centre; Ashton Testing Services, 1190 Melville Street), Burnaby (4400 Dominion Street), Surrey (15127 100 Avenue) and Victoria (818 Broughton Street)

Alberta

Calgary Downtown (250 6th Avenue SW), Calgary East (433 Marlborough Way NE), Calgary Learning Institute (2616 18 Street NE), Edmonton (10055 106th Street NW) and Edmonton South (10430 61 Avenue NW)

Manitoba

Winnipeg (287 Broadway; Winnipeg South, 1020 Lorimer Boulevard; Success Skills Centre, 393 Portage Avenue)

Saskatchewan

Regina (2075 Prince of Wales Drive) and Saskatoon (201 1st Avenue South)

Nova Scotia

Halifax (6960 Mumford Road; Clayton Park, 287 Lacewood Drive; Best Practices Consulting, 6436 Quinpool Road)

Prince Edward Island

Charlottetown (Holland College, 305 Kent Street)

Newfoundland and Labrador

St. John's (235 Water Street)

Quebec, New Brunswick

No centre. Nearest: Ottawa, Halifax, Charlottetown, or Pearson VUE centres in the north-eastern US

Not every centre offers UCAT appointments on every date, and the independent centres (the ones not called Pearson Professional Centres) tend to have fewer slots. Check availability inside your UCAT account once you have registered, and if you are in a smaller city, book the day booking opens.

UCAT 2026 dates (2027 entry)

Milestone

Date (UK time, with Eastern and Pacific time)

Account registration opened

20 May 2026

Booking opened

23 June 2026

Testing window

13 July to 24 September 2026

Booking deadline

16 September 2026 at 15:00 UK time (10:00 Eastern, 07:00 Pacific)

Results sent to universities

early November 2026

Fee for tests taken outside the UK

£115 (about C$220; UK centres £70)

Reading this after September 2026? The 2026 testing window has closed, so if you have not sat the UCAT you are applying for 2028 entry. UCAT publishes the 2027 dates and registration instructions in March 2027, and the cycle is expected to follow the same shape: registration in May, booking in June, testing from July to late September 2027, UCAS deadline in mid-October 2027. For a Canadian student that means sitting the UCAT in the summer after Grade 11.

Since 2025 the UCAT has three scored cognitive subtests, Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning, each scaled from 300 to 900 for a total out of 2700, plus a Situational Judgement Test reported as Band 1 (highest) to Band 4. Abstract Reasoning was withdrawn in 2025, so ignore any advice built on the old 3600 scale. There is no negative marking, and the UCAT bursary is only open to UK candidates.

Start with the free UCAT Guides hub, practise under timed conditions on the UCAT online trainer, and use the UCAT registration guide for the booking steps. If you have been told about the BMAT, it was discontinued after its final sitting in 2023 and no UK medical school uses it; our free BMAT past papers are still useful problem-solving practice, but they are not a test you will sit.

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What UCAT Score Do Canadian Applicants Need?

The 2026 mean total score was 1918 (Verbal Reasoning 602, Decision Making 640, Quantitative Reasoning 675), and the top 10 percent of candidates scored 2250 or above. The Situational Judgement Test bands were distributed 15 percent Band 1, 40 percent Band 2, 34 percent Band 3 and 11 percent Band 4.

International places at each UK medical school are a small fixed quota, so international applicants compete mainly against each other and a strong UCAT matters more, not less. As a rule of thumb, 2300 to 2500 makes you competitive at most schools that take international students, and above 2500 is competitive everywhere. Several schools use the SJT as a filter, so a Band 4 can rule you out regardless of your total. The adjustment most Canadian students find hardest is speed: Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning reward timing strategy more than knowledge, and both need weeks of timed practice, not days.

Use the UCAT cut-off scores guide to see how each university uses the test, the UCAT score calculator to convert practice scores, the UCAT scores and scoring guide for deciles, and, if your score came in lower than you hoped, our guide to where to apply with a low UCAT score. All our UCAT tutors are UK doctors or top-decile medical students: explore 1-1 UCAT tutoring or our UCAT courses.

