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Learn About Our Programme See How We Can Support Your Application →6-year route into medicine for mature and non-traditional applicants returning to education
HOW WE BUILT THIS
We compile these profiles from each university's own published admissions pages and review them monthly. Entry requirements do change mid-cycle, and universities sometimes publish updates without announcing them.
Use this page to get oriented quickly, build your shortlist, and work out which questions to ask — then confirm the specifics that your application depends on (grades, admissions test, fees, eligibility) directly with the university before you apply. If you spot something that looks out of date, tell us and we will check it.
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Entry year covered: 2027
Interested in Liverpool's Foundation to Medicine route? This programme provides an additional preparatory year before the standard MBChB. Here you'll find the entry requirements, eligibility criteria, and application process for 2027 entry.
The University of Liverpool's Foundation to Medicine (Year 0) is designed for mature students who have typically been out of formal education for some time (five years and above), or who have taken non-traditional qualifications. It is not aimed at A-Level students or current school leavers. After the foundation year, successful students progress onto the 5-year Medicine and Surgery MBChB programme, making the full route six years.
The foundation year (Year 0) is studied at Carmel College in St Helens, about nine miles from the main campus, where class sizes are small. Liverpool has a strong commitment to widening access to medicine and is known for its supportive environment and clinical training across Merseyside hospitals.
This route is aimed at mature and non-traditional applicants. Key points include:
Note: Meeting the minimum criteria does not guarantee an interview. Applicants who have been rejected following an interview are not normally considered again.
| Route | UCAS Code | Length | Entry basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation to Medicine (Year 0) MBChB | 789S | 6 years | 5 GCSEs at grade 6/B — no A-Levels, mature and non-traditional applicants only |
| Medicine and Surgery MBChB | A100 | 5 years | AAA including Chemistry plus Biology, Physics or Maths (A*AB also accepted); up to two grades lower if contextually eligible |
The next Foundation intake starts 27 September 2027, with a UCAS deadline of 13 January 2027. Note that the Foundation deadline sits after the usual mid-October medicine deadline, because this route is not a standard A100 application.
Because this route is designed for mature and non-traditional applicants, entry is based on GCSEs (or equivalent) rather than on a standard A-Level offer. A-Level students and current school leavers are not considered.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| UCAT required | Not published as a requirement — Liverpool's Foundation to Medicine (Year 0) course page lists no admissions test, unlike the five-year A100 |
| UCAT cut-off score | Not published |
| Application statistics | Not published — Liverpool releases no applicant, interview or offer numbers for this route |
Because the absence of a published requirement is not the same as a published exemption, confirm this with Liverpool before you plan your year around it. The selection requirements for this route differ from the standard A100 entry route.
"Liverpool's Foundation route is a genuine second chance for people who've taken a different path into medicine, especially mature applicants returning to education. The entry is built around your GCSEs rather than a fresh set of A-Levels, and Liverpool invests heavily in supporting these students through the foundation year and into the main degree."
— Dr. Ash, Future Doc
Liverpool uses MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) format for all medicine applicants, including Foundation programme candidates.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | MMI with multiple stations |
| Number of Stations | Not published for this route — Liverpool does not give a station count on the Foundation course page |
| Duration | Not published |
| Interview Period | January to March |
| Second attempts | Not normally reconsidered — applicants rejected following an interview will not normally be considered again |
The foundation year is studied at Carmel College, St Helens, and builds your scientific knowledge in biology, chemistry, and related subjects. You'll also develop academic skills and study techniques to prepare for the demands of the medical degree.
After successfully completing the foundation year, you join the standard 5-year Medicine and Surgery MBChB programme — making the full route six years. Clinical placements are primarily at Royal Liverpool University Hospital and other Merseyside NHS trusts.
Not Available to Visa-Requiring Applicants
This route is not available to international students who require a visa to study in the UK.
This Route's Focus
The Foundation to Medicine route is specifically designed for applicants who have typically been out of formal education for five years or more, or who hold non-traditional qualifications.
A contextual offer is an adjustment a university makes for applicants whose circumstances have made their education harder than the grades alone suggest. Universities use them because they recognise that two students with the same predicted grades have not always had the same run at them. They are a formal, published part of the admissions process — not a favour, and not something you have to argue for.
