Which UK Medical Schools Accept A Level Resits? The Complete Updated Guide
- Akash Gandhi
- 2 days ago
- 15 min read
If you are thinking about resitting your A Levels to apply for medicine in the UK, the good news is that some UK medical schools will accept A Level resit applicants for 2026 entry to the A100 Medicine programme.
But the rules vary significantly between universities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Some medical schools only consider A Level resits in exceptional circumstances with documented evidence, others allow one subject to be retaken, and a few treat resit grades exactly the same as first-sit grades.
The same variation applies to GCSE resits, with some schools being more flexible than others.
This fully updated 2025 guide (for 2026 entry), written by our head doctor and mentor, Dr Akash Gandhi, covers:
Which UK medical schools accept A Level resits for medicine (with a detailed university-by-university table)
How retaking A Levels or GCSEs can affect your medicine application
Specific scenarios, such as resitting chemistry or biology for medicine entry requirements
Strategies to strengthen your application as a resit candidate, including how to choose universities that accept resits
Answers to the most common A Level resit questions asked by aspiring medics in the UK and by international students
This article is designed to be the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource available online, in time for medicine clearing in 2025.
Can You Get Into Medicine With A Level Resits in 2025?
Yes – but it depends entirely on the universities you apply to.
Some medical schools, like Edge Hill or Exeter, are open to resit candidates without additional restrictions. Others, such as Manchester, set higher grade requirements for retaken subjects. A number of competitive schools, like Oxford or UCL, will only consider resits in very specific, documented circumstances.
This is why strategic university selection is essential if you’re retaking A Levels. You should target UK medical schools that openly accept resit candidates and ensure you meet their first-sitting grade thresholds.
You can explore our How Universities Use the UCAT guide for further entry requirement details.
Full 2025 Medical School A Level Resit Policies (A–Z)
UK University (Medical School) | Resit Policy for A Level Medicine Applicants (2025 Entry) |
|---|---|
No Aberdeen Medical School does not normally accept A Level resits for applications to study medicine on the A100 Medicine programme. Resits are only considered in exceptional circumstances where applicants can provide clear evidence of serious disruption to their studies. | |
Yes Anglia Ruskin Medical School accepts A Level resits for medicine applicants to the A100 Medicine programme, provided the final resit grades are AAA and achieved within five academic years before the time of application. At the first sitting, applicants must have obtained at least AAB, or BBB for those applying through the Widening Access to Medicine (WAMS) route. | |
Yes Aston Medical School accepts A Level resits for candidates applying to study medicine. Resits for GCSEs and equivalent qualifications are also accepted. All final qualifications for medicine must be completed within three academic years, with only one permitted resit year, and applicants must still meet the published medical school entry requirements. | |
No for A Levels – Yes for GCSEs Bangor Medical School does not accept A Level resits for entry to medicine. It does, however, accept GCSE resits if completed within 12 months of the original sitting, except for English Language which can be retaken at any time. Only one resit per qualification is allowed, and A Level unit retakes are permitted if the final exam has not yet been taken. | |
Only in mitigating circumstances Barts and The London considers A Level resits for entry to the A100 Medicine programme only where extenuating circumstances fall within the Equality Act 2010. These must be reviewed and approved by the Extenuating Circumstances Panel before the UCAS medicine application is made. | |
Only in mitigating circumstances Birmingham Medical School does not accept resit grades for GCSEs, A Levels or equivalent qualifications for medicine except as outlined under their extenuating circumstances policy. | |
Yes Brighton and Sussex Medical School may accept A Level resits for medicine applicants if they dropped only one grade at first attempt, such as achieving AAB. | |
Yes Bristol Medical School accepts applicants resitting GCSEs or A Levels for entry to medicine. A maximum of one resit is allowed in any subject. Exceptions may be made in cases of extenuating personal circumstances at the discretion of the university. | |
Yes Brunel Medical School will consider applicants who have retaken their A Levels or equivalent qualifications when applying for the A100 Medicine programme. | |
Yes Buckingham Medical School accepts A Level resits for medicine with lower grades at their first A Level attempt and significant mitigation can apply after they have attained the required grades of ABB. Predicted grades will not be considered for such applicants. | |
