Medical School Applications

Whether this is acceptable depends on the course and the individual course provider. For example, Newcastle Medical School's accelerated programme considers applications on an individual basis. They do not need you to have studied a science.

If A-level chemistry is a prerequisite for your course, you could take a year out after your degree to study it. Check the entry requirements for your chosen courses. These are regularly updated.

Many universities have places particularly for international students, so check with individual institutions.

Most UK universities will not publish a full list of accepted international entry qualifications. If your qualification isn't listed, contact the individual institution.

Other considerations include your entry qualifications and English language skills. Most clinical courses have patient contact quite early on. They need a higher level of English language than many other degrees. Most medical degrees require an IELTS of above 7.

Details of entry requirements for medicine are available on each medical school website.

You don’t need to calculate your predicted grades. Your referee, who should be an academic tutor, will do that for you.

You don't need to add your UKCAT/GAMSAT/BMAT scores to the qualifications section on the form. Your scores go to the university directly.

In the education section you will need to add Newcastle University as your place of education. You will then be able to enter the details of your degree and the modules you have studied.

You may find when trying to add an institution that 'INTO Newcastle' appears. Please DO NOT select this. Continue to type Newcastle University in the box and select the ‘Add school’ option that appears. You may need to include a space after Newcastle University for this box to appear.

At Newcastle University, the institution code is: 40655.

If you are applying with a degree from a different university, you will need to check the institution code with them.

You will now be able to add your qualifications, modules and marks:

• click 'add qualification'
• you will need to use the manual ‘search for qualifications' section to add your degree
• search for BSc Hons (UK). For those studying an integrated Masters degree you can use the Master of Science (UK) option. The awarding organisation is NCL if you went to Newcastle University.
• add your modules, which will be displayed as 'module/unit*'

Add in all your modules and marks. The university may look at your transcript as part of your application. This needs to match your application details.

For the module qualification dates, semester 1 modules are 'January' and then the year. Semester 2 modules are 'June' and then the year.

For any incomplete modules, use 'pending' as the result. Otherwise, all your results should be listed in percentages.

Choose your reply from the drop-down list or enter your own details in the box.

Sharing that you have a disability with your course provider is generally recommended. This question relates to supporting you in your studies.

Your offer might be subject to an occupational health assessment. Book a guidance appointment if you want to discuss sharing information about a disability with your course provider. (Link to booking form)

EmployAbility also offer free advice to students on sharing information about a disability.

Book an appointment to talk to us about sharing a disability.

Your fee code depends on your personal circumstances. Check the UCAS guidelines first and check with your Local Education Authority (LEA). Getting the fee code wrong won't impact your shortlisting.

Your referee should be someone who can comment on your academic suitability. We recommend using your personal tutor. If not, use an academic who knows you well, like your dissertation supervisor.

Let your referee know early that you want to apply. They need time to reflect on the qualities you will bring. You may also want to provide them a copy of your personal statement if you have it written. The start of term is busy for academic staff and there may be several people asking them for a reference.

Your reference must have been added to your application by the deadline on the 15th October.

We recommend adding reference details in the UCAS hub about 4 weeks before the deadline. This will provide your referee time to add the reference and predicted grade.

When you are add your references details you need to select the ‘Request Reference’ option.

This will send an access code to the email address you have listed for your referee. They will then be able to access your application to add their statement and predicted grade. You may want to email and notify your reference once you have done this so they know to look out for the email. Remind them to check their junk folder if they haven’t received anything.

Your referee can only see the qualifications that need predicted grades. They cannot view your full application.

Your referee can call the UCAS Teachers and Advisers Contact Team if they have any difficulties. This is open Monday to Friday 08:00 – 18:00 (UK time). 0345 123 8001 or adviserhelp@ucas.ac.uk. This is a priority service for teachers and advisers.

Once the referee has completed the reference, UCAS will notify you. You will not be able to see the reference.

The UCAS form only allows you to add one referee. You can ask course administrators if you can email them another one, if you think it will enhance your application.

Advice for the person writing your reference can also be found on the UCAS website.

Personal statements are often very descriptive or list candidates’ experience. The selectors aren’t only interested in what you’ve seen. They want to know what you learned. For example:

• What did you learn about good patient care?
• How did your experiences challenge your views of the profession?
• What does this mean for you as a prospective professional?

Be specific. Talking clearly about your experiences should convey your enthusiasm. Don’t say ‘I have always longed to be a doctor’ but say ‘I have wanted to be a doctor since I was 11, after my experience of....’

If you don’t know how to express why you want to be a doctor, it can help to ask "Why not?":

• Why a doctor and not a nurse practitioner?
• What is the difference between the roles?
• What does the first role provide that the second doesn’t?

These mistakes can make your statement less effective. Try not to be:

• too descriptive - don’t just list what you saw, or enjoyed, say what you learned
• too general - don’t simply say that the doctor’s empathy skills calmed the patient down. What did they do specifically? Was it their tone of voice or body language?
• too romantic - the selector will want to know that you understand the realities of medicine. Words like ‘enlightened’, ‘privileged’ and ‘longed’ are too romantic for a personal statement
• unstructured - your statement should follow a logical structure. It should explain why you want to pursue this career. It should say how you have prepared with work experience. It can end by explaining your other skills/hobbies/interests
• a name-dropper - you don’t need to give the names of practitioners, hospitals, or practices. The selector is more interested in what you learned about the profession and patient care

• Medical School Council application guide
• Medical School Council advice on your personal statement
• Medical School Council guidance on the core values and attributes needed to study medicine (PDF: 1.30 MB)
• MedicPortal.com - advice on writing a personal statement

With UCAS applications, universities don't know where else you have applied. The form that each university receives only includes information about the course/s you have applied for at their university.

If you have applied for two courses at the same university then they will know which two courses. They won't know where else you have applied. This is unless you mention it in your personal statement or it gets mentioned in your reference.

If you’ve had an offer, but are still waiting to hear back from your first choice, you will need to continue to wait. You can only reply when you've received all your decisions. See UCAS advice on replying to your offers for details.

You will need to wait until the following year to reapply. Reflect on your last application. Consider whether any of your skills need further development. Use this analysis to inform your choices.

Consider applying for related jobs during that year. For example, you could work in practice administration, as a healthcare assistant or a hospital porter.

You could also apply for jobs outside healthcare and continue volunteering or work shadowing in your spare time.

Book an appointment with us for more help.