Studying Medicine in the UK from Indonesia: A Complete Guide for 2027 Entry

Can You Get Into UK Medicine with the Ijazah SMA?

This is the question Indonesian families ask most often, and the honest answer is no: the Ijazah SMA (or SMA/MA certificate from the national curriculum) on its own is not accepted for direct entry to medicine at UK medical schools. UK universities treat it as a school-leaving qualification that finishes a year earlier than A Levels, so for competitive courses they expect either further study or an international curriculum.

The published positions of individual universities make this clear:

• The University of Manchester states that applicants who have completed the national High School curriculum (SMA3) will be expected to complete a University-recognised foundation programme before joining an undergraduate course, and accepts A Levels for direct entry to year 1
• The University of Nottingham states that holders of the STTB SMA must complete a foundation course for entry to its undergraduate programmes
• Queen Mary University of London lists the SMA among the Indonesian qualifications it considers for entry to foundation courses, with A Levels or the IB considered for direct entry
• The University of Cambridge tells applicants with the Ijazah that Indonesian qualifications alone will not be competitive, and strongly recommends further study such as A Levels or the IB
• Edinburgh accepts the Ijazah SMA at an 85 percent average only for certain science and engineering degrees, together with an internal admissions test; it is not a route into its medicine programme

Indonesian university entrance scores such as the UTBK play no part in a UCAS application. UK medical schools use the UCAT, your A Level or IB grades, your personal statement, your reference and an interview.

What your SMP and SMA school reports are still useful for is the layer underneath: strong science, maths and English marks help show a consistent academic record, and several universities look at earlier results when they assess the whole profile.

Routes Into UK Medicine for Indonesian Students

There are three realistic routes, and the first is by far the most common.

Route 1: A Levels at an SPK or international school

Most successful Indonesian applicants study Cambridge International A Levels at a school in Jakarta, Tangerang, Surabaya, Bandung, Medan or Bali. Schools that teach a foreign curriculum are known in Indonesia as SPK schools (Satuan Pendidikan Kerja Sama), regulated under Ministry of Education Regulation 31 of 2014, and they teach the international programme alongside core national subjects. Typical medicine offers are AAA including Chemistry and Biology, with the most selective schools asking for A*AA. Verified examples for the current cycle:

Cambridge International A Levels are the standard route, but not every medical school publishes an explicit statement that international A Levels are treated identically to UK A Levels, and some ask you to email admissions to confirm. Confirm with each of your four choices before you commit a UCAS choice to it.

Route 2: The IB Diploma

A number of SPK and international schools in Jakarta, Surabaya and Bali offer the IB Diploma. Medical schools typically ask for 36 to 38 points with 6, 6, 6 at Higher Level including Chemistry and Biology. Our IB requirements for medicine guide lists the requirement at every UK medical school.

Route 3: A foundation year that genuinely leads to medicine

Be careful here. Most foundation years in the UK do not lead to medicine, and the A104 Gateway Year courses at schools such as Keele are widening-participation routes for UK home students only. The routes that are open to international students and do progress to medicine are few:

• University of Lancashire (formerly UCLan), Medicine and Surgery with Foundation Year (UCAS A101): a six-year MBBS open to international students only. Entry is A Level ABB in two sciences including Chemistry, or the IB, with IELTS 6.5, so it suits students who hold A Levels but not at AAA rather than students with the Ijazah alone. Progression needs a 70 percent average across science and maths modules
• University of Bristol, International Foundation Programme for Medicine: designed for overseas students who have completed Year 12 with strong sciences. IELTS 7.0. Every student is guaranteed an MMI interview, but progression to the MB ChB is not guaranteed and you still apply through UCAS
• University of Sussex International Study Centre, Foundation Year in Medicine (progressing to Brighton and Sussex Medical School): 75 percent in all academic modules and 70 percent in English, the UCAT Situational Judgement Test, and a guaranteed interview
• University of Buckingham: a one-year CertHE Pre-Medical programme with 70 percent required for direct progression to its 4.5-year MB ChB

Our UK foundation medicine courses guide covers every foundation and gateway route in more detail, and our UK medical school entry requirements guide lists standard offers school by school. If you already hold a degree, graduate entry medicine is a fourth route with its own rules.

UCAT in Indonesia: Test Centres, Dates and Fees

The UCAT is the single admissions test for nearly every standard-entry medicine course in the UK, and Indonesian candidates sit exactly the same test as UK candidates. You sit the UCAT, not the UCAT ANZ, and you must not sit both in the same year.

Where can I sit the UCAT in Indonesia?

