Receiving a medical school offer or a dental school offer is a huge privilege and will reflect the hard work put into your medical school application.
UCAS can be confusing. In this guide we walk you through what to do once you have received a medical or dental school offer, the difference between firm and insurance choices, conditional versus unconditional offers, the key 2026 reply dates, what happens on results day, and how medical school waitlists and Clearing work. Note that UCAS Track has been retired: everything is now handled in UCAS Hub.
What To Do After You Receive An Offer To Study Medicine Summary:
Conditional vs Unconditional Offers: Types of Medical & Dental School Offer
There are two main types of university offer that you can receive when applying to a UK medical or dental school.
These are conditional and unconditional offers.
What is an Unconditional Medical School Offer?
You may receive an unconditional medical school offer if you:
have already sat your A-level or IB exams, &
have received your exam grades, &
these are above the threshold required for the university you have applied for.
The offer for a place at medical school will also be based on your performance at the interview/MMI and in your UCAT exam.
What Is A Conditional Med School Offer?
A conditional offer is made by a university to a student who is still in the process of completing their qualifications (usually A Levels or IB) at the time of their application.
This is the most common type of medical school offer given out.
It will detail a set of minimum grades required for you to be accepted onto the course.
You generally need to get these grades in order to start at that university in the autumn term, however, some medical and dental schools are occasionally lenient if you have slipped a grade.
What Is A Medical School Waitlist In The UK?
Different universities use different language for the same idea. You may be told you are on a waiting list, a reserve list, or that your application is being held. In each case you have not been rejected, and a place may be released to you if an offer holder declines, misses their grades, or withdraws.
How Do Medical School Waiting Lists Actually Work?
There is no single national system: each medical school runs its own reserve list. Movement usually happens in two waves: a first round when applicants finalise their firm and insurance choices in late spring, and a larger round just after results day in August when offer holders who miss their grades free up places. If you are offered a place from a waiting list, you typically have a short window (sometimes only 24 to 48 hours) to accept, so keep an eye on your email and UCAS Hub.
If you are still waiting, it is sensible to have a backup plan in place, whether that is a strong insurance choice, a gap year and reapplication, or considering Clearing on results day.
Waitlisting is becoming more and more popular each year.
Being placed on a medical school waitlist or a dental school waitlist means you’re still in the running for a spot, even if you haven't been given a direct offer. It at least means you have not been rejected.
This approach is particularly useful for medical schools because it helps them balance their intake more accurately and avoid going into Clearing, which medicine and dentistry rarely use because of strict government intake caps.
Whilst there are no publically available medical school waitlist statistics, we have seen that there’s often a fair bit of movement on these waitlists.
Here are some medical schools that have been reported as using reserve or waiting lists in recent admissions cycles (not exhaustive, and lists can change year to year):
How To Accept A Medical School Offer On UCAS (Firm & Insurance)
What Happened To UCAS Adjustment?
UCAS Adjustment was a service that let students who exceeded their conditional firm offer look for an alternative, higher-ranked course without losing their original place. It was scrapped in 2021 because very few applicants used it. So if you are reading older guides that mention swapping up through Adjustment after results day, that option no longer exists. If you do better than expected, your firm place is confirmed and your route to a different school would be Clearing or reapplying.
What If You Miss Your Grades On Results Day?
Missing your offer grades does not automatically mean you have lost your place. On results day your status in UCAS Hub will show as confirmed, unsuccessful, or changed. Some medical and dental schools are occasionally lenient and may still confirm if you have narrowly slipped a grade, particularly if you held a contextual or reduced-grade offer. If your firm choice declines you, your insurance choice may still confirm. If both decline you, you move into Clearing or consider reapplying next cycle.
Deferring Your Place To The Following Year
If you want to take a gap year, you can apply for deferred entry from the outset or, in some cases, request a deferral after you have an offer by contacting the university directly. Not every medical school allows deferral, and some ask for a strong reason, so check each school's policy before you assume it is available. Once a deferral is agreed, you still need to meet your offer conditions in the current results cycle.
After submitting your UCAS application, you can monitor the responses from your chosen universities in UCAS Hub (this replaced the old UCAS Track system in recent cycles, so do not be confused if older guides still mention Track).
When you have received decisions from all of the medical schools you applied to, you can then confirm one firm choice (CF) and, if you wish, one insurance choice (CI). You can only hold one firm and one insurance choice at a time, so you cannot accept multiple medical school offers.
This means that you will be rejecting any other offers that you hold, this includes offers for your 5th choice in a different subject such as biomedical sciences.
1-1 doctor mentoring
Be mentored 1-1 by a doctor
Every question answered, from choosing schools to interview day.
1-1 mentoring from a practising NHS doctor, never a salesperson
Personal statement and interview coaching with expert tutors
Honest, tailored guidance for your target medical schools
Your firm choice should be the offer that you prefer, and the medical school that you would like to attend. This can be based on many different factors including the conditional offer given to you.
Many medical schools offer incentives for applicants who put them as your 'firm' choice. This can be through better access to accommodation, access to scholarships, or even reduced grades for entry.
