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Learn About Our Programme See How We Can Support Your Application →Scotland's oldest university offering a unique 3+3 medical programme with guaranteed clinical placement
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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 If you spot something that looks out of date, tell us and we will check it.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
Unique Programme Structure: St Andrews Medicine is a 3+3 programme. You spend your first 3 years at St Andrews earning a BSc (Hons), then transfer to a partner medical school (Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, or overseas) for 3 clinical years, graduating with both degrees.
Considering St Andrews Medicine? Here's a complete breakdown of entry requirements, admissions criteria, and the application process for 2027 entry.
The University of St Andrews School of Medicine offers a distinctive route into medicine. Founded in 1450, St Andrews is Scotland's oldest university and consistently ranks among the top universities in the UK. The medical school provides an intensive pre-clinical education with a focus on biomedical sciences, preparing students exceptionally well for clinical training.
What makes St Andrews unique is its 3+3 structure. After completing 3 years at St Andrews, students transfer to a clinical partner school for their final 3 years. This means you graduate with two degrees: a BSc (Hons) in Medicine from St Andrews, and an MBChB or BMBS from your clinical school.
Considering University of St Andrews? Future Doc's Predictable Offer Protocol™ coordinates every element of your application as one interconnected system, from UCAT preparation to university selection to interview readiness. 93% of our students receive at least one offer. Find out how it works.
UCAS Code: A100 | 6 years
The standard 6-year programme with 3 years at St Andrews followed by clinical training at a partner school.
You are viewing this courseUCAS Code: A101 | 4 years
Joint graduate entry programme with University of Dundee. GAMSAT required.
View ScotGEM details6 years + Gateway Year
Widening participation programme for Scottish students from underrepresented backgrounds.
View Gateway details| Qualification | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Standard Entry Grades | AAA |
| Minimum Entry Grades | AAB including Chemistry and one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics |
| Required Subjects | Chemistry plus one from Biology, Physics, or Mathematics. Only one of Mathematics or Further Mathematics will be considered |
| Not Accepted | General Studies, Critical Thinking, Global Perspectives & Research |
| Sitting Rules | A-Levels must be studied over a two-year period and completed in Year 13, with all three taken at the same examination sitting |
| Qualification | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Highers | AAAAB including Chemistry and one from Biology, Physics, or Mathematics |
| Advanced Highers | BB in relevant science subjects |
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| UCAT Required | Yes |
| Minimum Scores (2026 entry) | 1500 BSc/MBChB Home-funded and Scottish 1640 BSc/MBChB UK domicile 1710 A100 Overseas 1940 A990 Overseas These are 2026-entry figures. St Andrews' current UCAT page publishes no minimum scores for 2027 entry — not published. It also warns that the 2025 UCAT changes mean historical UCAT data is not comparable with current results. |
| Interview Places | Approximately 650. Applicants with a strong academic record, a positive reference and relevant medically related work experience are ranked on UCAT global score; roughly the top 650 are interviewed |
| UCAT Exemptions | None — St Andrews states it would not exempt a candidate from the UCAT on the grounds of a significant or unforeseen medical or personal issue |
| How It's Used | Applicants meeting the minimum are ranked on their UCAT global score; roughly the top 650 are invited to interview |
| Widening Participation | Applicants who meet, or are predicted to meet, the required academic grades and meet one of St Andrews' criteria are given a 10% increase in their UCAT score for the purposes of this ranking. The criteria named on the UCAT page are: residing in the lowest 40% most deprived areas of Scotland by postcode; being or having been looked after under a local authority order; being estranged; or being a refugee. Evidence is required |
| SJT Band | Band 1-3 preferred; Band 4 disadvantages application |
"St Andrews is genuinely unique. The 3+3 structure means you get an incredibly thorough grounding in the sciences before clinical training - their students tend to excel in clinical years because of this. The town itself is beautiful, and the collegiate atmosphere is unlike anywhere else in the UK. Furthermore, the guaranteed transfer to a top clinical school removes uncertainty."
— Dr. Ash, Future Doc
Note: The UCAT format changed in July 2025 with the removal of Abstract Reasoning, reducing the maximum score from 3,600 to 2,700. Cut-off scores and statistics from previous years may not directly apply to the current format.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) |
| Number of Stations | Usually four mini interviews at different stations |
| Duration | About six minutes per station |
| Delivery | Home-funded applicants interview in person at St Andrews; all other fee statuses interview online |
| Interview Places | Approximately 650 |
| Interview Period | January to March |
After completing 3 years at St Andrews, students transfer to one of the following partner schools for clinical training:
Important: Transfer is guaranteed for all students who successfully complete the St Andrews programme. Your preference for clinical school is considered, but placement depends on availability and academic performance.
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Annual Applications | ~2,000 |
| Places Available | ~170 |
| Offer Rate | ~12:1 applicants to places |
Considered in Exceptional Circumstances
Applicants who re-take their advanced level studies in order to meet the entry requirements for Medicine will not normally be considered. The exception is where grades are borderline — typically one grade below the requirement — and there are documented extenuating circumstances.
Re-sitting GCSEs (or equivalent) is allowed where the purpose is to meet a specific subject requirement.
Accepted
International students are welcome to apply. Fees are higher for international students.
Accepted
Re-applicants are welcome. Demonstrate significant improvement in your application.
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.