The UCAT is delivered at Pearson VUE test centres in more than 130 countries. Pearson VUE test centres operate in Jakarta, including one on Jalan Salemba Raya in Central Jakarta, and there are authorised Pearson VUE centres in Surabaya. UCAT does not publish a city-by-city list, and not every Pearson VUE centre delivers every exam, so we do not promise that a particular centre offers the UCAT. Check the locator inside your UCAT account as soon as you have registered and book the first suitable slot.

Online proctored delivery (OnVUE) is only offered to candidates who live where there is no test centre, where the nearest centre is a significant distance or travel time away, or in exceptional medical circumstances, and you must apply for it in advance. For a student in eastern Indonesia that may be a genuine option; for most students in Java or Bali, plan on sitting in person.

UCAT 2026 dates for 2027 entry

The UCAT bursary is only open to UK candidates, so budget for the full international fee of £115, roughly Rp 2.7 million at the September 2026 exchange rate.

What is in the test?

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. There is no negative marking.

Jakarta is six hours ahead of the UK in summer and seven in winter (Bali one hour more), so a 7pm lesson in Jakarta is early afternoon in the UK. All our UCAT tutors are UK doctors or top-decile medical students, and lessons are online. Start with the free UCAT Guides hub, practise under timed conditions on the UCAT online trainer, and see the UCAT registration guide for the booking process step by step.

Explore 1-1 UCAT tutoring or our UCAT courses

What UCAT Score Do Indonesian Applicants Need?

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

Because international places are a small, fixed fraction of each medical school intake, international applicants are usually competing against each other for a handful of places rather than against the whole cohort, and a strong UCAT matters more, not less. As a rule of thumb, scores above 2500 are highly competitive at the most selective schools and many strong international applicants sit between 2300 and 2500. Several schools also use the SJT as a hard filter, so a Band 4 can rule you out regardless of your total.

Verbal Reasoning is where students who learned English as a second language most often lose marks. If Bahasa Indonesia is your first language, build daily fast reading of English science and news writing into your preparation from the start rather than leaving it until the final month.

Use our UCAT cut-off scores guide to see how each university uses the UCAT, the UCAT score calculator to convert your practice scores, and the UCAT scores and scoring guide for deciles and percentiles.

English Language Requirements for Indonesian Applicants

Indonesia is not on the UK Home Office list of majority English-speaking countries, so you will normally need to prove your English for both the university and the Student visa. The visa requirement is CEFR level B2, and a university that is a licensed Higher Education Provider can assess your English itself rather than requiring a separate Secure English Language Test.

Medical schools set their own, higher, thresholds and they vary, so quote the school, never a single "medicine IELTS":

Studying at an English-medium SPK school helps, but it does not by itself exempt you. Manchester is the only medical school we have verified that publishes an IGCSE equivalent for its MBChB, so unless a medical school states otherwise, plan to sit IELTS Academic. Our IELTS requirements for UK medical schools guide lists every school.

How to Apply Through UCAS from Indonesia

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. In Jakarta that is midnight at the start of 16 October (WIB), and 01:00 in Bali, so do not leave it to the last evening. It is the same early deadline that applies to Oxford and Cambridge
• 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 A Level or IB grades from your school, a reference from a teacher, and a personal statement

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.

Work experience is harder to arrange from Indonesia than from the UK, but medical schools are realistic about that. Shadowing at a hospital, klinik or puskesmas, volunteering, and reflection on what you saw all count. Our medicine work experience guide and Work Experience Finder can help.

What It Costs in Rupiah: Fees, Visa Money and the Exchange Rate

Be clear-eyed about the money before you commit. A UK medical degree for an international student is a five or six-year investment, and the fee is fixed in pounds while your family budget is in rupiah. Over the twelve months to September 2026 the pound moved between roughly Rp 21,800 and Rp 24,300, so the same fee can cost several hundred million rupiah more in one year than another.

Verified international tuition fees for the 2026/27 academic year (2027 figures are published later in the cycle and are usually a little higher), converted at Rp 23,700 to £1, the European Central Bank reference rate on 17 September 2026:

Check the live rate when you plan, and budget with a buffer rather than the spot rate. These rupiah figures are for orientation only and will be out of date by the time the first invoice arrives.

Other money you must plan for:

• Student visa maintenance: you must show your first-year fees plus £1,529 a month for courses in London or £1,171 a month elsewhere, for up to nine months, held in the bank for 28 consecutive days ending within 31 days of your application. Outside London that is £10,539, roughly Rp 250 million, on top of the fees
• The Immigration Health Surcharge is £776 a year for students, paid up front for the length of the visa
• The Student visa application fee from outside the UK is £558, and you can apply up to six months before the course starts
• Indonesia is on the list of countries whose residents need a tuberculosis test from a Home Office approved clinic before applying for a visa of more than six months
• ATAS clearance is not required for an undergraduate MBBS

See our school-by-school breakdown of UK medical school fees for international students to compare total course cost, not just the first year.