How to Apply Through UCAS from Canada

All applications to UK medical schools go through UCAS, exactly as they do for UK students. The key facts for 2027 entry:

  • The deadline for medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses is 15 October 2026 at 18:00 UK time. That is 13:00 Eastern, 12:00 Central, 11:00 Mountain and Saskatchewan, 10:00 Pacific, 14:00 Atlantic and 14:30 Newfoundland time on 15 October. It falls in the school day, so submit the evening before
  • Applications for 2027 entry opened on 12 May 2026 and could be submitted from 1 September 2026
  • You can use a maximum of four of your five choices for medicine. The fifth can be another subject, and many international applicants use it for biomedical science as an insurance option
  • You need predicted grades and a reference from your school, and a personal statement in the three-question UCAS format. Canadian schools do not "predict" grades the way UK schools do, so ask your counsellor early to give expected final Grade 12 marks (or AP or IB predictions) in the reference; this is the step that most often goes wrong for Canadian applicants

For the personal statement, read our ultimate medicine personal statement guide and successful medicine personal statement examples, then have a UK doctor review your draft through our medicine personal statement review service. The UCAS medicine application guide and timeline walks through the whole form, and an EPQ-style research project or a strong AP or IB extended essay gives you something concrete to discuss at interview.

Work experience in Canada counts

UK medical schools accept healthcare experience gained in Canada, and they do not expect you to fly to the UK for it; we advise against paying for UK work experience programmes. Hospital volunteering, shadowing a family doctor or specialist, long-term care or hospice volunteering and structured virtual placements all count. What matters is reflection: what you saw, what it taught you about patients and teams, and why it confirmed medicine. Our medicine work experience guide and Work Experience Finder can help you plan it.

What It Costs in Canadian Dollars: Fees, Visa Money and Student Loans

A UK medical degree for an international student is a five or six-year investment, and the fee is fixed in pounds while the family budget is in Canadian dollars. The conversions below use £1 = about C$1.89 (the European Central Bank reference rates on 13 October 2026) and are rounded; check the live rate when you plan and budget with a buffer for a weaker dollar.

Published international tuition fees for the 2026/27 academic year at a sample of UK medical schools (2027/28 fees are published through the autumn and spring and are usually a few percent higher):

Medical school

International fee per year

Approximate C$

University of Manchester

£39,900 in years 1 and 2, £60,900 in the clinical years

C$75,300, then C$114,900

University of Liverpool

£50,000

C$94,300

Imperial College London

£58,600

C$110,500

University of Cambridge

£70,554 plus a college fee

C$133,100 plus the college fee

Across all UK medical schools the 2026/27 range runs from about £30,150 a year (C$56,900) in the pre-clinical years at the cheapest schools to £70,554 (C$133,100) at Cambridge, with most clinical years between £45,000 and £60,000 (C$84,900 to C$113,200). Over a five or six-year course that is roughly C$370,000 to C$800,000 in tuition alone, before living costs of £12,000 to £18,000 a year (C$22,600 to C$34,000). See our school-by-school breakdown of UK medical school fees for international students to compare total course cost, not just the first year.

Other money you must plan for: the Student visa maintenance funds, the visa fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge, all set out in the visa section below.

Canada Student Loans, OSAP and provincial aid

Canadian student aid can be used at a UK university, but it covers a small fraction of the bill. The Canada Student Loans Program funds full-time study at a designated institution in Canada or abroad, for Canadian citizens, permanent residents and protected persons with assessed financial need; for 2026/27 the federal loan limit is C$300 a week of study, about C$10,000 to C$12,000 a year. Each province decides which schools are designated.

  • Ontario (OSAP): the 2026/27 approved-school search lists Edinburgh (and Edinburgh Medical School), Glasgow, Queen’s University Belfast, King’s College London, Manchester, St Andrews, Exeter, Aberdeen, Dundee, Cardiff, Imperial and UCL. The maximum for study outside Canada is C$300 a week
  • British Columbia (StudentAid BC): the designated-schools list we read on 14 October 2026 includes Queen’s University Belfast, King’s College London, Newcastle and City St George’s, but did not show Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, St Andrews or Exeter. Check the live school search for each of your four choices
  • Alberta (Alberta Student Aid): an overseas medical programme must be listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools and have run for at least ten years, and combined loans are capped at C$17,000 for two semesters

Against C$75,500 to C$132,100 a year in tuition, that is roughly 8 to 20 percent of the fee. Treat government aid as a contribution, plan the rest from family funds, and remember that UK medical schools offer almost no scholarships to international students.

