Apply to Medicine

If you are applying for undergraduate study with the School of Medicine, please complete the following steps.

1. Entry requirements

2. UKCAT

Ensure you have sat the UKCAT.

3. Check the campus code details:

A100: Scotland 'S', England 'R', or No Preference 'N'. See course pathways for more details.
A990: no campus code required.

4. Write a personal statement.

Further information about personal statements is given within the 'qualities and experience' section on the entry requirements page. Guidance on how to write a personal letter can be found on UCAS.

5. Arrange a referee's report.

If you are at school, your Principal or Head of Year will generally write your referee’s report. If you are studying in a university, we will require a reference from your academic tutor or advisor of studies. References from family members or close friends are not acceptable. Your referee should comment on your academic performance, your attitude to study and your approach to working with others, including communication skills. They should comment on your contribution to extracurricular activities and any other skills or attributes you have that make you a suitable candidate for medicine. If you are applying with qualifications not yet achieved, your referee's report must contain predicted grades for your expected performance in future examinations.

6. Fill out an application form.

You will either submit a UCAS application or a direct application; find out more about UCAS and direct applications below.

7. Submit your application by the deadline.

Home and EU candidates should apply by 15 October in the year before entry to Medicine. International students who are overseas for fee purposes should apply by 31 January in the year of entry to Medicine. The School does not consider late applications after the official closing date, and the School does not enter UCAS Extra or Clearing. To find out more about selection procedures after you have applied, see how are students selected.

Most applicants for first-year entry will apply to other universities as well as to the University of St Andrews, and will do so by making a single online UCAS application.

Qualifications

All qualifications taken (regardless of grades obtained) must be included on the UCAS form. Please indicate grades already obtained even if you are re-taking examinations.

All qualifications you are taking in the future must be included (predictions for those examinations to be included in your referee’s statement).

Ensure that intermediate-level qualifications such as GCSEs and Standard Grades (or equivalent) are included.

Gaps in schooling or employment

If you did not follow the normal pattern of schooling and there are ‘gaps’ between one set of examinations and the next, your referee should offer an explanation or other evidence should be provided. If there is no explanation, the School of Medicine might assume that you had re-taken examinations.

If you are not applying directly from school, please explain on your application how you have spent your time since leaving school, indicating periods of employment or unemployment. Supplementary information may be sent at the time of application if necessary.

Find out more about applying to St Andrews.
There are two ways for North American students to apply for a degree at St Andrews:
- If you are applying to other UK universities as well as St Andrews, or you feel that you may qualify for home or EU fees status, then you must apply through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).
- If you are only applying to the University of St Andrews within the UK, and you are definitely classed as overseas for fees purposes, then you should make a direct application.

Repeat applications

Applicants who are unsuccessful in obtaining a place at St Andrews can submit a new application the following year if they meet the entry requirements, but beyond that, further applications will not be considered.

Deferred entry

The School does not usually consider deferred entry.

Fraudulent or plagiarised applications

The University of St Andrews will not admit students based on fraudulent or plagiarised applications or documents. Please see the University’s admissions policy for more information.

Please note, if a student is found to have deliberately failed to disclose information that could have made him or her ineligible to study medicine, or given false information, the course provider can consider removing them from training on grounds of dishonesty.