Medical school (United Kingdom)

In the United Kingdom, medical school generally refers to a department within a university which is involved in the education of future medical practitioners. All leading British medical schools are state-funded and their core purpose is to train doctors on behalf of the National Health Service. Courses generally last five or six years: two years of pre-clinical training in an academic environment and three years clinical training at a teaching hospital and in community settings. Medical schools and teaching hospitals are closely integrated. The course of study is extended to six years if an intercalated degree is taken in a related subject.

In the United Kingdom students generally begin medical school after secondary education. This contrasts with the US and Canadian (outside Quebec) systems, where a bachelor's degree is required for entry to medical school. Entry to British medical schools is very competitive.

Applications for entry into medical school (in common with other university courses) are made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). UCAS allows four applications per applicant for medicine, as opposed to the usual five. The remaining one can either be left blank, or be used to apply for a non-medical course.

Most UK medical schools now also require applicants to sit additional entrance tests such as the United Kingdom Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) (required by 26 universities) and the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) (required by 5 universities).

The number of available medical school places had risen by 3,500 since 1998. There are national quotas imposed on the number of places for students on medicine and dentistry courses in the UK as much of the training needs to occur in a healthcare setting. In 2016, places at medical school were offered through the clearing process for the first time, with St George's, University of London opening up places on its five-year medical degree undergraduate course.

The UCAS personal statement gives applicants the opportunity to write about why they are suitable for medicine. Personal statements are reviewed by university admission boards and applicants scoring highly in tests and with a good personal statement will be called to interview.

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