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Application Guide 2024:
Graduate Entry Medicine
Ultimate Guide To Graduate Entry Medicine 2024
Medicine Admissions Expert
Introduction
Thinking of applying to graduate-entry medicine, but unsure how to apply, what its requirements are, key dates, and how to boost your application? Find out everything you need about succeeding in your graduate entry medicine GEM application in 2024.
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What is Graduate Entry Medicine?
UK graduate entry medicine, often known as ‘grad med’, allows postgraduates who have studied other degrees to study post-grad medicine.
As a UK graduate medical student, you have access to various courses ranging from spots on standard 5-6 year medicine courses to dedicated 4-year accelerated GEM courses.
This article gives you all the information that you need to know, including where you can study GEM, what you need to study GEM, how to apply for it and how much it costs.
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Which universities offer graduate entry medicine?
Various universities offer GEM programs in the UK, so you’ll want to look at deciding which ones to apply to based on factors such as their admissions criteria, proximity to home and UK medicine rankings.
For more help with making this decision, check out our dedicated guide to choosing a medical school or our guides to each individual medical school. There are many in different regions - in particular, London graduate entry medicine is very popular.
The following universities offer GEM courses in 2024:
Barts: 39 spots for students with science or non-science degrees.
Birmingham: Not recruiting for 2024 entry, but may recruit again in future years.
Cambridge: 39 spots for students with non-science or science degrees
Cardiff: Places only available for students on a Feeder Stream course
Chester: Currently only available to international students with science or non-science degrees.
Dundee/St Andrews - ScotGEM (Scotland Graduate Entry Medicine): 55 spots for students with science or non-science degrees.
Imperial College London: The course is currently suspended for curriculum updates.
King’s College London: 28 spots for students with science degrees.
Liverpool: 29 spots for students with science degrees.
Newcastle: 25 spots for students with science or non-science degrees.
Nottingham: 93 spots for students with science or non-science degrees.
Oxford: 30 spots for students with science degrees.
Sheffield: 15 spots for students from Widening Participation backgrounds with science or non-science degrees.
Southampton: 48 spots for students with science or non-science degrees.
St George’s: 70 spots for students with science or non-science degrees.
Swansea: 100 spots for students with science or non-science degrees.
Worcester: Currently only available to international students with science or non-science degrees.
Warwick: 193 spots for students with science or non-science degrees.
Of course, there are also opportunities for graduate students to study medicine across the globe, for instance, graduate entry medicine in Europe.
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What are the Graduate Entry Medicine requirements?
Requirements for graduate entry medicine vary per medical school.
Requirements for graduate entry medicine do vary depending on which medical school you are applying to, so you should check with each one.
However, it is important to consider that many of these programs do not have A-level requirements so you can study graduate entry medicine even with bad A-levels - your first degree is a more relevant academic criterion for universities to use when assessing you.
It is also possible to study graduate entry medicine with a non-science degree. Check out the list of universities above for details on which universities are most likely to accept candidates without a science degree.
Whether you’ve studied Chemistry or Italian, there are spots available to you for UK postgraduate medicine.
Generally, you will need:
At least a 2:1 degree, ideally a 1st class degree
To sit the GAMSAT, UCAT or MCAT admissions test and perform well
Some strong references from people whom you trust
A well-written and interesting personal statement
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What are the admissions tests for graduate entry medicine?
Postgraduate entry into medicine will generally require you to sit at least one admissions test. Different universities require different tests, as outlined below.
Barts: Requires the UCAT
Birmingham: Requires the UCAT
Cambridge: Requires UCAT (as of 2024, 2025 Entry)
Cardiff: Requires the GAMSAT
Chester: Requires the UCAT
Dundee/St Andrews - ScotGEM: Requires the GAMSAT
Imperial College London: Requires UCAT (as of 2024, 2025 Entry)
King’s College London: Requires the UCAT
Liverpool: Requires the GAMSAT
Newcastle: Requires the UCAT
Nottingham: Requires the GAMSAT
Oxford: Requires UCAT (as of 2024, 2025 Entry)
Sheffield: Requires the UCAT
Southampton: Requires the UCAT
St George’s: Requires the GAMSAT
Swansea: Requires the GAMSAT for UK applicants, and GAMSAT or MCAT for international applicants
Worcester: Requires the UCAT, GAMSAT or MCAT
Warwick: Requires the UCAT
Find out more about how universities use the UCAT here.