Your firm choice is usually conditional (often abbreviated to CF, conditional firm), meaning your place is held provided you meet the stated grades. If you already have your results and meet them, it becomes unconditional. Think carefully about teaching style, location and course structure before committing: our guide on how to choose a medical school teaching style can help you compare PBL, CBL and traditional courses.
It is worth bearing this in mind before making your choice.
An Insurance UCAS Choice
Your insurance choice should ideally have a lower offer than your firm choice (though this is not always possible). This should be a “backup” choice for you, but it should still be a university which you wish to attend.
You can choose any university with the same or lower entry requirements as your firm choice as your insurance, but a true backup only works if its grades are realistically lower, otherwise you have no safety net. You do not have to take an insurance choice at all: if your firm offer is your only realistic option, some applicants decline everything else and put all their focus on hitting those grades.
This means that if you don't fulfil the conditions of your firm offer, you are still likely to have a place at medical school through your insurance choice.
UCAS Key Dates 2026: Deadlines For Replying To Medical School Offers
The key UCAS reply dates for 2026 entry are based on when you receive your final decision:
6 May 2026 if you received your last decision on or before 31 March 2026
3 June 2026 if you received your last decision on or before 13 May 2026, and 22 July 2026 if you received your last decision on or before 15 July 2026
These dates describe the deadline for replying to your offers in UCAS Hub. If you do not reply by your deadline, UCAS will usually decline your offers automatically, so check your personalised reply date in the Hub. A-level results day in 2026 is Thursday 13 August (Scottish results are released earlier, on Tuesday 4 August).
What Should You Do Once You Receive Your Medical School Offers?
Step 1: Attend An Offer Holder Day
This is optional, but attending an offer holder day allows you to gain a deeper insight into the medical course at your chosen university, view the campus facilities and gauge the atmosphere and support services available.
This is one of the most productive methods of researching the universities for which you have offers.
Some things to consider at a university offer holder day include:
The location of the student accommodation in relation to the medical school
The prices on campus
The study spaces on campus
Step 2: Revisit Your Choice Medical Schools
Revisiting your choice of universities outside of an offer holder day may provide extra benefits.
Visiting on a regular day will allow you to see the university in its everyday state, giving you a more realistic glimpse of what life is like on campus without the special preparations which are made for offer holder days.
Speaking to current students on the course and at the university in which you’re interested can provide vital insight in the form of first-hand experiences of the curriculum, teaching methods, workload and student satisfaction.
These are all factors which are difficult to ascertain from brochures and university material.
Students can also provide you with a realistic idea of the types of challenges faced by students at the university, from financial to social and academic.
Step 4: Consider What Course Style Is Best For You
There are several different styles of medical school teaching, and it’s important to decide which you feel you would be most suited to, before choosing your firm and insurance universities.
From Problem-Based Learning (PBL) to traditional lecture courses, it’s important to find a course which you feel suits your learning style best and will give you the best opportunity to succeed.
Step 6: Join Your University Admission Group Chats
Joining group chats for the university that you’ve confirmed can be a useful tool to connect with your potential coursemates and ease the transition to university.
They can also be an invaluable resource for sharing information about the university, such as important darts, accommodation and course materials.
Be wary that sometimes there can be a lot of scaremongering on these chats - so please do be careful.
As soon as you've accepted your firm and insurance university choices, it's worth taking a look at their accommodation pages to check when you can apply for accommodation.
Some medical schools allow you to apply as soon as you've accepted their offer, whereas others will have a central date when their accommodation portal will open to applications.
Step 8: Maximise Your A-Level Grades
Once you've finalised your offers, it's time to focus on achieving them. It's vital that the distraction of a medical school offer doesn't compromise your revision for your A-Level examinations.
Remember that your place to study medicine is only secure when you've achieved your offer grades.
Can You Change Your Firm & Insurance Universities After Accepting An Offer?
Clearing For Medicine & Dentistry: Does It Ever Happen?
Clearing is the system that matches applicants who do not hold a confirmed place to courses that still have vacancies. For 2026 entry, Clearing opens alongside A-level results day on Thursday 13 August 2026. For medicine and dentistry, Clearing places are genuinely rare because the number of UK medicine places is capped by the government, so most schools fill their seats well before results day.
That said, a small number of places do occasionally appear, usually for home students, and they can disappear within hours. If you are aiming for a Clearing place in medicine, prepare in advance: have your UCAS Clearing number ready, a shortlist of schools to call, and a concise pitch about your grades, UCAT and motivation. If nothing comes up, do not panic. Many successful doctors reapplied the following year.
If you have accepted an offer but changed your mind within 14 days, you can contact UCAS, who may be able to authorise this swap for you through UCAS Hub.
If more than 14 days have passed since accepting your offer, you should still contact UCAS, however there is a chance that you will not be able to change your choices. This is because your decisions will have been sent to the relevant universities and a commitment will have been agreed.
Once the cycle closes for swaps in the summer, you will be unable to change any offer replies, so make your firm and insurance choices carefully.
