Medical school guide · 2027 entry

Aberdeen Medicine

School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen

A five-year integrated MBChB with a distinctive remote and rural strand, where the interview carries half of the final selection score.

The interview Compare all schools

King's College Chapel, University of Aberdeen (Old Aberdeen campus)

Course: A100 · 5 yearsMBChB
Typical offer: AAA
Interview: MMI
Halls from: £111/wk
Local private rent: £844/mo
Location: Aberdeen

Preparing for Aberdeen

What matters most at Aberdeen.

01
The MMI is worth 50% of the final score, as much as academics (30%) and UCAT (20%) combined, so interview preparation has an unusually large effect here.
02
Communication is scored at every station, so how an answer is delivered matters as much as its content.
03
If you are drawn to rural or island medicine, Aberdeen's Remote and Rural option gives you something specific and genuine to discuss.

Notes by Dr S Farooq, MBChB, BSc (Hons). Checked October 2026.

The interview

The Aberdeen medicine interview.

MMI

Format

Modified MMI (latest published format).

Stations and timing

5-minute stations, each with two selectors; about 1 hour per candidate (latest published format, undated).

In person or online

For 2027 entry, in person at the Suttie Centre, Foresterhill.

Dates

For 2027 entry, interviews run on 14-18 December 2026 (interviews generally run December to March); offers by the end of March 2027.

How it counts

The interview is worth 50% and is added to the academic (30%) and UCAT (20%) scores. Offers go to the highest combined totals.

What Aberdeen assesses

Motivation to study medicine
Core qualities
Critical thinking and problem solving
Teamwork
Professionalism
Communication and interpersonal skills

What the tasks involve

Discussing preparation for medicine
Considering a new situation or problem
Reflecting on learning points or skills
Considering contribution to others' care
Teamwork station with two questions

Preparation advice from Aberdeen

Applicants are advised to research careers and the curriculum, prepare their own examples, avoid memorised answers and practise with different people. An example station is provided, and the interview is not designed to test academic knowledge.

Practise for the Aberdeen MMI under timed conditions.

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Entry and UCAT

Getting an interview at Aberdeen.

Typical requirements for school leavers. Always check the full requirements on the Aberdeen website.

Typical A-level offer

AAA

Required subjects

Chemistry plus one of Biology/Human Biology, Maths or Physics, plus one other subject.

How the UCAT is used

No minimum cut-off (latest published, undated). For 2027 entry, a combined score is used for interview shortlisting: academic attainment or predictions 30% plus UCAT 20%, and the highest scorers are invited. The UCAT score is the total of Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Decision Making.

Situational judgement (SJT)

The SJT is not part of the shortlisting score, which uses only the three cognitive subtests (latest published, undated).

Published UCAT scores

No cut-off is used. For 2026 entry, the lowest UCAT score invited to interview was 1700 (Scottish) and 1720 (Rest of UK).

GCSEs

GCSE English Language or Literature and Maths at B/5 or above expected; Biology and Physics at B/6 or above recommended.

Other qualifications

SQA Highers AAAAB in one sitting (Chemistry plus two of Biology/Human Biology, Maths or Physics). IB: HL 666 including Chemistry plus Maths, Biology or Physics, with SL averaging 6.

Contextual offers

Widening access (SIMD20/40, POLAR4 Q1, care-experienced, young carers, Reach Scotland): A-level AAB (Chemistry plus Biology, Physics or Maths) or Highers AAAB. School leavers receive a UCAT uplift of 10% (SIMD20 or care-experienced) or 5% (SIMD40).

The course

Studying medicine at Aberdeen.

At a glance

Intake: About 300 a year incl. 30 international (2026)
Teaching: Integrated, systems-based, case-led
Anatomy: Prosection (Suttie Centre)
Intercalation: Optional after Year 3 or Year 4
Main campus: Foresterhill Health Campus

Complete University Guide 2027

28th

of 40 for Medicine · table

Guardian University Guide 2027

15th

of 40 for Medicine · table

National Student Survey 2025

88.3%

positive about teaching on the course (188 responses) · OfS

League tables weight different things, so the same school can sit in different places. Use them as one input, alongside the course, the selection method and where you would like to live.