Only in mitigating circumstances Cambridge Medical School generally expects candidates for the A100 Medicine programme to achieve the required grades in a single sitting. Resits are only considered in cases where applicants have been affected by serious circumstances beyond their control. | |
No for A Levels – Yes for GCSEs Cardiff Medical School does not accept A Level resits for medicine except in exceptional circumstances. GCSE resits are accepted within one year of the original sitting, except for English Language which can be taken at any time. | |
Not Applicable Chester Medical School does not require A Levels for its medicine programme, so A Level resit policies do not apply. | |
No Dundee Medical School does not accept A Level resits for applications to study medicine. | |
Yes Edge Hill Medical School accepts A Level resits for medicine applicants, typically allowing one resit. Applicants must still meet the required entry grades. | |
Only in mitigating circumstances Edinburgh Medical School requires all examination grades for medicine to be achieved at the first attempt. Applicants with resit qualifications will only be considered in very exceptional circumstances with verified evidence provided before the UCAS application. | |
Yes Exeter Medical School accepts A Level resits for entry to the A100 Medicine programme and treats them equally to first-sit grades. | |
No Glasgow Medical School does not accept A Level resits for applications to study medicine. | |
Greater Manchester (Bolton) | Yes (not clear) We may consider resits. |
Yes
Hull York Medical School accepts A Level resits for entry to the A100 Medicine programme who are repeating or who have repeated Year 13 must have achieved a minimum score of BBB in their A Levels, or A Levels + Welsh Baccalaureate, in their initial sitting. We are unable to accept equivalence; a minimum score of B must have been achieved in all subjects.
Advanced Scottish Higher applicants who are repeating or who have repeated S6 must have achieved a minimum score of BC in Biology and Chemistry at Advanced Higher in their initial sitting.
International Baccalaureate applicants who are repeating or who have repeated Year 13 must have achieved a minimum score of 31, with 5,5,5 at Higher Level in their initial sitting. We are unable to accept equivalence; a minimum score of 5 must have been achieved in all subjects. | |
No Imperial College London does not accept A Level resits for applications to study medicine on the A100 Medicine programme (as per Med Schools Council) | |
Yes - if additional qualification to meet subject requirement
Keele Medical School does not accept applications for the A100 Medicine programme from students in their third or later year of A Level unless they have already met our grade requirements and are sitting additional qualifications to meet the subject requirements.
Significant extenuating circumstances may exceptionally be taken into account for students who have had to restart a year or delay sitting of exams. Extenuating circumstances and supporting evidence must be submitted in writing no later than 31 October.
Other students taking more than 2 years to complete level-3 qualifications must complete these qualifications and have achieved the required grades before applying. Students taking more than 3 years to complete the required qualifications will not be considered. | |
Only in mitigating circumstances Kent and Medway Medical School does not accept A Level resits for medicine except through the extenuating circumstances process. Submission of extenuating circumstances does not guarantee acceptance. | |
Yes - but non-resit candidates may be looked at more favourably
King’s College London accepts A Level resits for entry to medicine where they consider applicants who have retaken their qualifications, however, you should bear in mind that your application for this programme will be reviewed alongside other strong applicants who might be viewed more favourably if they achieved the required grades within a standard timeframe, for example, a two year period for A-levels. We will only consider second resits if there are significant mitigating circumstances. In these situations we still cannot guarantee that your application will be considered, but you should submit a Mitigating Circumstances form so that this can be considered alongside your application. Please note, we consider taking the same subject again at the same level, even within a different qualification, to be a resit.
KCL Medical School consider applicants who have recently achieved grades which are below the entry criteria, and have subsequently studied/are studying another qualification to seek entry, such as an Access to HE Diploma or a Foundation programme, to be resit applicants. | |
Yes Lancaster Medical School accepts A Level resits in certain conditions. GCSE - We do not accept GCSE resits without evidence of exceptional circumstances that impacted performance. Exceptional circumstances will be reviewed post-application by a panel to determine whether resits can be considered.
