Medicine Graduate Entry
Oxford Graduate Entry Medicine is regarded as one of the most prestigious pathways to begin medical practice in the UK for graduates in the sciences. One of the highlights of The University of Oxford A101 course (BMBCh4) Graduate Entry Medicine is the opportunity for graduates in the sciences to begin a fast tracked journey to clinical practice. The A101 course is unlike the 6 year undergraduate medical practice. The A101 course integrates basic sciences with early clinical training and practice and allows graduates to complete their medical education in four short, intensive years. The following guide aims to equip prospective applicants with all the necessary information regarding the A101 course, including entry requirements and career outcomes.
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Why Choose Graduate Medicine Entry
Oxford Graduate Entry Medicine is different to the rest of the UK Medical Schools for multiple reasons. Other Graduate Medicine programmes in the UK place less emphasis on the science upon which the practice of medicine is based. This is one of the reasons Oxford is most attractive to candidates whose main focus is medicine at the crossroads of science or those candidates aspiring to a career in academic medicine. The course is aimed primarily at graduates in the sciences which offers you the considerable advantage of academic maturity for your medical education.
The complete collegiate system at Oxford creates a conducive learning atmosphere. Every student attends weekly college tutorials in small groups, typically sized between two and four, and that allows every student to receive individual pastoral and academic support. Having a dedicated tutor for every student is a keystone in Oxford’s medical education, as every student receives individual attention for all four years of their education.
Within a small cohort, Oxford’s graduate medicine programme encourages discussion-based learning. This is aimed at building upon the abilities gained from the student’s previous degree. The university training goal is to develop and appropriately educate a doctor in both medicine and science, and whose clinical practise is informed by sound clinical reasoning. Although the programme is designed for a wide variety of medical specialties and career options, many of the graduates enter the field of academic medicine, which is a blend of clinical practice and research.
Programme Overview
- UCAS Code: A101
- Course Title: BMBCh4 (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery)
- Duration: 4 years (full-time)
- Start Date: October 2027 (for 2026 applications)
- Intake: Approximately 32-40 places annually
- Delivery: On-campus at Oxford, United Kingdom
- Credits: 480 alternative credits
Admissions Statistics
- Interviewed: 37% of applicants
- Successful: 14% of applicants
- Competition: Particularly strong; approximately 40-45 places available for accelerated/graduate-entry medicine
Academic Requirements
To be eligible for Oxford’s graduate-entry medicine programme, applicants must meet specific academic criteria designed to ensure they possess the necessary scientific foundation for accelerated medical training.
First Degree Requirements
Applicants must hold a degree classified as 2.1 or above (or GPA above 3.5) in an applied or experimental science subject. Acceptable disciplines include bioscience, chemistry, experimental physics, and engineering. If your degree is not among typically acceptable subjects, you should contact the Medical Sciences Division to confirm eligibility.
A-Level Requirements:
You need to have passes at A-level of at least AAB, with a A or A* in Chemistry (if A-levels were taken in the last five years). One of your A-level subjects must be Chemistry, unless you have a Chemistry degree. You also need one A-level from Biology, Physics, or Mathematics. Candidates with a degree in a non-bioscience subject must have a biology qualification at GCSE or the equivalent.
English Language Requirements
Should English not be your native language, you must fulfill Oxford’s English language requirements.
IELTS: 7.5
PTE Academic: 76
TOEFL iBT: 110
Application Timeline and Deadlines
For the graduate-entry medicine program at Oxford, you must complete UCAS and the University of Oxford application. This dual-application system is in place to ensure holistic evaluation of your application for the program.
Key Dates:
Deadline for UCAS Applications: 15 October 2025, 6pm (UK time)
Deadline for Oxford Supplementary Form: 15 October 2025, 6pm
Deadline for Referees: 22 October 2025, 6pm
UCAT Test Window: 7 July – 26 September 2025
Deadline to Register for UCAT: 19 September 2025, 12 noon BST
Interview Dates: Usually in December (online)
Application Components
UCAS Application
Your UCAS form needs to show Oxford as one of your choices, using course code A101 (BMBCh4). You may indicate a preference for a college, but not all colleges open to your application will have places for the graduate-entry course. Alternatively, you could submit an Open Application to receive a college to help Oxford balance its application.
