27th September 2024
About to embark on your journey through the UCAS application process? We’ve got you covered! From how to apply to medicine through UCAS to every step you have to take before waiting for that all-important offer, this guide takes you through the exact process you can expect to experience over the next few months. Let’s get right into it!
If you want to apply to a university in the UK, you must do so through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). UCAS bridges the gap between prospective students and universities. All university applications in the UK must go through UCAS. There is no other way to apply for university in the UK.
A UCAS medical application is a university application specifically tailored for medicine. The pathway to med school is slightly different than applying for other subjects, so it is important to follow all the steps of a medical school application to ensure you have everything you need to strengthen your application.
The components of almost all UCAS applications are the same. The key elements of UCAS applications include:
Each of these elements gives you a chance to talk about yourself and show admissions tutors why you are a perfect candidate for both medicine and the university.
Unlike for applications for other subjects, the deadline for medicine applications is a lot earlier. This means you must note these key dates to ensure you have plenty of time to plan and prepare for each step of the UCAS application process.
Before you can get started with your application, you must first do your research! Each med school will have their own entry requirements, which can affect what you choose as your A-levels or Scottish Highers subjects. For example, some universities specify that you must have Biology or Chemistry as one of your A-Levels/Scottish Highers.
By researching what qualifications you need to have to apply to your dream medical schools, you can start off on the right foot with your UCAS application. You don’t want to start the application process and realise you don’t have the right qualifications to back up your application!
Now that you’re a few months away from starting the UCAS application process, it’s time to start thinking about which universities you would like to go to. There is quite a lot to think about, but we’ve broken down the key questions you should ask yourself as you go through the list of medical schools in the UK.
Asking yourself these questions before you apply to a university is crucial to ensuring you are choosing the right one for you. One way to get a better feel for the university is to attend an open day.
Relevant work experience is one of the most important elements of a medical school application. Applicants are expected to have participated in some form of relevant work experience to demonstrate their passion and commitment to the field. This can be done online or in person, but it must be related to healthcare. Contact with patients and doctors will also be useful.
If you are looking for medical work experience to boost your application, look no further! At PreMed, we offer in-person and online work experience to ensure you have access to work experience no matter where you are. For more information, take a look at our courses today!
As of 2024, there is only one medical school admissions test: the UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test). The last BMAT exam was taken in October 2023.
To have the best chance of scoring well on the UCAT, you should start preparing well ahead of time. This will ensure you understand the structure of the test, how to correctly answer the questions and nail your timings. The UCAT exam period is between 8 July 2024 and 26 September 2024 for 2025/26 entry. Make sure you book your UCAT test when booking opens on the 18th of June, 2024.
For tips on how to boost your chances of scoring high on the UCAT, take a look at our guide to the UCAT Exam.
Your personal statement is your chance to show off what you know and what you have learnt in 4000 characters. From your work experience to any extracurricular activities and transferable skills you have picked up along the way, you should let admissions tutors know exactly who you are and why you are a perfect fit for their medicine degree programme and university.
UCAS has announced the personal statement for those applying for 2026 entry and onwards will have a new structure. Instead of the free-form personal statement that has been used in previous years, it will be more focused, with applicants answering three different questions.
Although the personal statement will have a different structure compared to previous years, the content will be largely the same as you will be writing about yourself and why you are a suitable candidate for a medicine course. Plus, this new personal statement will still consist of 4000 characters spread across the three questions!
UCAS decided to change the format of the personal statement to ensure everyone has a fair chance. After a review of the university application process, it was found that students, teachers and universities had concerns about the writing style of the personal statement as it widened the gap between students with access to high quality guidance and those who did not. This new structure aims to eliminate the amount of support needed to write a personal statement, creating a fairer chance for all prospective applicants.
More on this new personal statement format to come!
Once you have all the components of your UCAS application ready, it is time to submit your application. Remember, the deadline for a medical school UCAS application is 15 October 2024 at 18:00, so make sure your application is in before then!
With your UCAS application submitted, you will have to wait for news from your chosen universities. Typically, each medical school will start sending out invitations for interviews starting in November, with the interviews themselves being held between December and March.
Whilst you wait, it is a good idea to start doing some preparation for your medical school interview. This can include going through some practice questions with your family and making note of the key parts of your work experience you would like to touch upon during the interview.
For more information on how to best prepare for your med school interview, check out our guides!
We know waiting is the worst part, but now it’s time to wait! Universities typically send their decisions about a month after your interview, but it is a good idea to check your chosen university’s website for their timelines in more detail.
We know applying for university can be stressful, but with our guide, you can take it all one step at a time. At PreMed, we want to help you have the best chance of getting into med school. That’s why we offer a range of work experience days, both online and in-person, so you can tick off the work experience box of your UCAS application checklist. Apply for one of our work experience days today!
There are several steps you must take to apply for university through UCAS. These include:
To apply for medical school through UCAS, you must pay a fee. The UCAS application fee is £28.50 for up to four medical school choices and one other university course choice for 2025 entry. If you receive free school meals, you will no longer have to pay this fee.
This will depend on what you want to change. If you need to change your personal details, such as a phone number or address, you can do so through the UCAS portal. However, if you want to change your course, year, point of entry or campus, you will need to contact the university or college directly. Once you have confirmation about these changes, you will need to let UCAS know.
If you want to change the university you have applied to, you have 14 days to substitute each choice starting from the day you receive your welcome email. You will not be able to substitute your choices after 30 June. For more UCAS application help, please refer to the UCAS website.
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