Scholarships for Indonesian Students: LPDP and Beasiswa Garuda

Indonesia has one of the strongest government scholarship systems in the region, but most of it is not designed for an undergraduate medical degree abroad, so read the rules carefully.

LPDP

The main LPDP scholarships fund master’s and doctoral study. Its 2026 policy lists postgraduate schemes only, and its medical funding is for specialist and subspecialist training (Beasiswa Dokter Spesialis), not a first medical degree. LPDP is a realistic option later in your career, not for the MBBS itself.

Beasiswa Garuda Sarjana

The newer Beasiswa Garuda Sarjana, run by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology with LPDP handling registration, is a fully funded undergraduate scholarship for study at listed overseas universities, and health is one of its priority themes. The published rules that matter for a would-be medic:

• It is only open to students in Year 12 (kelas 12) of SMA, SMK, MA or equivalent in the 2026/2027 school year, so last year’s school leavers cannot apply
• It cannot fund a foundation year or pathway programme in the UK, Australia or New Zealand, which rules out the SMA plus foundation year route
• An IELTS or TOEFL iBT certificate is compulsory, even for students at IB or overseas schools
• You choose six universities from its approved list across different regions, and the scheme decides where you study; an offer letter is optional

Chevening and Commonwealth Scholarships are for postgraduate study only, and university medicine scholarships in the UK are mostly restricted to home students. A few medical schools advertise small awards for international students, typically a few thousand pounds off the first year or two.

How Competitive Is It for Indonesian Applicants?

Medical school intakes in England are capped by the government, and the Office for Students is explicit that the recent increases in intakes can only be used to recruit home students. Each school has a small quota of international places. Sheffield, for example, publishes 273 home places and 18 international places for its five-year course. The often-quoted figure of around 7.5 percent of places for international students comes from older Department of Health guidance and we have not been able to verify it on a current official page, so treat it as indicative rather than a rule.

The practical consequence is that an Indonesian applicant needs every element of the application to be strong: AAA or better predicted, a UCAT well above the mean, a clear personal statement and a confident interview. It also means choosing your four schools carefully around your UCAT score rather than around league tables.

Our UK medical schools ranking hub and medicine application tutor service exist for exactly this decision. Aiming for Oxford or Cambridge? See our Oxbridge medicine mentoring programme.

Interviews: Online for International Applicants

Most UK medical schools now interview international applicants online. Sheffield states that international applicants are invited to an online panel interview in January 2027. Brunel runs all of its interviews as an asynchronous virtual MMI of six seven-minute stations. Birmingham interviews international applicants online via Zoom regardless of where they are based. A few schools still prefer in-person interviews, so check each of your four choices, and remember that a live online interview scheduled for a UK morning will be mid-afternoon in Jakarta.

Interview formats are covered in our MMI preparation guide and ultimate medicine interview questions guide, and you can practise with a UK doctor through our medicine interview coaching, mock interviews and medicine interview course.

Practising in Indonesia After a UK Degree: Evaluation, Adaptation and Registration

A UK medical degree is well regarded in Indonesia, but it does not give you an automatic licence to practise there. The Health Law (Law 17 of 2023) and its implementing regulation, Government Regulation (PP) 28 of 2024, set out a specific process for Indonesian citizens who graduate abroad (WNI lulusan luar negeri):

1. Competency evaluation: every Indonesian doctor who graduated abroad and wants to practise in Indonesia must go through an evaluation run by the Ministry of Health together with the education ministry, the Konsil and the relevant Kolegium
2. The evaluation has two parts: an administrative completeness check, then an assessment of practical ability through a competency test (uji kompetensi). If you are found competent, the Kolegium issues a certificate of competence
3. Adaptation: doctors found competent must then complete an adaptation period of up to one year at a health facility designated by the Minister, holding an STR (registration) and SIP (practice licence)
4. Doctors found not yet competent must complete additional competency training of up to one year at a designated teaching facility, followed by another competency test

The regulation exempts some graduates from the competency test, replacing it with a portfolio assessment: those from overseas institutions the Minister has formally recognised who have practised abroad for at least two years, and recognised experts in particular fields. A doctor who completes UK Foundation training before going home may therefore have a different path from a new graduate. The same law merged the former Konsil Kedokteran Indonesia into a single Konsil Kesehatan Indonesia (KKI), which now handles registration, and made the STR valid for life.