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English Language and the Student Visa for Canadian Applicants

Canadian nationals do not need to prove their English for the Student visa: GOV.UK names Canada separately, alongside the majority English-speaking countries, as exempt. The university still sets its own English requirement for admission, and here schools differ. Exeter, Newcastle and Aberdeen exempt Canadian nationals from English test evidence, Queen’s University Belfast treats Canada as majority English-speaking for Canadian nationals, and Edinburgh does not ask for an English test from applicants who meet its 85% Grade 12 offer. Liverpool, by contrast, expects international applicants educated in English-speaking countries to take IELTS, at 7.0 in every component. Check each of your four schools.

So the common advice that Canadians must sit IELTS UKVI for medicine is wrong for most schools, but not all. Quote the school, never a single "medicine IELTS": our IELTS requirements for UK medical schools guide lists every school.

The Student visa itself, for a Canadian applying from Canada:

  • The application fee is £558 (about C$1,050), and you can apply up to six months before the course starts, once your university has issued a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
  • The Immigration Health Surcharge is £776 a year (about C$1,460 a year), paid up front for the length of the visa
  • Maintenance: first-year fees plus £1,529 a month for courses in London or £1,171 a month elsewhere, for up to nine months (about C$26,000 in London or C$19,900 elsewhere), held for 28 consecutive days. Canada is on the Home Office differential evidence list (Appendix Student, ST 22.1), so Canadian nationals applying from Canada are not asked to submit the bank statements up front, but the money must exist and can be requested
  • Canada is not on the list of countries whose residents need a tuberculosis test for a UK visa, and ATAS clearance is not required for an undergraduate medical degree

Interviews from Canada: Online, in UK Time

Most UK medical schools interview international applicants online, between November and March. Queen’s University Belfast interviews international fee-paying applicants online, Liverpool runs an equivalent online MMI for international applicants, Newcastle interviews international applicants on campus or remotely, St Andrews has interviewed overseas applicants online, and the University of Lancashire uses an asynchronous video MMI. A few schools still prefer in-person interviews, so check each of your four choices before you apply.

The time difference is the Canadian applicant’s particular problem, and it runs the opposite way to Asia. In the interview season the UK is five hours ahead of Toronto and eight hours ahead of Vancouver, so a 09:00 UK slot is 04:00 in Ontario and 01:00 in British Columbia. Ask for an afternoon UK slot where a school lets you choose, sleep on UK time for two nights beforehand if you cannot, and do at least one mock interview at the same hour as the real one. For one week a year the gap narrows by an hour: the UK leaves summer time on 25 October 2026, Canada on 1 November 2026.

Interviewers expect you to understand medicine in the UK. Learn how the NHS in England is structured, its six core values and the current NHS hot topics, and read UK health news for ten minutes a day. Then use your advantage: a Canadian can compare a single-payer, provincially run system with a tax-funded national one, wait times and family-doctor shortages included, in a way UK applicants cannot, and an ethics station rewards that kind of perspective. Prepare a clear answer to why medicine, and to "why the UK, not Canada?", which every Canadian is asked in some form.

Interview formats are covered in our MMI preparation guide, the ultimate medicine interview questions guide and the 280 practice interview questions, and you can practise with a UK doctor through our medicine interview coaching, mock interviews and medicine interview course. If you end up on a waiting list in the spring, read our guide to UCAS waiting lists and accepting an offer.

Can I Stay and Work in the UK After Graduating?

Yes, and the position for international graduates of UK medical schools improved in 2026. The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026, which received Royal Assent on 5 March 2026, defines a UK medical graduate as the holder of a UK primary medical qualification, excluding only those who spent all or most of their training outside the British Islands. An international student who completes the whole degree at a UK medical school is therefore in the prioritised group for Foundation Programme places, and NHS England has confirmed that from 2027 the prioritisation applies at both shortlisting and offer.

  • Foundation Programme: you apply through your medical school in the same way as home students. You must declare your visa status on the application, and visa sponsorship is arranged after allocation
  • Graduate visa: two years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months for applications from 1 January 2027 onwards. Anyone starting in 2027 will graduate under the 18-month rule, so plan on the shorter period
  • Health and Care Worker visa: doctors are eligible, there is no Immigration Health Surcharge on this route, and the application fee is £324 for up to three years or £628 for longer

Immigration rules change frequently. Treat this as the position on 7 September 2026 and confirm on GOV.UK before you rely on it.