From 1-1 tutoring and personal statement editing to interview coaching and our all-in-one Ultimate Package, we support every stage. Tell us what you are working towards and we will recommend the right option.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
How do you accept a medical school offer on UCAS?
Wait until you have decisions from all the medical schools you applied to, then log in to UCAS Hub. Select one offer as your firm (CF) choice and, if you want a backup, one as your insurance (CI) choice. Declining the rest happens automatically when you confirm. You must reply by your personalised deadline, which UCAS Hub displays for you.
Can you get an unconditional offer for medicine?
Unconditional offers for medicine are uncommon but possible. You may receive one if you have already sat your A-levels or IB and achieved grades above the school's threshold, and you have met the UCAT and interview requirements. Most medicine offers are conditional because the majority of applicants apply before they have their final exam results.
What is the difference between a conditional and unconditional offer?
A conditional offer means your place depends on meeting set requirements, usually specific A-level or IB grades, by results day. An unconditional offer means you have already met every academic condition and your place is secure regardless of future results. Conditional offers are by far the most common type given out by UK medical and dental schools.
What are the UCAS reply deadlines for 2026 entry?
Your deadline depends on when you receive your final decision. For 2026 entry, reply by 6 May 2026 if your last decision arrived by 31 March, by 3 June 2026 if it arrived by 13 May, and by 22 July 2026 if it arrived by 15 July. Always check your exact personalised date in UCAS Hub.
How long does it take for medical schools to reply to your application?
There is no fixed timeline. Some medical schools respond within a few weeks of interview, while others hold decisions until later in the cycle, sometimes into spring. Many medicine applicants do not hear final outcomes until March or later. If you have not heard, it usually means a decision is still pending rather than a rejection.
What is a medical school waitlist or reserve list?
A waitlist (or reserve list) means you have not been given a direct offer but have not been rejected either. If offer holders decline their place, miss their grades, or withdraw, a place may be released to you. Movement is common, especially after applicants finalise choices in spring and again just after results day in August.
How long do you have to accept a medical school offer once it is released from a waitlist?
Waitlist windows can be very short, sometimes only 24 to 48 hours. Universities often release places quickly to fill them before term starts, so if you are on a reserve list, monitor your email and UCAS Hub closely during spring and immediately after results day so you do not miss your chance to respond.
Can you accept multiple medical school offers on UCAS?
No. UCAS only allows you to hold one firm choice and one insurance choice at a time. When you confirm your firm and insurance selections, all your other offers are automatically declined. You cannot keep several medical school offers open as a safety net beyond this firm-plus-insurance structure.
How do you choose between your firm and insurance choices?
Make your firm choice the school you most want to attend and where you are confident of meeting the conditions. Your insurance should ideally have lower entry requirements so it acts as a genuine backup. Consider teaching style, location and support, not just the grades, since you may end up studying there for five or six years.
Is there Clearing for medicine and dentistry?
Clearing exists for medicine and dentistry but places are genuinely rare because UK medicine places are capped by the government. For 2026 entry, Clearing opens on 13 August 2026. A handful of places, usually for home students, can appear and disappear within hours. Prepare your UCAS Clearing number, a shortlist and a concise pitch in advance.
What happens if you miss your grades for medical school?
Missing your grades does not automatically end your application. Some medical and dental schools are lenient if you narrowly slip, especially with contextual or reduced-grade offers, and may still confirm. If your firm choice declines you, your insurance may confirm instead. If both decline, you move into Clearing or consider reapplying the following cycle.
What was UCAS Adjustment and does it still exist?
UCAS Adjustment let students who exceeded their firm offer look for a higher-ranked course without losing their place. It was scrapped in 2021 because very few applicants used it. It no longer exists, so if you exceed your grades, your firm place is confirmed and any move to a different school would have to go through Clearing or reapplication.
What is UCAS Extra and when can I use it?
UCAS Extra is for applicants who have used all five choices and either hold no offers or have declined all of them. It lets you add one extra choice at a time, free of charge, between late February and early July. For medicine, Extra options are limited because most courses fill early, but some applicants use it for related courses or remaining vacancies.
Can you defer your medical school place to the following year?
Often yes, but not always. You can apply for deferred entry from the start, or sometimes request a deferral after receiving an offer by contacting the university directly. Not all medical schools allow deferral and some require a strong reason, so check each school's policy. You still need to meet your offer conditions in the current results cycle.
When will I receive offers and decisions from medical schools?
Decisions arrive across the cycle rather than on a single date. After interviews in winter and early spring, schools confirm outcomes at different times, with many medicine decisions landing between February and spring. UCAS Hub shows each decision as it comes in, and you only reply once every school has given you a final answer.
Do I have to firm a medical school straight away when I get an offer?
No. You should wait until you have heard back from all five of your choices before confirming your firm and insurance. UCAS gives you a personalised reply deadline based on when your last decision arrives, so there is no benefit to firming early, and waiting lets you compare all your options properly before committing.
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
S
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
D
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
A
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
C
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.”