Oxford Supplementary Form
As part of the university application form you will have to name and give the positions of two referees, one of whom needs to be acquainted with your recent studies. These referees will be different from your UCAS referee. To be considered complete, your application will need to have your referees submit their references on time.
UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test)
As part of every application, all candidates must complete the UCAT test. Candidates must open a UCAT account and select a test date during the designated time period. The University of Oxford recommends candidates undertake this activity well before close of the registration period, as this will be necessary in advance of the deadline.
Selection Criteria and Interview Process
Oxford assesses the application in a variety of ways:
- The application and UCAS application form
- The statements of the referees
- The UCAT results
- The interview
Candidates shortlisted for the interview stage will be assessed by the Medicine tutors from the colleges that will be provisioning places on the graduate entry course. Each Interview candidate for the colleges is guaranteed two and conducted from a selection of two colleges and all candidates for rating are seen by two colleges. These are conducted online.
Note well: Competence in all required elements of the interview will be necessary for the candidate. In addition to the candidate interview, all prospective candidates must be assessed for fitness and health to practice. This includes a clear Disclosure and Barring Service check as well as meeting the UK Department of Health immunisation criteria.
Acceptance Rate and Competitiveness
Oxford University has a highly competitive graduate-entry medicine programme. There are about 40-45 available each year, while the acceptance rate is close to 14%, with 37% of candidates moving forward to the interview stage. This level of competition illustrates the prestige of the programme, as well as the remarkable quality of candidates applying to Oxford’s medical education.
The minimal cohort size is intentional, designed to better accommodate the rigorous, discussion-based learning model central to Oxford’s graduate medicine programme. This level of selectivity is intended to ascertain that the students being admitted are the most outstanding science graduates.
Course Structure and Learning Experience
Year 1: Foundation in Medical Science and Clinical Skills
The first year builds on your science background to cover essential core medical science and fundamental clinical skills. Teaching includes small cohort sessions, lectures, seminars, and clinical teaching. Typically, seminar teaching occurs four days per week, with one day dedicated to clinical placement.
Year 1 Curriculum
- Term 1 (10 weeks): Basics of cellular and molecular biology, ethics, and introduction to clinical history and examination skills
- Term 2 (10 weeks): Systems medicine (cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, and gastrointestinal) and public health and preventative medicine, ethics, and behavioural science
- Term 3 (10 weeks): Systems medicine (endocrine, reproduction)
Year 1 Assessment: Core Medical Sciences, Ethics, Behavioural Sciences Submitted Work, Clinical Examination
Year 2: Deepening Clinical Practice
In year two, the longer clinical placement periods that are incorporated build from the foundations established in year one. There is a nine-week clinical pathology (Laboratory Medicine) block, which covers the major disciplines of microbiology, pathology, haematology, and immunology. The integration of preclinical science is sustained.
Year 2 Structure:
- 2 week residential clinical attachment
- 4 weeks clinical science: Brain and Behaviour
- 9 weeks laboratory medicine: clinical pathology, haematology, biochemistry
- 4 x 4 weeks clinical rotations: medicine; surgery (Oxford and out-of-Oxford placements)
Year 3: Clinical Specialties
Year 3 is fully integrated into the standard clinical course and consists of rotations across various specialties:
- 7 weeks Women’s and Reproductive Health
- 7 weeks Paediatrics
- 8 weeks Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Emergency Medicine
- 16 weeks Brain and Behaviour including Neurology and Psychiatry
- 8 weeks Community Medicine including General Practice
Year 4: Preparation for Professional Practice
The last year is intended for post-qualification preparation. This includes further full-time placements in the medical and surgical specialties, where the final exams are in January and February. Throughout the year, opportunities exist for student-selected special study modules, which includes the exploration of a particular clinical or academic interest. A ten week elective period allows study abroad or in places outside of Oxford. The year ends with a student assistantship and a course. This course, along with the assistantship, centers on preparing for the upcoming professional practice.Teaching Methods and Support.