Keeping Your Options Open: Licensing in Canada

A UK medical degree leads to registration with the General Medical Council and the NHS Foundation Programme, where UK graduates now have priority under the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026, and most of our international students plan their careers in the UK. The facts below are for families who want the option of practising in Canada kept open.

The honest position is worth knowing before you finalise your choices. In Canada, a graduate of a medical school outside Canada is an international medical graduate (IMG), whatever their citizenship. A Canadian citizen with a UK MBChB is an IMG. CaRMS defines a Canadian medical graduate (CMG) as a graduate of a Canadian medical school, and from 1 July 2025 even graduates of US schools count as IMGs. That matters because Canadian residency positions are split into a CMG stream and a much smaller IMG stream.

Route 1: match straight into a Canadian residency through CaRMS

To enter the CaRMS R-1 match from a UK medical school you need:

  • Canadian citizenship or permanent residence when you apply
  • A degree from a school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools with a Canada sponsor note, source-verified through physiciansapply.ca
  • The MCCQE (the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination, called MCCQE Part I until 1 April 2026; the examination itself did not change). MCCQE Part II was discontinued in 2021
  • The NAC examination, a 12-station clinical OSCE, which every province requires of IMGs for the match (Ontario and Newfoundland accept older alternatives). Sessions ran in May and September 2026
  • Province-specific steps on top, such as UBC’s Clinical Assessment Program in British Columbia and the Alberta International Medical Graduate Program in Alberta

Since 26 January 2026 the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) no longer requires 12 months of postgraduate training: a pass in the MCCQE, a source-verified degree from a qualifying school and the fees are enough. The LMCC is a credential, not a licence; you still need a Canadian residency and provincial registration to practise.

What the 2026 match data shows

2026 CaRMS R-1 match (published 5 May 2026)

Figure

IMG participants (both iterations)

1,891

IMGs matched, first iteration

800 of 1,494 (about 54%)

IMGs who graduated that year, first iteration

212 matched, 80.6%

IMGs who graduated in earlier years, first iteration

588 matched, 47.8%

Canadian graduates of that year, first iteration

2,780 matched, 92.8%

IMGs matched across both iterations

931 (851 in 2025, 671 in 2024)

First-iteration IMG positions

480 before reversions (260 of them family medicine), 729 after unfilled CMG family medicine places moved across

Read those numbers carefully. IMG positions are growing, most of them are in family medicine, and an IMG who applies in their graduating year does far better than one who applies years later. But an IMG position usually comes with return of service: Ontario asks for 7,200 clinical hours (at least 120 a month) in a community outside Ottawa and the Toronto area; British Columbia two years for family medicine and three for other specialties; Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Maritime provinces (through Dalhousie) and Newfoundland and Labrador also attach return-of-service terms; Alberta states that it has no provincial return-of-service requirement. Ontario’s 2025 rule requiring two years of Ontario high school for IMG positions was rescinded on 23 March 2026, and CaRMS confirmed in July 2026 that no new IMG eligibility requirements apply for the 2027 match.

Route 2: UK training first, then a Canadian licence

The route that has opened up most since 2023 is to complete UK training first. Several provinces now license doctors who finished postgraduate training in an approved jurisdiction, and the UK is on the list. In Ontario, family doctors trained in the UK (GP training plus MRCGP, which the College of Family Physicians of Canada recognises) can receive a certificate for independent practice without further assessment. Alberta’s Approved Jurisdiction Route, in force since 9 June 2025, puts UK-trained family doctors straight onto the general register. British Columbia’s new bylaws, effective 6 July 2026, create a full-licence route for UK-trained family doctors and a route for specialists with a UK Certificate of Completion of Training, followed by Royal College certification. Nova Scotia gives doctors on the GMC’s GP or Specialist Register a defined licence after six months of supervision.

All of these need completed UK specialty or GP training, which means the two-year Foundation Programme plus three years or more of GP training, or longer for other specialties. They suit a doctor building a career in the NHS who wants Canada kept open for later. The rules are moving quickly, so check the provincial college’s current page before you rely on any of them.

Our advice to Canadian families: Foundation training in the UK is the natural next step after a UK degree, and if you would be happy to train in the UK and decide later, the approved-jurisdiction routes keep Canada open far more than they did five years ago. If practising in Canada straight after graduation is the only acceptable outcome, take the IMG match seriously before you choose the UK, and favour schools that support it, such as the St Andrews A990 route.