The UCAT requires no prior knowledge beyond basic maths skills and is an extremely time-pressured multiple-choice exam.
The GAMSAT is a day-long test divided into three sections: reasoning in humanities and social sciences; written communication, and reasoning in biological and physical sciences.
You should consider which suits your strengths more, and which is relevant to the universities that interest you more.
For help with these exams, get in touch with our expert tutoring team and check out the guides on our website.
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How do I apply for GEM?
As with undergraduate medicine, GEM must be applied to through UCAS (the Universities & Colleges Admissions Service). UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) is the centralised body that manages all higher education applications in the UK.
Your UCAS graduate entry medicine application is then sent to all universities to which you are applying, so you don’t need to worry about applying to each of them individually.
The Medicine timeline is slightly different from other subjects, and the UCAS Medicine deadline is mid-October each year.
Check out our UCAS guide for information on how the process works and what the associated costs are.
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What is ScotGEM?
ScotGEM is a unique four-year program run by the University of Dundee and the University of Aberdeen in collaboration.
Students will spend their first two years under St Andrews, before concluding their education with two years led by Aberdeen.
Students are based in St Andrews in first year but move around a lot afterwards.
Much time is spent in rural areas of the Highlands and Dumfries and Galloway, so students must be prepared for this unique situation to take full advantage of the opportunity offered here.
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How does funding work for GEM (four-year accelerated)?
Many people have a misconception that GEM students must self-fund their entire university careers, however, this is far from the truth.
In fact, various graduate entry medicine funding schemes are available to you.
In year 1, your tuition fee will be £9,250 per year. You are responsible for paying just £3,465 of this per year to the University. Some will expect this fee paid upfront, whilst others have schemes available for termly payments or payments in instalments.
Check their individual websites for more information. If you are eligible for a tuition fee loan from Student Finance England, you will also be eligible for a non-means-tested loan for the remainder of the tuition fee.
After your first year, the NHS bursary scheme will pay the first £3,715 towards your education. All of the remaining costs (£5,535) will be covered by a tuition fee loan from Student Finance England. Therefore, your entire education will cost just £3,465 directly.
However, you will of course have to repay your student loans later (though NHS bursaries are non-repayable).
In first year, if you are eligible for student finance then you should be able to take out a £4,422 non-means-tested loan for the costs of living. You may also be eligible for means-tested support from both your university and the government, dependent on household income. If you are above the age of 25, married or have been in full-time employment for at least three years then you are considered an “independent student” and your parents’ household income will not be assessed when determining how much you will have to pay.
In subsequent years, your maintenance loan is reduced to just £2,534. However, you are also eligible for £1,000 of non-means-tested money from the NHS bursary scheme and up to £2,643 of means-tested money (including the initial £1,000) plus £84 for every additional week of education beyond 30.
In Scotland, your tuition fees will be fully funded if you are on the ScotGEM program! Other Scottish students, however, will have to self-fund their tuition fees for the entire course.
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How does funding work for graduate entry students applying for standard medical undergraduate courses?
For your first four years, tuition fees are £9,250 per year.
You will have to pay this directly to the university. Some will expect this fee paid upfront, whilst others have schemes available for termly payments or payments in instalments.
Check their individual websites for more information.
From your fifth year onwards, you will be eligible for the NHS Bursary Scheme for tuition fee support. They will pay your fees in full and you will never have to pay this money back.
For your first four years, you will also be eligible for a full maintenance loan from Student Finance England. The amount that you can receive will vary depending on your circumstances and where you are living.
If you are above the age of 25, married or have been in full-time employment for at least three years then you are considered an “independent student” and your parents’ household income will not be assessed when determining how much you will have to pay.
In fifth year and beyond, the NHS Bursary Scheme will provide you with £1,000 to cover the costs of living. This is non-means tested and non-repayable. You could also receive up to £3,191 of means-tested money (including the initial £1,000) plus £108 for every additional week of education beyond 30.
Scottish students will only have to pay £1,820 per year of tuition fees for their first four years if they study in Scotland. If they study in England or Wales, they will have to pay the full amount.
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Transferring Into Medicine From Another Career
Becoming a doctor later in life in the UK can be done in various different ways. One of the most appealing for many candidates is transferring into Medicine from a different degree, as very little additional time in university is required.
