Choosing a medical school and funding

You will need to choose which courses to apply for quite early. In the UK, you can apply for FOUR courses via the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), and you can apply for a mix of four-year and five-year courses.

The deadline for UCAS applications for medicine is 15 October each year. This is earlier than the general degree deadline as all medical courses interview their candidates.

There are various factors to consider when deciding which medicine courses to apply for, including finding a course that suits your learning style. We suggest you review the following sites:

What do I need to do and when?

This depends on where you are up to on your current course, and when you wish to begin studying medicine.

Example timeline: I wish to start medicine straight after completing my first three-year undergraduate degree

  • Through year 2 (or penultimate year): Build relevant work experience (or start earlier)
  • End of year 2 (June-Sept): Book your pre-entry tests
  • June – Oct: Open day visits
  • Sept – Nov of final year: Sit your pre-entry tests
  • Sept of final year: Write your personal statement, arrange your reference
  • 15 Oct: UCAS DEADLINE
  • Nov – Mar of final year: Attend interviews


Studying medicine outside the UK

With competition for places at UK medical schools so high some people consider studying outside the UK. Many medicine courses are taught in English, even in non-native English-speaking countries, but you will need to master the native language as your patients won’t necessarily speak English!

Tuition fees in some countries can be significantly lower than in the UK for all students and depending on where you choose to study living costs may also be cheaper.

Where to study?

  • Continental Europe For some countries and courses there are simplified routes to General Medical Council (GMC) registration, this is the case even post-Brexit. This means if you wish to return to the UK to work as a doctor there is a way to do it.
  • USA You can only study medicine as a postgraduate degree in the US. You will need to provide a transcript of your undergraduate degree for admissions departments to assess whether your course is eligible. Typically, you would need substantial amounts of Biology and Chemistry, but some providers expect to see Humanities units too. If you plan to return to the UK, you will need to sit further exams to be registered by the GMC.
  • Canada offers very few places for international candidates, with many medical schools not accepting international applications at all. Courses will be taught in English or French.
  • Australia offers both 5-year undergraduate and 4-year graduate-entry courses, like the UK. Courses are open to international applications, but the course fees are double those a UK student would pay to study medicine in the UK.
  • New Zealand has two medical schools that offer 4-year graduate routes to Medicine (the standard route is 6 years). Fees are double those a UK student would pay to study medicine in the UK.

Can I work in the UK after the course?

Research carefully how easy it would be to return to the UK to work if that is your intention.

  • Is the course recognised by the GMC? If it is on their list, it is currently recognised BUT things can change.
  • Do graduates of that medical school manage to secure clinical roles in the UK? Use the alumni function on LinkedIn, consider contacting these alumni and asking them about their experiences. Using LinkedIn
  • Can you apply to do the two-year UK Foundation Training or must you complete this in the country of study? Completing UK Foundation Training enables you to gain full GMC registration (year 1) and then qualify for NHS specialty training (year 2).

Can I work in the country of study after the course?

If you plan to stay in the country in which you study, you must check local immigration rules to see if you will be eligible to live and work once your student visa has expired.

Funding your medicine degree

Funding to study medicine as a second degree depends on two critical factors. These are summarised below and explained in more detail on the BMA website.

1. The length of course you apply to

  • With the four-year accelerated programme, for eligible students* there is typically significantly more funding available (from Student Finance England or the NHS). In England and Wales there are bursaries or funding to cover most of your costs, for eligible students*. In Scotland, funding is different for second degrees and the most cost-effective route is via the ScotGEM accelerated programme .
  • If applying to a five-year ‘undergraduate’ programme, eligible students* may have access to a Student Finance means-tested maintenance loan but there is no funding for tuition fees (until year 5 when there may be an NHS bursary).

*eligibility is largely related to point 2 - your usual country of residence.

For a breakdown of the fees for studying medicine as a second degree, the Royal Medical Benevolent Fund (RMBF) has some clear explanations for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The RMBF also offer hardship funds to those in economic difficulties while studying medicine.

2. Your usual country of residence

The funding you can access is dependent on your usual country of residence.

UK residents / ‘home’ students

In the case of UK residents, this means whether you usually live / study in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland as funding is offered differently in the four nations of the UK depending on your usual residence address.

European Union residents

If you applied to begin studies in the UK for the first time after Jan 2021 then you will be considered as an ‘overseas’ student (see below) and pay significantly higher fees, usually without access to any UK-based funding (Institutional bursaries may still be available).

If you have completed your first degree in the UK, have settled or pre-settled status and providing you meet key criteria the UK Government Student Finance will consider you as a ‘home’ student for the purpose of fees and access to loans.

International residents / ‘overseas’ students

As an international candidate, the available Medical School places are limited due to a UK Government capping policy.

Funding is limited and you can expect to self-fund the majority (if not all) of your tuition fees and living expenses. Institutional bursaries may be available.