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Applying to the UK from Canada: A Timeline for 2027 and 2028 Entry

Work backwards from the UCAS deadline. The plan below is for a student entering in September 2028, who is in Grade 11 in 2026/27; a Grade 12 student applying now for 2027 entry is at the October step.

Grade 11, September 2026 to June 2027

  • Choose Grade 12 courses that keep every door open: Chemistry and Biology at 4U or 12 level (or HL in the IB), plus Advanced Functions or Calculus, and add APs in Chemistry and Biology if your school offers them
  • Start healthcare volunteering or shadowing, and keep a short reflective diary from the first week
  • Begin slow UCAT practice from the spring. UCAT publishes the 2027 dates in March 2027; expect registration in May and booking in June, and book on the day booking opens
  • Read about the NHS, and draft a shortlist of UK schools that publish a Canadian offer you can meet

Summer before Grade 12, July to September 2027

  • Sit the UCAT in July or August, so the score is in hand before you choose schools
  • Draft the personal statement once the UCAT is out of the way
  • Ask your school counsellor how the reference and predicted grades will be written, and agree a date

Grade 12, September and October 2027

  • Choose four medical schools around your UCAT score, your Grade 11 finals and your expected Grade 12 marks
  • Submit UCAS well before the mid-October deadline (18:00 UK time is 13:00 Eastern and 10:00 Pacific)

November 2027 to March 2028

  • Online interviews, usually early morning in Canada; mock interviews at the same hour
  • Keep your Grade 12 marks up: every offer is conditional on final results

April to September 2028

  • Firm and insurance choices on UCAS; final Grade 12 marks or AP and IB results in July, sent to your firm choice
  • Pay the deposit, receive your CAS, and apply for the Student visa up to six months before the course starts
  • Arrive in the UK for induction in September 2028

Need a shortlist and a plan? Book a free strategy consultation with one of our admissions experts.

How TheUKCATPeople Helps Applicants from Canada

We have coached Canadian applicants from public and independent schools across the country, including students from University of Toronto Schools, The Bishop Strachan School, Turner Fenton Secondary School, Regiopolis-Notre Dame, Collingwood School, Southridge School, Shawnigan Lake School and Rundle College. What makes the difference for Canadian applicants is consistent: a UCAT sat in the summer after Grade 11 with real timed practice behind it, a shortlist of four schools that publish an offer for your province or your APs, a reference that translates Canadian marks for UK admissions tutors, and interview practice with someone who knows both the NHS and the Canadian system.

Everything we do is online. Most Canadian students take lessons after school in Eastern time, which is the UK evening, and Pacific families often prefer weekends. Lessons run seven days a week, so a hockey season, AP exams or a part-time job can all be worked around.

Our Ultimate Package for international applicants includes:

What Canadian families say

"Applying to UK medical schools from Canada felt overwhelming at first because there were so many differences compared with applications here. I thought the UK would be a better option for us as the Canadian system is so tough now. My doctor mentor explained every stage clearly, from UCAT preparation through to interviews. The university selection advice was brilliant and helped me avoid applying to places that weren't a good fit. I ended up with three interviews and two offers including my dream uni at St Andrews. I genuinely couldn't have done it without the team." Sarah Chen, Canada

"The system is so different here compared to Canada. Katie helped me bridge that gap, especially regarding the NHS structure. 20 hours gave us time to go deep." Isabella Ross, Toronto

Compare the Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers on our Ultimate Packages page, see the international students’ package page, or start with 20 hours of UCAT tutoring if the test is your immediate priority. For the bigger picture, our Oxbridge medicine mentoring programme covers Oxford and Cambridge, and the TheUKCATPeople home page has everything else we do.

Next Steps for Canadian Students Applying to Medicine in the UK

  1. Shortlist UK schools that publish an offer for your province, your APs or your IB, and check each school’s international quota
  2. Think about whether you want to build your career in the UK, in Canada or keep both open, because it changes how you weigh the UK route against a Canadian degree first
  3. Be honest about the budget in Canadian dollars, and check whether your chosen school is designated for Canada Student Loans before you count on them
  4. Register and book your UCAT the day booking opens
  5. Start UCAT preparation with a tutor at least three months in advance
  6. Draft your personal statement early and have it reviewed
  7. Agree with your counsellor how predicted grades and the reference will be written, then submit UCAS before the mid-October deadline
  8. Prepare for online interviews with our expert team

If you want support with any part of the process, our team of UK doctors and admissions experts is here to help. Book a free strategy consultation or contact us.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need the MCAT to study medicine in the UK?

