Medical School in The United Kingdom - Graduate Entry Programmes

Graduate Entry Programmes

Recently several four year graduate entry schemes have been introduced in some English and Welsh medical schools which cover a similar range and depth of knowledge to the undergraduate scheme but at a more intensive pace. The accelerated pace is largely in the pre-clinical phase of the medical programme, with the GMC mandating a minimum number of clinical hours in the clinical phase of medical degrees.

These courses have a limited number of spaces and include some funding after the first year, so competition is very high. Some sources report in the region of 60 applicants for each place as these courses have become more widely known. Until relatively recently, people over thirty were strongly discouraged from applying. Entrance to these programmes usually involves sitting a competitive selection test. The most common entry examinations are the GAMSAT (Graduate Australian Medical Schools Admissions Test or MSAT (Medical Schools Admissions Test). Some schools may use existing entrance examinations that school leavers are also usually required to take e.g. UKCAT or BMAT (see above).

The admissions criteria for these graduate entry programmes vary between universities - some universities require the applicant's first degree to be in a science-related discipline, whereas others will accept a degree in any subject as sufficient evidence of academic ability.

The following 16 universities offered four year graduate entry programmes:

• University of Birmingham
• University of Bristol
• University of Cambridge (candidate may offer BMAT)
• Keele University (require GAMSAT)
• King's College London (require UKCAT)
• University of Leicester (require UKCAT)
• University of Liverpool
• Newcastle University (require UKCAT)
• University of Nottingham (require GAMSAT)
• University of Oxford (require UKCAT)
• Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry (require UKCAT)
• University of Southampton (require UKCAT)
• St George's, University of London (require GAMSAT)
• Swansea University (require GAMSAT)
• University of Warwick (require UKCAT)
• Imperial College London (require UKCAT)

However, graduates are free to apply to some of the regular five/six year courses. Indeed, universities offering both graduate entry and school leaver entry courses often encourage applications to one of the two course types, depending on the graduate's educational background.