If you have one or more of those indicators, St Andrews assesses you against its published minimum entry requirements instead of its standard ones — a grade lower at every level — and adds 10% to your UCAT score in the ranking that decides who gets one of roughly 650 interview places. If you are Scottish, SAAS-funded and will not reach even the minimum requirements, the Gateway to Medicine programme is a separate one-year route in.
| How it helps | What that means for you |
|---|---|
| Lower ‘minimum’ entry requirements | SQA: AAABB in S5 with predicted BB, against a standard AAAAB in S5 with predicted BBB. A-level: AAB instead of AAA, including Chemistry and one of Biology, Maths or Physics. IB: 36 points (HL 6,6,5 plus SL 6,6,5) instead of 38 points (HL 6,6,6 plus SL 6,6,6). |
| A 10% uplift to your UCAT score in the interview ranking | St Andrews states that widening participation applicants who meet, or are predicted to meet, the required academic grades and meet one of its criteria — residing in the lowest 40% most deprived areas of Scotland by postcode, being or having been looked after under a local authority order, being estranged, or being a refugee — are given a 10% increase in their UCAT score, used in the ranking for invitation to interview. With roughly 650 interview places allocated by UCAT rank, this is the single most useful thing on this list. |
| A pledge to make you an offer (guaranteed offer scheme) | If you declare a care-experienced background, or you live in the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland by SIMD2020 and attend a school with lower than average progression to higher education, St Andrews pledges to make you an offer. For Medicine that pledge is conditional — see below. |
| A separate gateway route for Scottish applicants | Gateway to Medicine (UCAS LQV9) is a one-year full-time programme entered at BBBB at Higher in one sitting in S5, including Chemistry and one of Biology, Maths or Physics — well below both the AAAAB standard and the AAABB minimum. For S6 entry it is BBBB at Higher in S5 plus CC in S6 subjects at Higher or Advanced Higher. You take first-year Biology and Chemistry modules alongside other undergraduates, with extra tutoring, UCAT and MMI preparation, a designated Admissions contact and a designated Adviser of Studies. The tuition fee for Gateway is £1,820 and it is Home students only. |
| Interview preparation built into the Gateway year | Gateway students get UCAT and MMI preparation as part of the programme — the coaching that better-resourced applicants buy. |
See every UK medical and dental school's widening participation scheme to compare what each one actually gives you.
| Fee Status | Annual Tuition |
|---|---|
| Scottish students (SAAS-funded) | 2027/28: TBC. St Andrews states “tuition fees have yet to be set” for UK students on A100 starting September 2027. Home-funded students may apply to SAAS for payment of tuition fees for the first three years at St Andrews |
| Rest of UK (England, Wales, Northern Ireland) | 2027/28: TBC. Not yet set. RUK students may apply for a non-means-tested tuition fee loan from Student Finance England, Wales or Northern Ireland for the first three years |
| International (rest of the world) | £41,600 per year |
St Andrews publishes the overseas rate for the six-year A100 BSc/MBChB starting September 2027 but has not yet set the UK rate. We have not substituted a figure of our own. St Andrews' fee-setting protocol commits it to publishing new fees by no later than the end of February before the start of each academic year.
Years 4–6 depend on your clinical partner school. A100 is a 3+3 programme: Years 1–3 are at St Andrews and Years 4–6 are at a partner medical school, so the fee and the funding route for those years follow that school, not St Andrews. Home-funded students continuing at a Scottish medical school may apply to SAAS for payment of fees; at an English partner school, Year 4 is a repayable SAAS tuition fee loan up to the level the English school sets, with SAAS paying fees in Years 5 and 6.
| Programme | Annual Tuition |
|---|---|
| Gateway to Medicine (LQV9, one year) | £1,820 — Home students only |
| ScotGEM MBChB (four years, graduate entry) — Scotland | Fees paid by the Scottish Government |
| ScotGEM MBChB — UK and RUK | 2027/28: TBC. St Andrews states tuition fees have yet to be set |
Overseas fee status is not available on ScotGEM. For overseas students on A100, the Scottish Government has introduced a mandatory national levy for each year of study to cover the cost of NHS clinical teaching; this is reflected in the published tuition fee, and fees may rise annually by up to 5% or up to the amount of the levy. NHS student bursaries are not available to overseas students.
Additional compulsory costs: up to £70 for lab and course materials, plus the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme registration fee.
Intensive study of biomedical sciences including anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, and pathology. Small group teaching in a collegiate environment with early clinical exposure through hospital visits and patient contact. You graduate with a BSc (Hons) in Medicine.
Hospital-based clinical training at your partner school. Rotations through all major specialties. You graduate with MBChB (Edinburgh/Glasgow) or BMBS (Manchester).
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.
St Andrews asks for a minimum of five GCSEs at grade A or 7 taken at one sitting, plus grade B in Biology, English and Mathematics (or equivalent).
St Andrews uses multiple mini interviews, usually four stations lasting about six minutes each, with approximately 650 interview places. Home-funded applicants interview in person at St Andrews; all other fee statuses interview online.
Yes. All St Andrews medical students transfer to a partner school for clinical training. This is built into the programme structure. Many students see this as a positive - you experience two university environments.
You can express a preference, but placement depends on availability and your academic performance. Most students get one of their top choices.
Very. Having a BSc (Hons) means you're already a graduate before starting clinical training. This can help with academic careers, competitive specialty applications, and provides a fallback qualification.
St Andrews is a small, historic coastal town famous for golf and its beautiful architecture. It's intimate and focused - ideal for students who want a close-knit community rather than a big city experience.
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.
Find Out How It Works
Last updated: February 2026
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