No. UK undergraduate medicine is entered straight from high school, and the admissions test is the UCAT, sat in the summer after Grade 11. The MCAT is not required for any standard five or six-year UK medical degree. Glasgow, for example, says it will not consider the MCAT or GAMSAT in place of the UCAT. The graduate-entry courses open to international students use the GAMSAT or the UCAT.

Do I need an undergraduate degree before UK medical school?

No. Unlike Canada, where medical schools outside Quebec admit applicants after two to four years of university, UK medical schools admit students directly from Grade 12 into a five or six-year degree. You graduate with a primary medical qualification (MBChB, MBBS or equivalent) at about 23 or 24. Canadians who already hold a degree can also apply to four-year graduate-entry courses, which are fewer and very competitive for international applicants.

What Ontario grades do I need for UK medicine?

Most UK medical schools that publish a Canadian offer ask for an average of 85% to 90% across six Grade 12 U or M courses, with Chemistry compulsory and Biology, Mathematics or Physics alongside it. Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow ask for 85% (Glasgow with no course below 85%), St Andrews 85% overall with 90% in Chemistry and two other sciences, and Queen’s University Belfast and Barts 90%. Treat 85% as the floor: offers are conditional on final Grade 12 marks, and international places are few.

Do UK medical schools accept AP, the IB or a Quebec CEGEP DEC?

The IB is accepted everywhere, typically at 36 to 40 points with 6s and 7s in Higher Level Chemistry and Biology. AP is usually listed under US requirements; Aberdeen is the one school we found that names an AP route for Canadians (three APs at 5, 5, 4 including Chemistry), so APs are best used to strengthen a diploma application. From Quebec, Secondary V alone is not enough: Barts asks for the DEC at 90%, the University of Lancashire for one or two years of CEGEP at 90%, and other schools should be asked directly.

What is the St Andrews A990 medicine programme?

A route at St Andrews designed only for Canadian students who plan to practise in Canada. You take a three-year BSc in medicine at St Andrews, then three clinical years at the University of Edinburgh, graduating with an MBChB, with mentoring and residency guidance through a partnership with the University of Alberta. It is open to applicants with Canadian residency rights who pay international fees, and for 2026 entry its UCAT interview threshold was 1940.

Can I practise in Canada after a UK medical degree?

Yes, but as an international medical graduate (IMG), even if you are a Canadian citizen. One route is to enter the CaRMS residency match from the UK, which needs the MCCQE and the NAC examination and usually means competing for IMG-stream positions with return-of-service terms. The other is to complete GP or specialty training in the UK first: since 2023 Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Nova Scotia have opened routes that license UK-trained family doctors (and in some provinces specialists) without repeating Canadian residency.

What are the chances of matching to a Canadian residency from a UK medical school?

In the 2026 CaRMS match, 931 IMGs matched across both iterations out of 1,891 IMG participants, against a 92.8% first-iteration match rate for that year’s Canadian graduates. IMGs applying in their graduating year did much better (80.6% in the first iteration) than those applying in later years (47.8%). Most IMG positions are in family medicine, and most provinces attach return of service, for example 7,200 clinical hours outside Ottawa and the Toronto area in Ontario.

Do Canadian student loans or OSAP cover UK medical school?

Partly. The Canada Student Loans Program funds full-time study at designated schools abroad, at up to C$300 a week of study in 2026/27, and OSAP’s 2026/27 approved list includes Edinburgh, Glasgow, Queen’s University Belfast, King’s College London, Manchester, St Andrews, Exeter, Imperial and UCL among others. That comes to roughly C$10,000 to C$12,000 a year, about 8 to 20 percent of international tuition. Each province designates schools separately, so check your province’s list for each of your choices.

How much does it cost a Canadian to study medicine in the UK?

Published 2026/27 international fees range from about £30,150 a year in the pre-clinical years at the cheapest schools to £70,554 a year at Cambridge, with most clinical years between £45,000 and £60,000, before living costs of £12,000 to £18,000 a year. At about C$1.89 to the pound that is roughly C$56,900 to C$133,100 a year in tuition, or C$370,000 to C$800,000 over the course. You must also show visa maintenance funds of £1,171 a month outside London or £1,529 a month in London for up to nine months.

