Medical school guide · 2027 entry
Edinburgh Medicine
Edinburgh Medical School, University of Edinburgh
A six-year MBChB with an integrated honours year, a published UCAT minimum of 1850 for 2027 entry, and an MMI-style assessment day.
Old Medical School, Teviot Place, University of Edinburgh
- Course
- A100 · 6 yearsMBChB plus BMedSci (Hons)
- Typical offer
- AAA
- Interview
- MMI
- Halls from
- £96/wk
- Local private rent
- £1,411/mo
- Location
- Edinburgh
Preparing for Edinburgh
What matters most at Edinburgh.
- 01
The UCAT minimum is 1850, and an SJT band 4 means the application is not considered.
- 02
Above the minimum, UCAT deciles add to an academic score, so both carry weight when ranking for interview.
- 03
Widening access uplifts apply to UCAT scores; check whether you qualify.
Notes by Dr S Farooq, MBChB, BSc (Hons). Checked October 2026.
The interview
The Edinburgh medicine interview.
MMI
Format
For 2027 entry, a half-day assessment day with a series of short interviews (Edinburgh does not call it an MMI).
Stations and timing
For 2027 entry, an assessment half-day made up of a series of short interviews. In the 2025-entry format, individual interviews ran for 12 minutes and the group task for 35 minutes.
In person or online
For 2027 entry, in person for Scotland and rest of UK or Republic of Ireland fee-rate applicants. Other applicants may be able to attend online.
Dates
For 2027 entry (applications by 15 October 2026), outcomes are issued by the following March.
How it counts
About 800 of the top-scoring applicants are invited. Final ranking weights the assessment day 50%, academic score 25%, UCAT decile 17.5% and SJT band 7.5% (2027 entry).
What Edinburgh assesses
- Core attributes required of doctors
- Medical Schools Council core values statement
What the tasks involve
- Short individual interviews
- Observed group task
- Core values of doctors
Preparation advice from Edinburgh
Structure details are sent with the invitation. See the Medical Schools Council statement on core values and attributes.
Six complimentary mock MMIs with reading time, timed answers and marking points, written by a doctor.
Entry and UCAT
Getting an interview at Edinburgh.
Typical requirements for school leavers. Always check the full requirements on the Edinburgh website.
Typical A-level offer
AAA in one sitting (widening access Plus Flag minimum AAB)
Required subjects
Chemistry plus one of Biology or Human Biology, Maths or Further Maths, or Physics.
How the UCAT is used
The minimum total cut-off is 1850 for 2027 entry. Scores are ranked into deciles and converted to points, then added to the academic score for ranking. For 2027 entry, uplifts are 10% for Plus Flag (considered regardless of cut-off), 5% for Flag and 10% for SIMD40.
Situational judgement (SJT)
For 2027 entry, the SJT band is scored and added. Band 4 is not considered regardless of widening access status.
Published UCAT scores
1850 minimum total (2027 entry).
GCSEs
Biology, Chemistry, English and Maths at 7/A (minimum offer 6/B). Double Award 77 is accepted.
Other qualifications
IB 38 with 666 at HL (minimum 34 with 655). Highers AAAAB by S5 plus BB at Advanced Higher.
Contextual offers
The widening access Plus Flag minimum offer is AAB, or AAABB at Higher with CC at Advanced Higher, or IB 34. There are 25 additional places for SIMD20 applicants (2026). UCAT uplifts apply for Flag, Plus Flag and SIMD40 applicants.
The course
Studying medicine at Edinburgh.
At a glance
- Intake
- 266 places plus 25 SIMD20 places (2026 entry)
- Teaching
- Lectures, tutorials, simulation and placements
- Intercalation
- Compulsory: Year 3 BMedSci honours year
- Main campus
- Central Area (Years 1–2) and BioQuarter
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
- Years 1–2Biomedicine, social and ethical aspects of medicine, research skills and clinical skills, with GP contact from Year 1 and history-taking and examination in Year 2. Mostly taught in the Central Area.
- Year 3Honours year for a BMedSci, chosen from more than 20 programmes.
- Year 4Clinical medicine and healthcare delivery, with hospital and general practice placements.
- Year 5Hospital rotations including psychiatry, child health, and obstetrics and gynaecology.
- Year 6Apprenticeship-style year in general and acute medicine, general practice, emergency medicine and surgery, plus the elective.
How it is taught
A mix of lectures, tutorials, lab and project work, simulation, self-directed online learning and clinical placements.
Patient contact
Clinical teaching in general practice in Year 1, with history-taking and examination in Year 2.
Intercalation
Built in. Year 3 is a full research-based honours year (BMedSci) chosen from more than 20 programmes.
Placements
Lothian teaching hospitals and regional sites mainly across the south of Scotland, with GP placements in south-east Scotland.
