Short answer = Graduate Entry Medical School
This is a course for degree-holders who want to pursue a career in Medicine. You should consider this option if you
If that is you, it is best way of getting to Med School and fulfilling your dream.
So. How to go to Medical School if you don’t get A level grades or I am changing career
Graduate entry medicine is a pathway for graduates and degree-holders who want to study Medicine. The programme is accelerated, so it usually takes 4 years to complete, instead of the 5 or 6 years that Undergraduate Medicine courses take.
Graduate entry medicine began over 20 years ago, with the first courses offered by St George’s in London and the joint Leicester–Warwick Medical School. It’s now a popular route into Medicine, and around half of the UK’s Med Schools offer a GEM course.
Applying for Graduate Entry Medicine is competitive. If you are considering this pathway to Medicine, bear in mind that there is a lot of competition for a relatively small number of places.
For example, Barts say on their website that they typically receive over 1,500 applications for their GEM course, and there are only around 39 places available. Some universities, such as Swansea and Warwick, have more places available than others – so make sure you do your research before you make your application choices.
There are currently 16 Medical Schools in the UK offering graduate entry medicine courses.
This table outlines which universities offer graduate entry courses, how many places they have available each year, and which admissions test they require.
The entry requirements for graduate entry medicine vary depending on which course you’re applying to, so you need to check with each Medical School first. In general, you need:
No. 11 of the 16 above accept applicants with non-science degrees. Please note that many of the courses which accept non-science degrees do specify requirements for at least one science A-Level, so make sure you check their websites for specific entry criteria.
The Warwick Medical School is quite ‘liberal’ and accepts many examples of focussed education, e.g a music degree.
What are medical doctor degree apprenticeships (MDDAs)? MDDAs will provide an alternative pathway to medicine, outside the standard undergraduate or graduate university programmes. Apprentices will be employed by healthcare provider organisations1 and will be able to earn a salary alongside their studies.
Originally proposed in February 2021, the first MDDAs are set to start in September 2024 with an initial group of employers.
More information here.
We have described how to go to medical school if you don’t get A levels, i.e. graduate entry medicine. Degree apprenticeships are the new kids on the block. Have a think about them too. If this is you, don’t give up, if you really, really want to be a doctor. You can do it.