Do Canadian students need IELTS for UK medicine?

Usually not. Canadian nationals are exempt from proving English for the Student visa, and several medical schools, including Exeter, Newcastle, Aberdeen and Queen’s University Belfast, accept Canadian nationality as evidence of English. Edinburgh does not ask for a test from applicants who meet its Grade 12 offer. Liverpool is the exception we found: it expects international applicants to take IELTS at 7.0 in every component. Check each of your four schools.

Where can I take the UCAT in Canada?

At a Pearson VUE test centre, booked through your UCAT account. On 14 October 2026 the locator listed 37 centres in Canada: in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa, Hamilton, Kitchener, London, Windsor, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Halifax, Charlottetown and St. John’s. There is no centre in Quebec or New Brunswick, so Montreal students usually sit in Ottawa. The fee outside the UK is £115, and UCAT publishes the 2027 dates in March 2027.

When is the UCAS deadline for medicine in Canadian time?

For 2027 entry it is 15 October 2026 at 18:00 UK time, which is 13:00 Eastern, 12:00 Central, 11:00 Mountain and 10:00 Pacific on the same day. It falls in the school day, so aim to submit at least a day early. The deadline for 2028 entry will be in mid-October 2027.

What UCAT score is competitive for Canadian applicants?

For UK medical schools, 2300 to 2500 is competitive at most schools that take international students and above 2500 is competitive everywhere; the 2026 mean was 1918 and the top 10 percent scored 2250 or above. A Band 1 or 2 in the Situational Judgement Test matters too, because some schools use it as a filter. Ignore any figure quoted on the old 3600 scale.

Does work experience in Canada count for UK medical school?

Yes. UK medical schools accept healthcare experience gained in Canada, such as hospital volunteering, shadowing, long-term care or hospice work and virtual placements, and they do not expect international applicants to travel to the UK for it. What matters is what you reflect on: even one or two weeks can show insight into patient care and the realities of a medical career.

Are UK medical school interviews online for Canadians?

Mostly, yes. Queen’s University Belfast and Liverpool interview international applicants online, Newcastle on campus or remotely, and the University of Lancashire uses an asynchronous video MMI; a few schools prefer in-person interviews, so check each choice. Live online interviews run on UK time, which in winter is five hours ahead of Toronto and eight ahead of Vancouver, so a morning UK slot can mean a 04:00 start in Ontario. Practise at the same hour beforehand.

Is it easier to get into medicine in the UK or in Canada?

It is different rather than easy. Canadian medical schools admit after university, have few seats for many applicants, and many give preference to residents of their own province. UK schools admit straight from high school, but international places are a small fixed quota and you still need top grades, a strong UCAT and good interviews. The real trade-off comes after graduation: a UK degree is an international medical graduate degree in Canada, so for families who want to practise in Canada, getting licensed there is harder than getting in.

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2025/26 results

Why Students & Parents Recommend Us

Ultimate Package students from our 2025/26 cycle, with their UCAT scores and offers, who trained with us for the UCAT, personal statements and interviews.

Ultimate Package
Sophie
Medicine, King's College London
2025 UCAT2,590 / 2,700
“Harry got my UCAT up to 2,590, working through the sections I kept dropping marks on week by week. Gemma then ran my interview practice so the MMI stations didn't catch me out, and Dr Akash mentored me the whole way through. I'm off to King's for Medicine.”
Ultimate Package
Daniel
Medicine, University College London
Medicine offers4 offers
“The interview prep was the part that actually moved the needle. Proper mock MMIs, not just lists of questions, and feedback that was honest about what I was getting wrong. I ended up with four offers and firmed UCL.”
Ultimate Package
Aisha
Dentistry, University of Birmingham
Dentistry offers4 offers
“The Ultimate Package kept me organised from UCAT through to interviews. They knew what dental schools actually ask and tightened up my personal statement. Four offers in the end, and I'm going to Birmingham.”
Ultimate Package
Charlotte
Veterinary Medicine, Royal Veterinary College
Vet offers4 offers
“Vet applications come down to the written SAQs as much as the interview. Dr Rebecca went through my SAQs line by line, sharpened my answers and prepped me for the panels. I came away with four offers and chose the RVC.”

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