A Levels: We will consider resit applicants who achieve the required grades within three years of study, dependent on grades achieved. All applicants should reflect on their circumstances in their personal statement. Our typical resit offer of study is A*AA.
ABB or above at first attempt: eligible to apply as a resit applicantBBB-CCC at first attempt: evidence of exceptional circumstances required to apply during your resit year of study Applicants who have achieved A*AA within three years of study are eligible to apply regardless of initial grades, if they are applying with their achieved resit results. | |
Only in mitigating circumstances Leeds Medical School will only consider A Level resits for medicine in exceptional circumstances. Strong documentary evidence must be provided along with a rationale for resitting in the academic reference. | |
Only in mitigating circumstances Leicester Medical School accepts Year 12 resits for medicine only if approved for significant mitigating circumstances. Year 13 resits are accepted only if the applicant holds a conditional offer with them and has mitigating circumstances approved by admissions tutors. | |
Yes Lincoln Medical School allows A Level resits for the A100 Medicine programme. Resits must achieve AAA, or AAB with one A in Biology if applying contextually, and should normally be taken within two years of the first sitting. GCSE resits are also permitted but must be completed before the application. | |
Yes Liverpool Medical School accepts A Level resits for medicine if the applicant achieved at least ABB at the first sitting. Applicants declaring extenuating circumstances must have these noted in both the academic reference and the Liverpool School of Medicine Applicant Online Form. Resit offers may be higher than the standard offer, such as A*AA. | |
Yes
Manchester Medical School accepts A Level resits for medicine though applicants may only re-sit one of either Year 12 or Year 13.
Where A-levels have been attempted in Year 13, applicants are expected to have obtained a minimum of grade ABB at the first sitting for the re-sit grades to be considered.
All re-sitting applicants are required to achieve Grades A*A*A in the A-level subjects specified above, and the A*A*A is expected to be achieved in the final examinations in one of the dropped subjects at the discretion of the School.
We accept GCSE resits. | |
Yes Newcastle Medical School allows a subject to be repeated once for applications to the A100 Medicine programme. We allow a subject to be repeated once. If a subject is being undertaken for a second time after further study the expectation is of a higher level of performance, for example for a standard home student the grade requirement will increase by one grade e.g. A to A*. | |
Yes
Newcastle Medical School allows a subject to be repeated once for applications to the A100 Medicine programme.
Resit applicants will be expected to achieve at least one A* in the subject or subjects they are resitting, to compensate for the additional time spent studying.
Applicants studying A levels over more than two years will fall under our resit policy and must achieve at least one A* in the subject or subjects they are resitting, to compensate for the additional time spent studying. | |
Yes Nottingham Medical School considers up to two A Level resits for medicine if the applicant has completed A Levels in the past 12 months, already obtained at least ABB including an A in Biology or Chemistry, and achieves AAA including Biology and Chemistry after the resit. | |
Only in mitigating circumstances Oxford Medical School generally requires all conditional offer requirements for medicine to be met in a single examination sitting. Resits are only considered when serious circumstances beyond the applicant’s control can be evidenced, and all qualifications would need to be retaken. | |
Yes Plymouth Medical School accepts A Level resits for medicine if ABB was achieved at the first sitting. Where ABB was not achieved, resits must be completed and the required grades achieved before applying. All qualifications must be completed within three years. IB resit policy: A minimum of 34 points overall with Higher Level 5 in Biology and Higher Level 5 in another science must be achieved on first sitting.