Year by year

Year 1Foundations of Medicine, then body systems with anatomy and clinical skills. GP-based Foundations of Primary Care starts, plus a group SSC.
Year 2Further systems teaching (e.g. alimentary, nervous system, endocrine) with weekly hospital attachments and an SSC on mechanisms of disease.
Year 3Remaining systems and specialties, a six-week Medical Humanities SSC and the start of senior clinical practice.
Year 4Seven six-week clinical blocks, at least one in Inverness (or the whole year there on the Remote and Rural option). Written exam and OSCE.
Year 5Assistantships in medicine, surgery and GP/psychiatry, an eight-week elective and preparation for practice.

How it is taught

Integrated, systems-based curriculum. Term 1 of Year 1 covers medical sciences, followed by systems-based teaching built around clinical cases from Term 2.

Patient contact

Clinical attachments and work with Patient Partners from Year 1, with weekly attachments in Year 2.

Intercalation

Optional one-year intercalated honours degree (Medical Sciences or Medical Humanities) after Year 3 or Year 4.

Placements

Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Foresterhill Health Campus (including the children's and maternity hospitals), Inverness, and sites across NHS Grampian, Highland and the northern and island regions.

Distinctive features

Year 4 includes at least one block in Inverness, or the whole year on the Remote and Rural option
Clinical Skills Centre and Suttie Centre anatomy facility, with prosection-based anatomy teaching in Years 1–3
Medical Humanities selective in Year 3 and an 8-week elective project in Year 5

How you are assessed

Written exams testing knowledge and clinical reasoning, coursework (essays, posters, presentations) and clinical exams, including a Year 4 OSCE. Assessment is both formative and summative.

Elective

An eight-week elective project in Year 5, at a location the student chooses.

Main teaching hospitals

Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
Children's and maternity hospitals, Foresterhill
Hospitals in Inverness (NHS Highland)
Rural sites in Fort William, Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles

Placements and travel

Placements run across northern Scotland, with Year 4 time in Inverness and Year 5 options as far as Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, so some blocks mean living away from Aberdeen. In the city, the free 9U bus links Hillhead, Old Aberdeen and Foresterhill.

Student life

Living in Aberdeen as a medic.

Where you will live, the societies and sport on offer, and how you will get around. Prices and dates change, so check the linked pages.

The city

Aberdeen is a fairly small granite-built city with about 30,000 students across two universities. Living costs are generally lower than in larger UK cities, and the coast and Highlands are close.

Accommodation

New students who apply by the deadline are guaranteed a room. Most first years live at Hillhead Student Village (about 2,000 students, about 20 minutes' walk from the Old Aberdeen campus); Foresterhill is reached by the 9U bus.

Medical society

Aberdeen MedSoc

Students' union

Aberdeen University Students' Association (AUSA)

Medic societies and clubs

MedSoc medic families
AMOS (student-led medicine outreach society)
Aberdeen International Medicine Society

Sport and gyms

Aberdeen Sports Village has a gym, 50m pool, diving pool, outdoor track and over 70 classes a week, with a discounted Student Lifestyle membership for university students. AUSA runs over 200 sports clubs and societies.

Getting around

First Bus runs the city network with student season tickets, and Scottish residents aged 5–21 can get free bus travel. Most of the city is walkable (about 25 minutes from campus to the centre), and AUSA's BeCyCle society lends bikes free.

Support for medics

Year leads, a dedicated medical student support team, personal tutors, a student pairing and buddy scheme, and specialist mental health support. MedSoc places first years into medic families.

Cars and parking

Students can buy one of a limited number of annual parking permits (£264) or pay £1.20 a day at the Butchart student car park in Old Aberdeen; the University lists no student parking at Foresterhill. Streets around Aberdeen Royal Infirmary are council pay-and-display (£1.80 for up to 2 hours, £5.45 for up to 6 hours); Foresterhill is served by the 9U bus.

Food and essentials

Greens of Hillhead, a convenience store, opened in Hillhead Student Village in November 2025 after the previous Co-op closed; the nearest larger supermarket is the Lidl on King Street, down the hill from the village.

Going out

AUSA's Students' Union Building on Elphinstone Road houses Union Brew, its bar and café with quizzes and open mics. In the city centre, Belmont Street is the main hub of bars, pubs and clubs, with live music at The Tunnels beneath Union Street.