College Tutorials: During the early years of the course, college tutors give support weekly in groups of two to four students, and continue to support these groups in clinical attachments. This tailored approach fosters consistent and dedicated academic and pastoral support.
Clinical Teaching: Clinical Teaching is conducted in both hospital and community settings. Junior doctors and other healthcare professionals as well as consultants and GPs give this teaching and it broadens students’ clinical experience.
Special Study and Electives: Students can explore personal research interests alongside the core materials of the Academic Special Interest Project spanning Years 1 and 2, as well as within the final-year special study modules and the ten-week elective period which is intended for the more focused study of an area of particular clinical or academic interest.
Fees, Funding, and Scholarships
Tuition Fees
Year 1 (Pre-clinical):
Home students: £9,535
-
Overseas students: £49,400
Years 2-4 (Clinical):
-
Home students: £9,535
-
Overseas students: £65,250
Tuition fees are not guaranteed to remain constant for the duration of the course, and are likely to increase in line with UK retail price inflation.
Living Costs
Oxford estimates monthly living expenses for the 2026 academic year at £1,405-£2,105. Graduate-entry medicine has longer terms, meaning Years 2-4 will incur greater living costs:
- Year 1: 30 weeks
- Year 2: 40 weeks
- Year 3: 48 weeks
- Year 4: 48 weeks (including 10-week elective)
Bursaries and Scholarships
- Oxford Bursary (based on household income)
- Baber Studentships & Dr Jacqueline White Funds (hardship funding for graduate-entry medical students)
- Oxford Hardship Fund (grants up to £2,500 for Home students; up to £6,000 for Overseas/EU/Islands students)
- College-specific scholarships (available through Green-Templeton, Harris-Manchester, Magdalen, Pembroke, St Anne’s, St Catherine’s, St Hugh’s, St Peter’s, Somerville, and Worcester)
External Funding Opportunities
- NHS Bursary (for Years 2-4)
- Ellison Institute of Technology Scholarship
- Black Heart Foundation Scholarships
- Sir Richard Stapley Foundation
- Foulkes Foundation (for postdoctoral scientists with PhDs)
- The Hilda Martindale Trust (for British women)
- Leathersellers’ Student Grants (up to £5,000 per year)
- Rotary Club Scholarships
- Sidney Perry Foundation
- Royal Medical Benevolent Fund
- NHS Hardship Grant (£100-£3,000)
- Student Finance England loans
Life as a Graduate Medicine Student at Oxford
Oxford Graduate-entry Medicine students get a combination of extensive training and a strong sense of community at a college. The small number of students in each cohort allows them to develop strong relationships, and the diversity of the cohort with varied backgrounds in the sciences allows for multiple perspectives to be constructively challenged in medical education. The college system is in place at Oxford to support students in academics and in all the other pastoral, housing, and social community aspects of life for the entirety of the four-year course.
Students focusing on a particular area of interest will be able to do so in greater depth through our special study modules and other research initiatives. The training is designed to develop the scientific approach and many students take up research in parallel to the education they are receiving for their clinical training. This significantly strengthens their prospects for pursuing a career in academic medicine.
Career Outcomes and Opportunities
Post-graduation medicine students from Oxford do receive provisional registration with the General Medical Council (GMC), receiving a license to practice medicine, focusing on fitness to practice. There are many options for specialty training, including General Practice, emergency medicine, obstetrics, ophthalmology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and many more.
Numerous graduates embark on professional pathways that integrate clinical work with research, teaching, or administrative functions. While the majority continue with clinical responsibilities in the UK, some take on clinical roles in the US, Europe, and other parts of the world. A few may choose to work outside of clinical medicine in the pharma industry or in research and teaching positions at universities.
During the programme, there is the opportunity to have career conversations, guidance, and support, and to discuss career aspirations and specialty interests with the faculty.