The resit policy for Widening Participation students is ABC. | |
Yes - if you applied the first time Queen’s University Belfast accepts A Level resits for medicine only if the applicant applied at their first attempt and held a conditional firm offer. Applicants must have achieved at least AAB plus an A at AS Level at the first attempt, and the resit offer is currently AAA plus an A in a fourth AS Level. Normally only those who had applied to study Medicine at Queen’s at the first attempt and held an offer (if made) as their conditional firm (CF) choice are considered. In addition they must have achieved AAB+a at first attempt. The offer for repeat candidates is currently AAA at A-level plus A in a fourth ASlevel. It is necessary for candidates repeating to retake all components of AS and A2 modules associated with the subject being repeated and the marks in these will be counted in determining if the applicant has fulfilled the conditions of their offer (if made). Only two attempts at A-levels are allowed. | |
Yes Sheffield Medical School accepts A Level resits for applications to study medicine. | |
Yes Southampton Medical School allows one resit per A Level subject for up to three subjects for medicine A100 applications. They have no restrictions on GCSE re-sits. | |
No St Andrews Medical School does not normally consider applicants who have retaken A Levels for entry to medicine. Re-sitting GCSEs (or equivalent) is allowed if the purpose is to meet a specific subject requirement. For example, GCSE English at grade C could be re-taken to achieve Grade B. | |
Yes St George’s Medical School accepts A Level resits for the A100 Medicine programme, provided they are completed within one sitting across a maximum of two years. | |
St Mary's Twickenham | Only in mitigating circumstances St Mary’s University considers A Level resits for medicine only in exceptional circumstances, supported by strong documentary evidence and aligned with the relevant qualification body’s special consideration process. |
Yes Sunderland Medical School accepts A Level resits for medicine under certain conditions.
| |
Not Applicable The University of Surrey offers the A101 Graduate Entry Medicine programme and does not score A Levels for entry. | |
Yes Swansea Medical School accepts A Level resits for medicine where an applicant has been awarded AAB and is resitting the B grade subject. | |
Only in mitigating circumstances UCL Medical School considers A Level resits for medicine only in exceptional circumstances with strong supporting evidence, in line with their special consideration process. | |
Yes UCLan Medical School accepts A Level resits for medicine if all resit exams are taken in the same academic year, with only one attempt permitted for the same A2 subject. | |
Only in special circumstances (graduate entry) | |
Only in mitigating circumstances Worcester Medical School accepts A Level resits for medicine where there are extenuating circumstances. |
How Resits Affect Your Medical School Application
Increased Competition
When applying to study medicine in the UK as a resit applicant for the A100 Medicine programme, it is important to understand how medical schools view A Level and GCSE resits. Policies vary widely, and your approach should reflect the expectations of each university.
Higher Academic Thresholds
Many UK medical schools set higher A Level grade requirements for resit applicants. This often means improving an A to an A*, or achieving AAA instead of the standard AAA. Schools such as Manchester and Norwich (UEA) require resit applicants to achieve at least one A in their retaken subject to demonstrate improved academic performance.
Requirement for Extenuating Circumstances
At highly competitive medical schools, including Oxford, UCL, Leeds and Cambridge, A Level resits for medicine are generally only considered if you can provide documented extenuating circumstances. These may include serious illness, bereavement or other unavoidable disruptions to your studies. Strong evidence is required and must be submitted before or alongside your UCAS application.
Need for a Stronger Overall Application
If your grades are not your only strength, you may need to compensate with an exceptional UCAT score (we can help with UCAT Tutoring), a powerful medical personal statement, and excellent medicine interview performance.
Increased Competition
If you are resitting A Levels for medicine, you will usually be compared directly against first-time applicants who achieved the required grades in one sitting. Several medical schools - such as King’s College London - explicitly state that first-sit candidates may be viewed more favourably than resit applicants. This makes strong performance in all other areas of your application even more important.
Restriction On the Number of Resits
Some medical schools allow only one subject to be retaken, while others impose time limits on when resits can be taken - for example, within one or two academic years of the original sitting. Schools such as Plymouth, Lincoln and Lancaster have clear rules about the maximum time allowed between first and final attempts.