Distinctive features
- The only six-year MBChB in Scotland with an integrated honours research year
- Two qualifications (BMedSci and MBChB)
- Some placements in the Highlands and Islands
How you are assessed
Online applied knowledge tests, OSCEs, written assessments, research projects and in-course assessment, plus professionalism. Graduates must pass the GMC Medical Licensing Assessment.
Elective
Compulsory elective in Year 6, after final exams, arranged by the student in the UK or abroad.
Main teaching hospitals
- Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (BioQuarter)
- Western General Hospital
Placements and travel
Years 4–6 use Edinburgh's teaching hospitals, GP practices and hospitals across south and central Scotland, with a few placements in the Highlands and Islands. The University estimates placement travel at up to £530–£900 a year.
Student life
Living in Edinburgh 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
Scotland's capital. University housing is within a short walk or bus ride of the city centre, and early teaching is in the central George Square and Teviot Place area.
Accommodation
First-year offer guaranteed if you apply by 31 July, are Unconditional Firm by 31 August and live outside the City of Edinburgh. Self-catered rooms average £925 a month and catered £1,169 (2026/27, 39-week lease).
Medical society
Students' union
Medic societies and clubs
- Surgical Society
- Wilderness Medics
- Remote and Rural Medicine Society
- Global Health Society
- Medical Education Society (peer tutorials)
- Teddy Bear Hospital Edinburgh
- Medics rugby, hockey, netball and football
- APEX (Altitude Physiology Expeditions)
Sport and gyms
Edinburgh Sport student gym membership costs £209 for the academic year or £249 for the full year (2026/27, to May or July 2027). Medics run their own rugby, hockey, netball, football, squash and volleyball teams.
Getting around
Students aged 21 and under who have lived in Scotland for six months get free bus travel; others get about 12% off Lothian Ridacards. A free shuttle links the Central Area and King's Buildings.
Support for medics
Each student has a named Student Adviser, and Year 1 includes a buddy scheme. Student-run groups such as WellMed and the Medical Education Society offer wellbeing and peer teaching.
Cars and parking
University accommodation discourages cars: Pollock Halls has spaces only for Blue Badge holders, and elsewhere a permit is approved only in exceptional circumstances. At Little France (Royal Infirmary), the published annual permits (£250) are for staff, public car parks A–C cost from £1.30 for the first hour to £7 for over six hours, and more than 600 buses a day serve the site (the 33 and 49 are quickest from the centre).
Food and essentials
Pollock Halls residents eat at the JMCC Restaurant; the nearest supermarket is a Sainsbury's Local about 12 minutes' walk away, and the nearest large one is Sainsbury's Cameron Toll, about 25 minutes on foot or a short bus ride (X95, 33 or 51).
Going out
The Students' Association runs Teviot (five bars over seven floors with comedy, quizzes and ceilidhs), Potterrow (the city's biggest student nightclub) and The Pleasance, all in the central George Square area.
Costs and living
Edinburgh medicine fees and living costs.
Fees, university accommodation and local private rents, from official sources.
University halls
From £96/wkAbout £96–£350 per week (published as £414–£1,518 per month over a 39-week lease; self-catered average £925/month, catered £1,169/month), 2026-27 living-costs figures. University accommodation only on 39-week leases.
Accommodation pricesRoom in a private house (university estimate)
About £688 a month for a private let, plus about £55 a month for utilities (University of Edinburgh estimate, 2026/27)
University cost guideLocal rent, whole homes (ONS)
£1,411/mo£1,411 per month, Lothian Broad Rental Market Area (ONS publishes Scottish data by BRMA, not local authority), ONS Price Index of Private Rents (21 Oct 2026 release, Sept 2026 data)
Average for a whole home of any size; a room in a shared house costs much less.
Home tuition fee
2026/27: Scotland £1,820 (paid by SAAS for eligible students); rest of UK and ROI £9,790 (subject to Parliamentary approval). The University lists a general rest-of-UK rise to £10,050 for 2027/28, also subject to approval.
Bursaries and funding
Eligible Scottish students have tuition paid by SAAS and can get SAAS bursaries and loans; rest-of-UK students use their home student finance. The Access Edinburgh Scholarship pays UK students £1,000–£5,000 a year by household income (2026/27 rates), assessed automatically; from 2027/28 the £24,000–£33,999 band is removed.
Other routes in
Graduate, gateway and international routes.
Graduate entry
HCP-Med MBChB for Healthcare Professionals · none (direct application, not UCAS) · 5 years. UK 2:1 in a science or healthcare subject (2:2/Ordinary considered; non-science degrees need Higher/A-level Chemistry at C). Must be a registered healthcare professional, clinical scientist or vet who has practised in Scotland for 2 or more years. Test: UCAT (no minimum; SJT Band 4 excluded). Places: Edinburgh has no separate graduate-entry course for general graduates, who apply to the standard MBChB; 13 Scottish-fee and 8 rest-of-UK-fee graduates were placed in 2025 entry. Its HCP-Med programme for healthcare professionals has a restricted number of places but does not publish a figure.
