MBChB Medicine

You will not be eligible if you have just started or are midway through a degree in the academic year in which you apply.

You cannot apply for deferred entry for this programme, unless you are doing National Service in your home country. In this case, we can consider a deferral of one year only.

All examination grades must be obtained at the first attempt of each subject. If you are applying with resit qualifications, you will not be entered into the selection system except in very exceptional circumstances, for which you must have provided verified evidence prior to UCAS application.

We welcome applications for graduate entry to first year. We require a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, with a preference for a medical related subject, for example: Biomedical Sciences, Medical Sciences, Nursing or Paramedic Science. However we will also consider applicants with a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in other science subjects (Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics) and those with non-science subjects who also have an SQA Higher, A level, or equivalent, in Chemistry at B.

Graduates applying for our undergraduate medicine degree do not qualify for any additional consideration under our widening access offer policy unless they are care-experienced or have asylum seeker/refugee status.

No special concessions are made for mature, non-graduate applicants. There is high competition for places, which means all applicants must have achieved the same academic requirements as school-leaving applicants within the three-year period prior to the programme start date.

If you are using an English language test that is not part of your school studies to meet our English language requirements, you should aim to provide these results by 30 June 2027.

Meeting the entry requirements does not guarantee the offer of a place. Entrance to the Medical School is extremely competitive, and each application is assessed independently by two members of admissions staff against the academic criteria.

We will only assess the first attempt you make at an official examination in a required subject. If you retake the same subject in a different qualification, we will not consider this.

For example, if you take one single AP examination in Chemistry, but then go on to study the International Baccalaureate (IB) including Higher Level Chemistry, we will only assess your AP Chemistry as it was your first attempt in a required subject.

This assessment is then added to the weightings applied to your Situational Judgement Test and total UCAT score. We then rank applications in order.

We invite the top-scoring 800 applicants (approximately) to attend an assessment day (interview) either at Edinburgh Medical School or online.

We make offers soon after the final assessment day. As a result of the level of competition for places, many high-quality applicants are unsuccessful. We inform some unsuccessful applicants (those with low selection scores) on an ongoing basis throughout the selection process of their status.

As we review the selection process regularly, check the Edinburgh Medical School website before you apply to ensure you have the most up-to-date information.

If you are an international applicant you must pay a deposit to secure your place.

If we give you an offer, you will need to join Disclosure Scotland's Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme before you start this degree programme.

Detailed entry requirements, including typical offer levels, and information about other qualifications we accept, are available on the University of Edinburgh’s website. You’ll also find important information on how to apply.

You must submit a fully completed UCAS application that includes details of the qualifications you are taking, including full predicted grades for qualifications not yet completed, your personal statement and your reference. Applications with these details missing will not be considered. https://study.ed.ac.uk/programmes/undergraduate/2027/354-mbchb-medicine-6-year-programme?utm_source=ucas&utm_medium=programme&utm_campaign=ug_institution_profiles&utm_content=listing

Health Checks

The University has a responsibility to ensure that students enrolled on a degree that involves practical training in a clinical environment, and that leads to a professional registerable qualification, are fit to practise. This is assessed according to the requirements and standards of the profession the student wishes to enter. In accordance with Department of Health guidelines, students being admitted to the MBChB need to undergo viral screening for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C and be immunised against hepatitis B. This is part of the induction process for the MBChB. Applicants holding places in these degrees will receive further information. A positive result in any test will not necessarily preclude entry to the MBChB. It is the responsibility of each individual to ensure they familiarise themselves with the most recent vaccination requirements. Read the General Medical Council's guidance on Good Medical Practice, particularly section 29: https://www.gmc-uk.org/ethical-guidance/ethical-guidance-for-doctors/good-medical-practice All medical graduates must complete a period of further training, normally in a hospital environment. The Medical Teaching Organisation is required to ensure all applicants have the physical capability to fulfil the responsibilities of such posts effectively and safely. If you have a disability or other health problems, we encourage you to seek advice from the Undergraduate Admissions Office before applying. Further information about fitness to train is available on the Higher Education Occupational Physicians/Practitioners website. http://www.heops.org.uk/

Interview

We invite top-scoring applicants to attend a half-day assessment day (interview). The structure of the day is based on a consultation of clinicians and teachers in the medical school about the most important attributes we seek in our medical students. We will provide you with more information about the assessment day if you are invited to attend.

Other

You need to ensure that you are fit enough to participate in the practical applications and physical activities of this programme. Please read the guidance on the standards of medical fitness to train. If you intend to apply, you may wish to reach out to our Student Disability Service or contact our Medicine Admissions Team if you think anything might affect your fitness to practise ability. You must however declare to the Medicine Admissions Team any other potential barriers that may affect your fitness to practise ability. This might include (but is not restricted to) if you: • have previous or current civil or criminal legal proceedings • are, or have been, subject to disciplinary procedures connected to prior academic studies or employment • have previously been the subject of Fitness to Practise procedures in any context and any such disclosure may lead to appropriate investigation processes If you are unsure about whether you should make a declaration, contact the medical admissions team. If you do not disclose a matter that could reasonably be considered to be of relevance to your future fitness to practise at the time of admission, this may be detrimental and impact your fitness to practise.

University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT)

You must sit the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) within the same year of submitting a UCAS application. We require that you meet a minimum UCAT score as part of our entry requirements unless you are a Plus Flag widening access applicant. For UCAT deadlines and testing dates, refer to the UCAT website. We also consider the Situational Judgement section of the UCAT test separately. If you score a Band 4 in the Situational Judgement section of the UCAT test, you will not be considered for entry. We will only consider an exemption from sitting the UCAT in very exceptional circumstances, and where you have agreed this with the Medicine Admissions Team by 15 July 2026. We will not consider applications without UCAT if we have not already agreed to the exemption.

The University of Edinburgh welcomes students from the UK and all over the world. We accept a wide range of qualifications and our policies support students with diverse backgrounds and experience. UCAS entry grade data is currently not available for our degrees but we publish admissions statistics on our website. We also provide information on widening access offers and entry requirements.