Academic requirements

• Undergraduate entry

  Undergraduates on courses other than Medicine who are in first year of an undergraduate programme will be considered if they have fulfilled the School's academic entry requirements before they began their undergraduate course. They must apply by the deadline of 16 October (first semester of first undergraduate year) and have sat the UCAT that year.

  The School will not consider applicants who have progressed to second year. Meeting minimum entry requirements will not guarantee an offer – grades will have to be competitive within the applicant pool of the given year. No credit for the undergraduate year is given as all entrants must complete the full six years of the medical degree.

  Undergraduates on medicine courses

  Those who are already on, or have been on, an undergraduate medicine degree programme elsewhere will not be considered.

• Graduate entry

  Graduate applicants will be considered if their qualifying undergraduate degree has been achieved within the three-year period prior to the programme start date.

  To be considered, applicants must have achieved (or be predicted to achieve) the following grades:

  • Upper second or first class Honours degree in Science (or equivalent) obtained within the previous three years prior to entry.
  • B grade in Chemistry at Higher or A-Level, or at Advanced Higher or equivalent.
  • B grade in Biology, English and Mathematics at GCSE or equivalent.

  Guidance

  • Applicants whose undergraduate degree is more than three years old at the point of entering the programme will not be considered, unless an applicant has continued directly into PhD level study. Applicants who have continued directly into PhD study will be considered if their PhD degree is under three years old.
  • A lower second class Honours degree followed by a second degree (first or upper second class Honours, Masters or PhD) will not be accepted.
  • Those who have previously studied on undergraduate medicine degree programmes will not be considered.
  • Applicants can re-sit Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology and English qualifications to achieve the required grade (or grades) if not achieved at the time of leaving school.
  • Examples of qualifications or study that might be accepted instead of Higher/Advanced Higher/A level Chemistry:
    • 20 credits of undergraduate level Chemistry at high grades.
    • Modules of mixed science (for example, Biochemistry) are not accepted – modules must be pure Chemistry.
    • Open University – Chemistry: essential concepts module S215 – 60% or above.
    • University of Glasgow - Access to Higher Education: Chemistry (ADED11406E) – grade B.
    • Other access courses and HNC qualifications are not accepted as they do not offer enough Chemistry.
  • A GPA of 3.5 is considered to be the equivalent of an upper second class Honours degree. For advice with regard to degree classifications from other countries, please email admissions@st-andrews.ac.uk.
  • A reference from your university tutor commenting on your academic performance and suitability for medicine should be part of your UCAS application. If you have not yet achieved your degree, the reference should include a predicted degree classification.
  • Graduates need to supply an academic transcript of their performance at university at the time of application. 

  Please also see the four-year ScotGEM graduate entry programme.

• Retaking examinations

  If you received centre or teacher assessed grades in 2022, please also see our policy on taking examinations.

  Applicants who re-take their advanced level studies to meet the entry requirements for Medicine will not normally be considered.

  However, applicants with extenuating circumstances may be considered if they achieved qualification grades that are ‘borderline’ for meeting the entry requirements for the medical programmes at St Andrews. Typically, 'borderline' is one grade below those required for entry. Applicants whose grades are less than ‘borderline’ for meeting the entry requirements will not be considered. For more information, please see the Policy on extenuating circumstances for A100 and A990 (PDF).

  Re-sitting GCSEs (or equivalent) is allowed if the purpose is to meet a specific subject requirement. For example, GCSE English at grade C could be re-taken to achieve Grade B.

  Please email medical.admissions@st-andrews.ac.uk for guidance.

• Extenuating circumstances

  Applicants who take more than the normal number of years to obtain their qualifications, or those with achieved qualifications that are ‘borderline’ for meeting entry requirements, may be considered if they have extenuating circumstances which are fully documented.

  Extenuating circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis, according to the information provided by the applicant and according to the guidelines given in the policy below. A Special Circumstances Committee for Medical Admission will consider such cases but only after an application has been made.

  Please email medical.admissions@st-andrews.ac.uk for guidance or see the School of Medicine’s Policy on extenuating circumstances for A100 and A990 (PDF). 

• Change in direction of academic study

  Applicants who have recently had a change of career direction resulting in new subject options might be considered if their application is supported by a very strong previous academic performance and excellent predictions.

  Applicants who did not complete the required advanced level subjects during their final years in high school to progress directly into medicine may be considered if they take advanced level qualifications subsequently to meet the entry requirement. Applicants must take the same qualification level, number of subjects and length of time to complete these as they would have done in school. Resits would not be considered.

  Applications will be looked at on a case-by-case basis.

  Please email medical.admissions@st-andrews.ac.uk for guidance.

• English language requirements

  Whether you will need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability depends on your educational background.

  Applicants who use English as an additional language must achieve 7 in all four components of the International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) exam, to be taken at one sitting. This is irrespective of any other English qualification achieved. Further information can be found on the undergraduate English language requirements page.

  IELTS scores have a recommended two-year validity period, and this time limit will be applied.

  The final four consecutive years of secondary or high school education in an English-medium school may in some cases be considered as evidence of English language ability. This will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and applicants should email medical.admissions@st-andrews.ac.uk for further information. The University of St Andrews reserves the right to ask for additional evidence of English language ability.

  The School of Medicine will accept the Academic version of the IELTS only. However, offer holders should also ensure they meet the UKVI English language visa requirements where necessary.

• Evidence of recent study

  All applicants are considered on an individual basis. However, the nature and demands of a medical degree programme mean that academic preparation is essential. You are expected to demonstrate evidence of recent academic achievement at a high level to ensure that you are properly prepared for university-level study and have the best possible chances of succeeding.

  • Applicants applying with school-level qualifications must have achieved these within the three-year period prior to the programme start date.
  • If your school-level qualifications are more than three years old, your next opportunity to apply to the programme will be as a graduate applicant.
  • Graduate applicants will be considered if their qualifying undergraduate degree has been achieved within the three-year period prior to the programme start date.
  • Should an applicant have progressed directly into PhD study following their qualifying undergraduate degree, they must have completed their PhD within three years of the programme start date.