Gateway or foundation
No gateway programme is listed. Widening access is handled through Plus Flag offers and SIMD20 additional places.
International applicants
Accepts international applicants. International places: 21 places for EU and overseas fee-rate applicants, out of 266 in total (2026 entry). In 2025 entry, 22 international fee-rate applicants were placed (2027 entry).
There were 21 EU or overseas fee-rate places for 2026 entry. International applicants need the UCAT and attend the half-day assessment day.
Places
266 total for 2026 entry (166 Scotland, 79 rest of UK or Republic of Ireland, 21 EU or overseas), plus 25 SIMD20 places
Applications, interviews and offers
2025 entry: 1,909 applications, 839 invited to the assessment day and 585 offers. Scotland: 678, 508 and 411. Rest of UK: 545, 233 and 182. Overseas: 686, 98 and 68.
FAQs
Edinburgh medicine FAQs.
What are the entry requirements for Edinburgh medicine?
The typical offer is AAA in one sitting, with Chemistry plus one of Biology or Human Biology, Maths or Further Maths, or Physics. GCSE Biology, Chemistry, English and Maths are expected at 7/A (6/B for widening access Plus Flag applicants) (latest published requirements).
Does Edinburgh have a UCAT cut-off for medicine?
Yes: the minimum total is 1850 for 2027 entry. Scores are converted to decile points and added to the academic score, and SJT Band 4 is not considered.
What is the Edinburgh medicine interview like?
For 2027 entry, Edinburgh holds an assessment half-day made up of a series of short interviews, in person for Scotland and rest of UK fee-rate applicants. In the 2025-entry format, individual interviews ran for 12 minutes and the group task for 35 minutes.
How does Edinburgh decide medicine offers?
For 2027 entry, approximately the top-scoring 800 applicants are invited. The final ranking weights the assessment day 50%, academic score 25%, UCAT decile 17.5% and SJT band 7.5% (latest published scoring, undated).
How long is the Edinburgh medicine course?
Six years: an MBChB that includes an integrated BMedSci (Hons) year (2027 entry).
How many places does Edinburgh medicine have?
266 places for 2026 entry (166 Scotland, 79 rest of UK or Republic of Ireland, 21 EU or overseas), plus 25 SIMD20 places.
Sources
Official sources.
Checked in October 2026 for 2027 entry. Requirements and dates change each cycle, so always confirm on the Edinburgh website before applying.
Official links
Open days: Undergraduate open days in June and autumn 2027; dates published by January 2027. Join the mailing list to be told when booking opens. Check dates
Show 19 sources
- study.ed.ac.uk/programmes/undergraduate/354-mbchb-medicine-6-year-programme
- study.ed.ac.uk/programmes/undergraduate/354-mbchb-medicine-6-year-programme/entr
- medicine-vet-medicine.ed.ac.uk/edinburgh-medical-school/medicine/applying/how-to
- medicine-vet-medicine.ed.ac.uk/edinburgh-medical-school/medicine/applying/how-to
- medicine-vet-medicine.ed.ac.uk/edinburgh-medical-school/medicine/applying/assess
- medicine-vet-medicine.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2025-10/MBChB%20Admissions%20
- medicine-vet-medicine.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2024-09/MBChB%20Assessment%20
- medicine-vet-medicine.ed.ac.uk/edinburgh-medical-school/medicine/location-and-fa
- medicine-vet-medicine.ed.ac.uk/edinburgh-medical-school/medicine/applying/how-to
- study.ed.ac.uk/undergraduate/student-life/accommodation
- study.ed.ac.uk/undergraduate/fees-funding/living-costs
- transport.ed.ac.uk/public-transport/discounts
- transport.ed.ac.uk/public-transport/shuttle-bus
- study.ed.ac.uk/undergraduate/fees-funding/funding
- registryservices.ed.ac.uk/student-funding/undergraduate/uk-eu/access-awards/acce
- study.ed.ac.uk/undergraduate/open-days-events-visits/open-day
- study.ed.ac.uk/undergraduate/fees-funding/living-costs
- ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/datasets/priceindexofprivaterentsukm
- registryservices.ed.ac.uk/tuition-fees/find/undergraduate/2027-2028/medicine
Photo: Old Medical School, Teviot Place, University of Edinburgh, Mario RM from Madrid, Spain, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Vetta Education is independent and not affiliated with Edinburgh or any university. No offer, interview or admission outcome is guaranteed.
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