These can provide pathways to studying medicine from various courses, such as UK nursing to medicine or pharmacist to doctor conversions as well as for biochemists or biomedical scientists into graduate entry medicine.
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Is it possible to transfer into medicine?
In short - yes!
No fewer than 12 universities in the UK have schemes which allow you to transfer into medicine. However, all of these are extremely competitive because candidates who miss out on medicine often study at these universities intending to transfer.
As such, you should make sure that you aren’t just going to these universities because there is a possibility of transferring. You may be stuck in the course that you select, so it should also be something that you are genuinely passionate about and want to study.
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Which universities have transfer to medicine graduate entry schemes?
The following universities have schemes that may allow you to transfer into medicine. Make sure to research each one fully by looking at their websites.
Students who perform exceptionally in the first year of BSc Medical Science, BSc Biomedical Science and BOptom Optometry can apply to transfer to Medicine. Last year, 7 of 52 applicants were successful. Requirements include a strong UCAT score, appropriate GCSEs, a 75% average across first year and no less than 65% in any one module.
Bradford University
This scheme is aimed at widening participation students. After completing one year of a Foundation in Clinical Sciences/Medicine course or BSc Clinical Sciences at Bradford, students can apply to transfer to study medicine at Sheffield University. They need to meet at least two widening participation criteria, meet their UCAT threshold, and average 70% in first year, including 70% in Chemistry and no failed assessments.
Brighton and Sussex Medical School guarantees interviews for well-performing Biomedical, Biological and Pharmacy students from Brighton University. They have schemes available for students after first and third year.
Cardiff reserves some places for students in third year of a recognised feeder stream: BSc (Hons) Medical Pharmacology degree, Cardiff University; BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences degree, Cardiff University; BSc (Hons) Medical Sciences degree, University of South Wales; BMedSci (Hons) Medical Sciences degree, Bangor University. Students transfer into the second year of their five-year medicine program.
Final-year BSc Medical Sciences and BSc Neuroscience students can apply to medicine and will be shortlisted for interview if they are predicted to receive a 2:1 or 1st class degree, and haven’t experienced “significant issues” during their time at Exeter.
Leicester’s scheme is available to those who have finished a year of BSc in Biological Sciences, Medical Biochemistry, Medical Genetics, Medical Physiology, or Medical Microbiology. This is highly competitive and not guaranteed. Additionally, strong A-Levels and first-year university grades are required as well as good performance in the UCAT and a strong personal statement.
Approximately 10 students can transfer into medicine each year if they have performed exceptionally in degree within the School of Biological Sciences. Unfortunately, details of this scheme are only made available internally to eligible students so we do not have more information.
Newcastle makes up to 7 places each year available to students registered at the Faculty of Medical Sciences on Biomedical or Biomolecular Sciences programs. They can apply to transfer to stage 1 of Medicine after completing stage 1 of Biomedical Sciences.
Plymouth makes 5 spaces available each year for students to transfer from Biomedical Science to Medicine or Dentistry after year 1 is completed. This is, however, extremely competitive.
Queen Mary, University of London
QMU collates a list of students on the Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience, and Pharmacology and Innovative Therapeutics programmes. The top 19 highest-ranked on this joint list are guaranteed an interview for the 5-year Medicine program at Barts. This ranking is based on academic scores (50%) and UCAT score (50%). Of these, the top 5 will be considered for the accelerated four-year Graduate Entry programme.
Students studying BSc Biomedical Sciences at St George’s can apply for their Clinical Transfer programme. 25 students can fast-track to Year 2 of the accelerated 4-year GEM programme upon completion of their Biomedical Sciences degree. These spots are contingent on academic performance during students’ degrees and success at an MMI interview.
Biomedical Science or Medical Neuroscience students at this university are guaranteed an interview at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. They can apply in first or third year, with different criteria for each.
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What are my other options?
Mature student entry to medicine can take various forms. If you don’t manage to transfer out of your degree into medicine then you can become a doctor with a biomedical science degree, you can get into medicine with a nursing degree and you can study medicine with almost any other degree.
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How can I get help with applying for GEM?
For assistance with your application to GEM, get in touch with our team of expert tutors who can help you with every stage of your application. Additionally, check out our guides to the GAMSAT!
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