Graduates who train in the UK also need to complete the UK Medical Licensing Assessment as part of their degree from the 2024/25 academic year onwards, which every UK medical school now builds into finals.

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.

Applying to the UK from Indonesia: A Timeline

Work backwards from the UCAS deadline. This is the shape of a well-run application from Indonesia; if you are reading this after September 2026, apply it one year later for 2028 entry.

Year 12 (first year of A Levels or the IB), September to June

• Confirm your route: Cambridge International A Levels in Chemistry, Biology and a third subject, or the IB
• Arrange work experience and volunteering, and keep a reflective diary
• Register for IELTS Academic and sit it early enough to resit if needed; if you are applying for Beasiswa Garuda you will need the certificate for that too
• Begin UCAT preparation by the spring, at least three months before your test date

Summer before Year 13

• Register for the UCAT in May and book on the day booking opens in June; centres outside the UK fill quickly
• Sit the UCAT in July or August so you have your score before you finalise your four choices
• Draft your personal statement

September and October of Year 13

• Choose four medical schools around your UCAT score, your predicted grades and your budget
• Submit your UCAS application before 15 October 2026 at 18:00 UK time (midnight WIB)
• Gather the documents you will need for the visa: bank statements for the 28-day rule, your TB test certificate and your passport

November to March

• UCAT results reach universities in early November
• Interview invitations arrive between November and March; most international interviews are online
• Offers follow, usually conditional on your final A Level or IB grades and your English test

April to September

• Sit your final exams; results are usually released in July (IB) or August (A Levels)
• Firm your offer, pay your deposit, receive your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) and apply for the Student visa up to six months before the course starts
• Arrive in the UK for induction in September

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

How TheUKCATPeople Helps Applicants from Indonesia

The pattern of what makes the difference for international applicants is consistent: a strong UCAT sat early, a realistic shortlist of four schools that actually take international students on your qualifications, a personal statement that reflects genuine experience, and interview practice with someone who knows the UK system.

Our Ultimate Package for international applicants includes:

• One-to-one mentoring with a UK doctor
• Personalised UCAT tutoring with expert tutors
• Unlimited personal statement edits
• Interview coaching for MMI and panel interviews and mock interviews
• Ongoing WhatsApp support throughout the year, scheduled around Indonesian time zones

Compare the Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers on our Ultimate Packages page, or start with 20 hours of UCAT tutoring if the test is your immediate priority.

Next Steps for Indonesian Students Applying to Medicine in the UK

1. Confirm your route: A Levels or the IB for standard entry, or one of the foundation routes above
2. Be honest about the budget in rupiah, including the visa maintenance evidence and the 28-day rule
3. Register and book your UCAT the day booking opens
4. Start UCAT preparation with a tutor at least three months in advance
5. Draft your personal statement early and have it reviewed
6. Submit your UCAS application before 15 October 2026 at 18:00 UK time
7. 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.

Related Links

Free guides for international applicants:

• International Students Guide to Studying Medicine in the UK
• Studying Medicine in the UK from Europe after Brexit
• Studying Medicine in the UK from Pakistan
• Studying Medicine in the UK from South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda and Tanzania
• Studying Medicine in the UK from Nigeria
• Studying Medicine in the UK from India
• Studying Medicine in the UK from Canada
• Studying Medicine in the UK from the USA
• Studying Medicine in the UK from Malaysia
• Studying Medicine in the UK from China
• Studying Medicine in the UK from South Korea
• Studying Medicine in the UK from Thailand
• Studying Medicine in the UK from Australia and New Zealand
• Applying to Medicine in the UK from Hong Kong
• Applying to Medicine in the UK from Singapore
• Applying to Medicine in the UK from the UAE
• Applying to Medicine in the UK from Saudi Arabia
• Applying to Medicine in the UK from Kuwait
• Applying to Medicine in the UK from Qatar
• Studying Dentistry in the UK as an International Student
• Studying Medicine in Ireland
• Studying Medicine in Europe (for UK students)
• Studying Medicine Abroad
• UK Medical School Entry Requirements
• UK Foundation Medicine Courses
• UCAS Medicine Application Guide and Timeline
• UCAT Cut-Off Scores: How Universities Use the UCAT
• UK Medical Schools Ranking
• IELTS Requirements for UK Medical Schools
• UK Medical School Fees for International Students
• Minimum Age to Study Medicine in the UK
• Medicine Clearing Guide

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• Medicine Mock Interviews
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