Medicine

Studying Medicine at Cambridge

UCAS Code: A100
How many are admitted to Cambridge every year: 273
Typical offer: A*A*A at A Level, 41-42 points at IB with 776 at Higher Level
Essential subjects: A Level Chemistry and at least 2 other science-based subjects from Mathematics, Biology/Human Biology, Physics, and Further Mathematics.
Useful subjects: Science-based subjects
Course length: MB, BChir 6 years full-time; 5 years full-time for affiliated students

The Cambridge course in Medicine aims to equip its students with the necessary practical skills essential to becoming a doctor along with an excellent grounding in the science underlying medical practice. The Cambridge course is unique in that it provides an extensive foundation in the biomedical sciences that underpin clinical training.

The course lasts 6 years and is split into preclinical and clinical years. In the first 3 years, you will focus on the scientific principles underlying medicine alongside a clinical strand. You’ll also get to conduct a full-body dissection, which very few medical schools offer.

In the last 3 years, you will apply that knowledge to medical practice as a clinical student, spending much of your time learning directly from patients in GP surgeries and hospitals.

You’ll also have opportunities to pursue research and project work throughout the course.

This course is for you if:

it’s your first undergraduate degree
it’s your second degree – you’ll complete the first half of the course in 2 years instead of 3. You can also apply to study the Graduate Medicine Course if you are a home fees student.

If this is your first degree and you successfully complete the first 3 years of the course, you’ll graduate with a BA (Hons) degree.

If you successfully complete the full course, you will graduate with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB, BChir).

What can I do with a degree in Medicine?

The overwhelming majority of Cambridge medical graduates progress to the two-year foundation training programme for newly qualified doctors. Successful completion of foundational training then leads to further training in medical or surgical specialties. However, some graduates decide to progress to a career in academic research or some choose to split their time between clinical practice and research.

For more information, please visit the University Careers Service website.

What we look for

The Medicine course at Cambridge is demanding, so applicants must have evidence of previous academic achievement. Applicants to St Edmund’s with non-scientific backgrounds commonly complete relevant A Levels prior to applying to the College. A Level Chemistry (or equivalent) is mandatory along with two further science A Levels.

We look for previous academic achievement and evidence of potential to succeed on an academically demanding course. We look for applicants who demonstrate the scientific aptitude necessary for success in the preclinical and clinical years and who have the skills and qualities that will allow them to thrive on the Cambridge course and as doctors. We also look for the qualities essential to being a good doctor such as compassion, ability to think critically, and integrity.

Studying Medicine at St Edmund’s College

St Edmund’s has several Fellows who are either practising doctors and/or are active in biomedical research and is a congenial place to study medicine. The college currently admits 3-4 medical undergraduates each year. Both affiliated and mature students are admitted with the latter completing the third year of the Natural Science Tripos whereas affiliated students proceed to the clinical course after two years. We also admit students onto the Graduate Medicine course.

St Edmund’s is located only a short walk or cycle away from the city centre, where most of the preclinical teaching is based. It is also located very close to the U1 and U2 bus route connecting West Cambridge and the city centre to the biomedical campus, where the School of Clinical Medicine is located.

The college offers several spaces where you can study and work on your essays including the Paul Luzio Library Building, the Norfolk Building, study desks in the Mount Pleasant Halls Common room, the comfortable couches of the CR, in Edspresso or the benches in our lovely apple orchards!

We also have six study rooms (2 in the Luzio Building, 2 in Norfolk Building, and 1 in Mount Pleasant Halls) which can also be booked by students for their private study time or group projects.

Our college also has an extremely supportive Welfare and Wellbeing Department, which is happy to lend an ear and provide support should a student feel anxious or overwhelmed with the academic year.

How to apply

Applications for all courses are made through UCAS. You must apply by 15 October 2025 to be considered for entry in October 2026. We only accept applications for Medicine in the October application round.

As a mature College, we recognise that our applicants come to us from a diverse range of educational backgrounds and may have studied a long time ago. However, we would expect evidence of formal study within the last two or three years as evidence of an ability to cope with the challenging academic nature of a Cambridge course.

Entry requirements

Assessment

All applicants for Medicine are required to sit the UCAT. This has now superseded the BMAT as the admissions assessment for this course. Please be aware that we do not accept BMAT or GAMSAT scores in lieu of UCAT scores. We will consider an applicant’s overall cognitive subtest score. We will not be using the situational judgement score as part of our assessment. Results of the UCAT are considered holistically alongside all other aspects of your application.

Written work

Interviews

Interviews for selected candidates typically take place in early December and are carried out virtually.

You will be interviewed by our Directors of Studies for Medicine. You will have two interviews lasting for approximately 25 to 30 minutes each with two or three interviewers. You will be asked about your motivation to study Medicine at Cambridge and will be asked questions relating to the information in your application. You will also be presented with some scenarios relating to clinical and ethical dilemmas in medicine and will be set some practical problems to work through. The interviewers are not looking to catch you out; we are looking for evidence of scientific aptitude and critical thinking with the ability to apply this in new situations.

Your performance at interview will not be considered in isolation, but will be considered holistically alongside all other aspects of your application.

We inform all interviewed applicants of the outcome of their application in late January.

Deferred applicants

Affiliated students

If you have already completed or are in the process of completing a first undergraduate degree, you can apply for this course as an affiliated student. This means that you will complete the course in five years instead of the standard six. (Please note that this does not mean that you can go directly into the second year of the course; you will start the course from the first year, but will be able to go directly from your second year into your clinical studies, thereby skipping the third year of the pre-clinical course.)

We require affiliated applicants to have at least a 2.1 in their first degree or to be on track to achieve this. International equivalents can be found on the University website.

Additional requirements if you are offered a place

If you are offered a place on this course, we will need to check a few extra things with you. We will explain what we need to do when we send the offer letter out to you.

Some of the usual additional checks include:

A criminal record check. In the UK, this is called a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check. Find out more about criminal record checks
Vaccinations – you’ll need to be immunised against certain infectious diseases
A blood test – this is to ensure you can safely take part in certain surgical procedures
An occupational health assessment
If you have a disability, specific learning disabilities, or a long-term health condition, we will discuss your needs with you at this stage.

Please be reassured that everything you tell us is confidential and, if we do need to share any of your information, this will only be done on a need-to-know basis and with your consent.

What is a typical Term’s work

The academic year for undergraduates is divided into three terms – Michaelmas, Lent, and Easter – of eight weeks each. The Medicine course or ‘tripos’ is divided into three pre-clinical years and three clinical years. You will also have access to resources in our library at St Edmund’s as well as the University Library and the School of Clinical Medicine library.

Your supervisions and academic progression are overseen by our Directors of Studies.

The pre-clinical years involve lectures, practical classes, and supervisions over 20 to 25 hours each week. You will develop knowledge of physiology, anatomy, pharmacology, and biochemistry amongst other things. The clinical years will be spent on placements locally in GP surgeries, outpatient clinics, and hospital wards.

Your progress is assessed every week and term.

People

Pre-clinical Directors of Studies:

Dr Vian Azzu
Dr Kevin Loudon

Clinical Directors of Studies:

Dr Anna Spathis
Dr Ben Challis

Fellows:

Dr Rafia Al-Lamki
Professor Edwin Chilvers
Dr James Whitworth

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