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At Cambridge, we offer two medicine courses – the Standard Course and the Graduate Course. Throughout, our aim is to educate students to become compassionate, thoughtful, skilled members – and leaders – of the medical profession.
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Success in medicine requires application and hard work, both while studying and when in practice. However, Medicine brings great personal rewards, offering a breadth and variety of career opportunities and excellent job satisfaction. No day in the life of a doctor is the same! The application of knowledge and research evidence to patient care provides a unique opportunity to combine scientific expertise with the human interactions that lie at the heart of the profession.
Our medicine courses are intellectually stimulating and professionally challenging. As a medical student, you’ll experience a rigorous, evidence-based medical education within the research-rich environment of the University. Students have opportunities to pursue research and project work throughout the course.
Courses available
If you don’t already have a degree, you can apply for the Standard Course in Medicine (A100). The first three years involve lectures, practical classes and supervisions. You can find details on the Faculty of Biology website. The emphasis during clinical studies (Years 4, 5 and 6) in Cambridge is on learning in clinical settings. Read more about the clinical course on the School of Clinical Medicine website.
If you’re a graduate wanting to study Medicine, you have several options:
- you can apply as an affiliate student (taking the pre-clinical component of the Standard Course in Medicine (A100) in two years instead of the usual three) to one of Lucy Cavendish, St Edmund’s or Wolfson Colleges
- you can apply to the accelerated Graduate Course in Medicine (A101) to Hughes Hall, Lucy Cavendish College, St Edmund’s College or Wolfson College. This course is only available to Home fee status students.
- you can apply for both the Standard Course in Medicine (A100) and the Graduate Course in Medicine (A101). However, if you choose to do so you must apply to the same College for both courses (ie Lucy Cavendish, St Edmund’s or Wolfson)
Course costs
Years 1 to 3
- Purchase and maintenance of essential equipment (please see the Faculty website for a detailed breakdown) – Estimated cost £60
- Preparing for Patients:
- Travel costs: Maximum travel costs for Year 1 and Year 3 up to £25.
- Accommodation costs: In Year 2, Preparing for Patients generally lasts for one week out of term time. Accommodation costs can be found on individual College websites
- Other costs depend on the subject taken in Year 3.
Years 4 to 6 (clinical studies)
- Textbooks: Advice is given about suitable clinical textbooks at the start of Year 4 and discounted bundles are available from the University bookshop – Estimated cost £150 to £200
- Stethoscope – Estimated cost £60 to £100
- Theatre clogs – £10 contribution to the cost
- Travel to and from regional placements (per year) – one return journey and accommodation covered by Clinical School (estimated cost dependent on frequency of travel).
- All clinical courses include a seven-week elective in Year 5 – students choosing a local elective may incur few additional costs, but students choosing to travel abroad (as most prefer to do) will typically incur costs of around £3,000 (College and national grants may be available).
- It is highly recommended that students have a suitable smartphone or tablet device for use during clinical placements.
Details about additional course costs during Years 1, 2 and 3 can be found on the Faculty of Biology’s website, and information about additional course costs during the clinical studies (Years 4, 5 and 6) are available on the Clinical School’s website.
If you’re an international student, you should also refer to the information about fees and costs for overseas students.
The MB/PhD Programme
Designed for Standard Course (A100) medical students who are interested in a career in academic medicine, the MB/PhD Programme intercalates three years of research between years 4 and 5. See the MB/PhD website for more details.
UK Foundation Programmes and Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA)
Graduates are entitled to hold provisional registration with the General Medical Council (GMC) with a licence to practise, subject to demonstrating to the GMC that they are fit to practise (please note this may be subject to change). To apply for full registration as a doctor, you must satisfactorily complete the first year of a Foundation Programme post and continue to meet fitness to practise requirements. For more information, visit the UK Foundation Programme website.
A national MLA, to be taken by students in the final year of Medical School, will be introduced in 2022. Further information can be found at www.gmc-uk.org/education.
NHS Bursaries
NHS Bursaries are currently available for eligible Medicine students from Year 5 of the Standard Course (A100), or from Year 2 of the Graduate Course (A101). See the NHS Student Bursaries website for further information.