Costs and living

Aberdeen medicine fees and living costs.

Fees, university accommodation and local private rents, from official sources.

University halls

From £111/wk

£111–£191 per week (2026/27); contracts 40–50 weeks depending on residence

Accommodation prices

Local rent, whole homes (ONS)

£844/mo

£844 per month, Aberdeen and Shire, ONS Price Index of Private Rents (September 2026 data, released 21 October 2026); ONS publishes Scottish figures by Broad Rental Market Area, not by local authority, so this covers Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire together

Average for a whole home of any size; a room in a shared house costs much less.

Home tuition fee

Scotland: £1,820 per year (2026/27 and 2027/28; normally covered by SAAS). England/Wales/NI/Republic of Ireland: £9,790 (2026/27), £10,050 (2027/28)

International tuition fee

£50,100 per year (2027/28), stated as including the mandatory national NHS teaching levy; the course page also warns that an additional ACT levy charge may apply

Fees source

Bursaries and funding

Scottish-domiciled students from SIMD20 postcodes can get one year of free university accommodation (September 2027 entry). Further widening access scholarships are listed on the university's funding pages.

Other routes in

Graduate, gateway and international routes.

Graduate entry

Aberdeen does not run a separate graduate-entry course for 2027. Graduates can usually apply to the standard course. See graduate-entry courses

Gateway or foundation

Gateway2Medicine is a one-year pre-medical programme run with NESCOL for Scottish-domiciled widening access applicants (SIMD20 or care-experienced, or two other widening access criteria). It guarantees an MBChB place subject to academic criteria and a satisfactory MMI and UCAT.

International applicants

Accepts international applicants. International places: 30 international places (2026 entry), alongside 268 places shared by Scottish and rest-of-UK applicants (2027 entry).

Overseas applicants apply through UCAS by 15 October; 30 international places for 2026 entry. The course page gives £50,100 a year (2027/28) as including the mandatory NHS teaching levy, but also asks international applicants to check the Institute for Education in Medical and Dental Sciences site for any additional ACT levy charge.

Places

2026 entry: 268 places shared between Scottish and rest-of-UK applicants, plus 30 international places (298 in total).

Applications, interviews and offers

2026 entry (applications/interviews/offers): Scottish 955/839/643; Rest of UK 222/164/133; International 455/149/90.

FAQs

Aberdeen medicine FAQs.

What are the entry requirements for Aberdeen medicine?

For 2027 entry, the typical A-level offer is AAA, with Chemistry plus one of Biology/Human Biology, Maths or Physics, and one other subject. GCSE English and Maths at B/5 or above are expected.

Does Aberdeen have a UCAT cut-off for medicine?

No. Aberdeen uses no minimum cut-off; for 2027 entry, UCAT is worth 20% of the shortlisting score. For 2026 entry the lowest score invited to interview was 1700 for Scottish and 1720 for rest of UK applicants.

What is the Aberdeen MMI like?

Aberdeen's MMI uses 5-minute stations, each with two selectors, and takes about an hour per candidate (latest published format). For 2027 entry it is held in person at the Suttie Centre, Foresterhill.

When are Aberdeen medicine interviews for 2027 entry?

For 2027 entry, interviews run on 14-18 December 2026, and offers are made by the end of March 2027.

How does Aberdeen decide medicine offers?

For 2027 entry, the interview is worth 50% of the final score, added to the academic score (30%) and UCAT (20%). Offers go to the highest combined totals.

How many places does Aberdeen medicine have?

For 2026 entry there were 268 places shared between Scottish and rest-of-UK applicants, plus 30 international places (298 in total).

Sources

Official sources.

Checked in October 2026 for 2027 entry. Requirements and dates change each cycle, so always confirm on the Aberdeen website before applying.

Official links

Open days: The 2026 campus open days have passed; the course page lists a virtual undergraduate open day on Thursday 19 November. Campus tours can be booked at other times. Check dates

Show 20 sources

Photo: King's College Chapel, University of Aberdeen (Old Aberdeen campus), Devinberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Vetta Education is independent and not affiliated with Aberdeen or any university. No offer, interview or admission outcome is guaranteed.

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