Strategic Tips for Applying to Medicine With A Level Resits
Choose Universities Wisely - Focus your application on medical schools with clear and open resit policies. Avoid wasting choices on those that rarely accept resit candidates without exceptional circumstances.
Smash the UCAT - A high UCAT score can offset the perceived disadvantage of resitting. Consider our 1:1 UCAT Tutoring or UCAT 1 Day Course for targeted preparation.
Optimise Your Personal Statement - Use your personal statement to demonstrate resilience, reflection, and growth since your first sitting.
Prepare Thoroughly for Interviews - Medical schools will want to see determination and maturity in your answers. Our Medicine Interview 1:1 Tutoring includes mock interviews and feedback tailored to your target universities.
Document Extenuating Circumstances - If applicable, gather official evidence early and ensure your referee includes a clear explanation in your UCAS reference.
Final Thoughts
Resitting your A Levels does not mean the end of your medicine ambitions. With careful planning, strategic university selection, and strong performance in the UCAT, personal statement, and interviews, you can still secure a place at medical school in 2025.
At TheUKCATPeople, we’ve helped many resit applicants gain offers from top medical schools. If you’d like tailored guidance, you can book a free strategy consultation or explore our Ultimate Medicine Application Packages, which include UCAT prep, personal statement support, interview training, and ongoing WhatsApp mentor access.
Read our 5-star reviews on Trustpilot to see how we’ve helped other students in your position succeed.
With thanks to Alekhya Jillellamudi for her contribution to the research for the article.
FAQs – A Level Resits for Medicine in 2025
Which UK medical schools accept A Level resits without restrictions for medicine?
Some UK medical schools, such as Edge Hill Medical School and Exeter Medical School, accept A Level resits for medicine without adding extra entry requirements. However, policies change regularly, so it is essential to check the full 2025 A–Z medical school resit table above before applying.
Do resits affect my chance of getting a medicine interview?
Yes. At certain universities, resit applicants are assessed in direct competition with first-sitting applicants who achieved the required grades in one attempt. This can make interviews harder to secure unless you meet or exceed the required entry profile, including UCAT scores and other selection factors.
Can I resit A Levels and apply to medicine in the same year?
In most cases, yes. Many medical schools will allow you to apply for the A100 Medicine programme in the year you are resitting your A Levels. However, some universities will require that you have already achieved the necessary grades before submitting your application.
How many times can I resit A Levels for medicine?
It depends on the medical school. Some universities allow only one resit per subject, while others require all subjects to be retaken together in one sitting. The table above outlines each school’s specific resit policy for 2025 entry.
Do graduate entry medicine courses consider A Level resits?
Not always. Graduate entry medicine programmes, such as those at Warwick Medical School and Swansea Medical School, do not typically score A Levels as part of their selection process. Instead, these courses focus on your degree and other relevant qualifications - but do check each medical school.
What UCAT score should I aim for if resitting A Levels?
Resit applicants should aim for a UCAT score well above the published cut-off for their target universities. A strong UCAT score can help offset any disadvantage of applying with A Level resits, particularly at competitive medical schools where they may be accepted.
Is it better to take a foundation year or resit A Levels for medicine?
This depends on your individual circumstances. If your first-sitting grades are close to the required level, a resit may be the best option. If they are significantly lower, a foundation year, if you qualify for it, could provide a more structured route into medicine and is accepted by certain universities.
Can international students resit A Levels to apply for UK medicine?
Yes. International students can resit A Levels to apply for UK medicine, but the same resit restrictions and grade thresholds apply as for UK-based applicants. Always confirm the exact requirements with your chosen universities, and this can be tricky as it is already a difficult application.
Do medical schools accept resits in chemistry or biology only?
Some universities allow applicants to resit a single science subject, such as chemistry or biology, provided the other subjects already meet the entry requirements. Others will require all subjects to be retaken in one sitting.
Do I need to resit all subjects or only the ones I missed the grade in?
This varies between universities. Some require all A Level subjects to be retaken if they insist on one sitting for entry requirements, while others allow targeted resits for individual subjects where grades were missed.
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