Applying to Medicine

If you are applying for undergraduate study with the School of Medicine, please ensure that you understand the application process and associated factors before applying.

Application process

1. Entry requirements

Ensure you meet the entry requirements.

2. UCAT

Ensure you have sat the UCAT.

3. Write a personal statement

Further information about personal statements is given within the ‘qualities and experience’ section on the entry requirements page. Guidance on how to write a personal statement can be found on UCAS.

4. Arrange a reference

If you are at school, your Principal or Head of Year will generally write your reference. If you are on a gap year after achieving your school-leaving qualifications, the reference should also be provided by your school.

If you are studying in a university, the School of Medicine will require a reference from your academic tutor or adviser of studies.

References from family members, close friends or employers are not acceptable.

Your reference should comment on:

  • your attitude to study and academic performance
  • the context in which your qualifications have been, or will be achieved (this could include whether any resit exams were taken, and other extenuating factors)
  • your approach to working with others, including communication skills
  • your contribution to your school or university
  • any other skills or attributes you have that make you a suitable candidate for medicine.

If you are applying with qualifications not yet achieved, your reference must contain predicted grades for your expected performance in future examinations.

5. Fill out an application form

You will submit either a UCAS application or a direct application.

Qualifications
All qualifications taken (regardless of grades obtained) must be included on the application form. Please indicate grades already obtained even if you are re-taking examinations. All qualifications you are taking in the future must be included (predictions for those examinations to be included in your reference). Ensure that intermediate-level qualifications such as GCSEs and Standard Grades (or equivalent) are included.

Gaps in schooling or employment
If you did not follow the normal pattern of schooling and there are ‘gaps’ between one set of examinations and the next, your reference should offer an explanation or other evidence should be provided. If there is no explanation, the School of Medicine might assume that you had re-taken examinations. If you are not applying directly from school, please explain on your application how you have spent your time since leaving school, indicating periods of employment or unemployment. Supplementary information may be sent at the time of application if necessary.

Evidence of recent study
All applicants are considered on an individual basis. However, the nature and demands of a medical degree programme mean that academic preparation is essential. You are expected to demonstrate evidence of recent academic achievement at a high level to ensure that you are properly prepared for university-level study and have the best possible chances of succeeding.

  • Applicants applying with school-level qualifications must have achieved these within the three-year period prior to the programme start date.
  • If your school-level qualifications are more than three years old, your next opportunity to apply to the programme will be as a graduate applicant.
  • Graduate applicants will be considered if their qualifying undergraduate degree has been achieved within the three-year period prior to the programme start date.
  • Should an applicant have progressed directly into PhD study following their qualifying undergraduate degree, they must have completed their PhD within three years of the programme start date.

6. Submit your application by the deadline

For 2025 entry, the deadline for all students will be 15 October 2024. 

The School does not consider late applications after the official closing date or enter UCAS Extra or Clearing. To find out more about selection procedures after you have applied, see how students are selected.

Fraudulent or plagiarised applications

The University of St Andrews will not admit students based on fraudulent or plagiarised applications or documents. Please see the University’s admissions policy for more information.

If a student deliberately fails to disclose information that could have made them ineligible to study medicine, or gives false information, the course provider can consider removing them from training on grounds of dishonesty.