What the adjustment actually is varies by school, and it matters more than most applicants realise. Depending on where you apply, qualifying can mean: a lower grade offer; being ranked against other widening participation applicants rather than the whole field; a guaranteed or prioritised interview; a lower admissions test threshold or extra shortlisting points; relaxed GCSE or subject requirements; or access to a separate gateway or foundation year route.
Liverpool is worth reading carefully, because this Foundation (Year 0) course is not the school-leaver gateway route it looks like from the outside. It is built for mature and non-traditional applicants and explicitly excludes current A-Level students. Liverpool's grade-based contextual scheme runs on the five-year A100 instead. Both are described below so you can work out which one is actually yours.
For the Foundation (Year 0) route on this page:
For the School of Medicine's contextual offers on the five-year A100:
If you meet the A100 criteria, Liverpool may make you an offer up to two grades below its standard one and relax its GCSE scoring bar. If you meet the Foundation criteria, you get a different route in entirely — one with no A-Levels required at all.
| How it helps | What that means for you |
|---|---|
| Entry on GCSEs alone (Foundation Year 0) | Five GCSEs at grade 6/B including Maths, English Language, and Biology and Chemistry (or dual/combined science). No A-Levels. Against AAA including Chemistry for direct A100 entry. |
| Straight through to the MBChB | Successful completion of the foundation year at Carmel College, St Helens leads on to Year 1 of the five-year Medicine and Surgery MBChB (A100) on the main campus. |
| Up to 50 reduced offers a year (A100) | For 2026 entry the School of Medicine stated it intended to make up to 50 reduced contextual offers, up to two grades below the standard offer, to the most competitive eligible applicants. Check the current cycle's figure — Liverpool republishes this each year. |
| A relaxed GCSE score (A100) | Eligible applicants need 12 points on the School's GCSE scoring system instead of the usual 15. English Language and Maths must still be at grade 6. |
| Flexibility on UCAT and interview score (A100) | The School reviews each eligible application to decide whether to accept a reduced UCAT score or reduced interview performance. How much flexibility is set annually, once all scores are in — so there is no number to aim at. |
| A named outreach route to a reduced offer | The School states it "will continue its commitment to making reduced offers to eligible applicants from the Liverpool Scholars Programme" — a separate route alongside the IMD/care-experienced one. |
| Money, on top of the admissions concessions | Care leavers may receive a Care Leavers' Opportunity Bursary of £3,000 a year and estranged students £1,000 a year. Liverpool also runs the Bloomberg Scholarship, Nolan Scholarships (first-in-family, Liverpool City Region) and the Cowrie Foundation Scholarship for students of Black African or Caribbean heritage. The Whiteley Award gives £3,000 a year to a UK student from an under-represented background who has completed Liverpool Scholars or Pathways to Medicine. |
For a side-by-side comparison, see every UK medical and dental school's widening participation scheme.
| Fee Status | Annual Tuition |
|---|---|
| UK (also Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland) — Foundation Year | £10,050 |
| UK — full-time place, each subsequent year | £10,050 |
| International | Not available — "this course is not available to international students who require a visa to study in the UK" |
Figures published by the University of Liverpool on the Foundation to Medicine (Year 0) course page, which states "the fees shown are for the academic year 2027/28". Liverpool warns fees may increase each year, subject to the government's regulated limits for UK students, so do not assume £10,050 for all six years. If you have lived outside the UK you will need to complete a fee status questionnaire as part of your application.
Applying to medical school requires more than meeting the minimum entry requirements. Here are practical steps to strengthen your application:
For an overview of all UK medical schools and how they compare, see the UK Medical Schools hub page.
The Foundation year is intensive but designed to bring you up to the level needed for medical school. There's excellent support available, and most students who engage fully with the programme progress successfully to Year 1.
Your final MBChB degree is identical to that of direct-entry students. The Foundation year is not specified on your medical qualification.
Most applicants treat the medical school application as a series of separate hurdles: the UCAT, personal statement, work experience, university selection, and interviews. They try to solve each one independently. This creates a fragmented approach where the pieces never add up.
Future Doc works differently. Through the Predictable Offer Protocol, a dedicated coach who knows your complete profile coordinates every element of your application as one interconnected system. Every decision is made with the full picture in mind.
The result: 93% of our students receive at least one offer. If they don't, they come back next year for free.
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Last updated: March 2026
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