Careers
We enable students to develop the excellent communication, clinical, interpersonal and professional skills required for good medical practice. Our focus on combining training in the core medical sciences with a broad-based clinical curriculum, encompassing primary, community-based and hospital care, prepares our students for a range of careers across general practice, medicine, psychiatry and other specialities.
cambridge medical school requirements
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Follow these links for overviews of other UK medical schools with similar profiles.Interview style:Traditional interviewAdmissions test:BMATTeaching approach:TraditionalDissecting format:DissectionIntercalation format:Required intercalation
Which is your curriculum? Follow these links to see UK medical school requirements for:
A Level
Advanced Higher
International BaccalaureateWebsite: https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/medicine(link is external)Email: admissions@cam.ac.uk(link sends e-mail)Telephone: +44 (0)1223 333308Course overview:
Cambridge offers a traditional six-year medical degree, segregated into preclinical and clinical study. Due to the collegiate system at Cambridge, applications are made to the first choice college, so attention should be paid to specific entry requirements and places available to maximise chances of success. Course highlights include small group supervisions, in which students can learn from eminent members of faculty, and full cadaveric dissection.
With a famous culture of rigorous exams, college supervisors monitor each student’s academic progress weekly and termly.
Pre-Clinical phase (years one, two, and three):
The first three years are known as the ‘Tripos’, ultimately leading to a BA qualification. Major areas of study include ‘Biology of Disease’ and ‘Neurobiology and Human Behaviour’. In the third year of study, students specialise in a specific area, including core-scientific and non-core-scientific disciplines.
Clinical phase (years four, five, and six):
Years four, five, and six introduce students to clinical attachments. Each year starts with an introductory course, informing learning objectives for the academic term. Year four focuses on core clinical practice, while years five and six focus on specialist and applied clinical practice.
Note: Our year-by-year overview of UK medical school course structures can help you see how this course structure compares with progressions through studies, clinical rotations, and (where relevant) intercalation at other medical schools.Work experience:
Candidates are strongly advised (though not required) to undertake some relevant work experience (either paid or voluntary) in a health or related area.
The medical school is not prescriptive about how this is obtained and recognises the widely differing opportunities available.Widening access:
No formal access to medicine programme, though contextual factors are considered.
Relevant applications receive contextual flags based on individual, socio-economic and educational disadvantage.
The university delivers a Medicine Summer School with the Sutton Trust, alongside a number of other subject-specific outreach interventions.Teaching style notes:
Three years of pre-clinical medicine taught via supervisions, seminars, and practicals.
Full body cadaveric dissection.
Intercalated tripos.
Three years of clinical medicine taught in Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust.Personal statement:
Personal statement is reviewed prior to interview but not scoredNotes about admissions test:
No pass mark.
Each college uses the BMAT differently.
Refer to college website for specific guidance.Type of interview: Traditional interviewInterview notes:
Candidates are assessed on: Understanding of the scientific basis of medicine & recent innovation, personal qualities showing aptitude to medical practice, communication skills, understanding of ethical and legal issues related to medicine, teamwork, teaching, and the ability to evaluate & research.
Candidates have at least two panel interviews, each lasting from twenty to forty-five minutes. Interviewers are usually admissions tutors and practising clinicians.Intercalation notes:
As explained in this medical school’s prospectus(link is external): “It also has a compulsory intercalated year in third year (Part II) which means you can study any one topic from the Natural Sciences Tripos, such as pathology or pharmacology or even history and philosophy of science. This broadens your horizons of knowledge outside core medicine….”Medical school history:
The current medical school was established in 1976, although teaching of medicine at Cambridge has a longer history. The Linacre Readership in Medicine was founded in 1524, and the Regius Professor of Physic was established in 1540.
Note: To see how this compares chronologically, you can check our sortable overview of establishment dates at UK medical schools.Add to compare
This medical school’s competition ratios
| Home / EU applicants per interview | Home / EU applicants per place | International applicants per interview | International applicants per place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not specified | 6.00 | UK only | 17.00 |
Note: This is data available for the 2019 / 2020 admissions cycle. For an overview of how this compares with those of other UK medical schools, see our sortable listing of UK medical school competition ratios.
This medical school’s typical offers, by curriculum
| A Level typical offer | GCSE requirements | Advanced and Scottish Highers typical offers | National 5 requirements | International Baccalaureate typical offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A*A*AA levels must include Chemistry and at least one of Biology, Physics, Maths. Some colleges require three of above subjects. | No specific requirements. | Advanced Highers: A1A1A2Subjects not specifiedScottish Highers: Not specifiedSubjects not specified | Not specified | 40–42 pointsApplicants must have Higher Chemistry and at least one of Higher Biology, Physics. Some colleges require two of above subjects. |
To see how these typical offers compare with those of other UK medical schools, compare the rankings of A Levels typical offers, the rankings of Advanced Highers typical offers, and the rankings of International Baccalaureate typical offers.
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