Medical school guide · 2027 entry
Exeter Medicine
University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter
A five-year BMBS with problem-based learning on real clinical cases, using an 'Exeter Score' that weights academics over UCAT three to one.
St Luke's Campus, University of Exeter
- Course
- A100 · 5 yearsBMBS
- Typical offer
- A*AA
- Interview
- MMI
- Halls from
- £146/wk
- Local private rent
- £1,318/mo
- Location
- Exeter (with Truro, Cornwall)
Preparing for Exeter
What matters most at Exeter.
- 01
The Exeter Score weights academic achievement three times as heavily as UCAT, so strong grades matter a great deal here.
- 02
Interviewers record a global judgement of suitability, so overall impression and consistency across stations matter.
- 03
Check your invitation for whether interviews are online or in person; the 2027 policy does not say.
Notes by Dr S Farooq, MBChB, BSc (Hons). Checked October 2026.
The interview
The Exeter medicine interview.
MMI
Format
MMI (2027 entry).
Stations and timing
Multiple Mini Interview (MMI), held in person or online (2027 entry); the most recently published format (2024 entry) had 4 stations. Station timings are not published, and the 2027 format is not yet confirmed.
In person or online
For 2027 entry, the University says the MMI may take place either in person or online; check your invitation.
Dates
For 2027 entry: interviews December 2026 to March 2027. All interview decisions are sent by mid-May at the latest.
How it counts
Interviewers record a global judgement of suitability. Offers go to a defined number of candidates judged suitable, and a reserve list is used. The exact combination with the Exeter Score is not published.
What Exeter assesses
- Attitudes, behaviours and values of a doctor
- Communication skills
- Empathy
- Insight into strengths and weaknesses
- Reflectiveness
- Motivation to study medicine
Preparation advice from Exeter
Technical set-up, ID documents and interview briefing.
Six complimentary mock MMIs with reading time, timed answers and marking points, written by a doctor.
Entry and UCAT
Getting an interview at Exeter.
Typical requirements for school leavers. Always check the full requirements on the Exeter website.
Typical A-level offer
A*AA
Required subjects
Biology/Human Biology and Chemistry, both at grade A (General Studies excluded)
How the UCAT is used
For 2027 entry, applicants meeting the entry requirements receive an 'Exeter Score' that weights academic achievement to UCAT 3:1 (lookup tables by grades and UCAT decile; each UCAT decile drop is -4 points and each grade drop is -10). The score is used to rank applicants for interview.
Situational judgement (SJT)
SJT use is not described in the 2027 admissions policy.
Published UCAT scores
No official cut-off is published (latest published guidance, undated).
GCSEs
English Language grade 6/B; no other GCSE requirement.
Other qualifications
IB 38 or 766 at Higher Level with HL 6 in Biology and Chemistry (contextual 34 / 665). Access: 30 Level 3 credits at Distinction and 15 at Merit, including 15 Distinction credits each in Biology and Chemistry. BTEC D*DD plus A-level Biology and Chemistry at A. T Levels are not accepted.
Contextual offers
Contextual offer of AAB (A in Biology and Chemistry), IB 34/665 or BTEC DDD for widening participation (WP) eligible Home applicants; WP applicants also receive a +5 uplift in the Exeter Score (2027 entry).
The course
Studying medicine at Exeter.
At a glance
- Teaching
- Problem-based learning on real cases
- Anatomy
- Imaging, plastinates, models and living anatomy
- Intercalation
- Optional between Years 3 and 4
- Main campus
- St Luke's (Exeter) and Knowledge Spa (Truro)
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 1Biomedical and psychosocial science taught through clinical cases at St Luke's Campus, Exeter, with a first patient meeting in term 1.
- Year 2Builds on Year 1 with more clinical skills and placement time, at St Luke's or Truro.
- Years 3–4Clinical Pathways: hospital and community placements in Devon or Cornwall, including acute and chronic care, child health and palliative care/oncology.
- Year 5Apprenticeship-style attachments in hospitals and general practice across the South West, plus a Student-Selected Elective.
How it is taught
Small-group problem-based learning (PBL) on real clinical cases in Years 1–2, plus lectures and practice in the Clinical Skills and Life Sciences Resource Centres. The main written assessment is the Applied Medical Knowledge progress test, sat four times a year.
Patient contact
Clinical experience begins in the first month; first patient contact is normally early in Year 1, term 1.
Intercalation
Optional, between Years 3 and 4 (120 credits of a Bachelor's final year or a one-year Master's).
Placements
Hospital and community placements across Devon and Cornwall; Years 3-4 are at NHS Trust sites in Devon or Cornwall, including Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (Truro).
Distinctive features
- Students must spend at least one year in Cornwall (Knowledge Spa, Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro)
- Non-intimate peer physical examination is used to learn anatomy and physiology
- Final-year apprenticeship attachments across South West NHS hospitals and primary care
- Student-Selected Elective (clinical and/or research, can be abroad)
How you are assessed
The Applied Medical Knowledge test, a multiple-choice progress test, is sat four times a year, alongside clinical assessments and termly reviews. Students must also pass the GMC Medical Licensing Assessment (AKT and CPSA).
Elective
Final-year Student-Selected Elective, clinical, research or both, in the UK or abroad.
Main teaching hospitals
- Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital
- Royal Cornwall Hospital (Treliske), Truro
- Torbay Hospital
- North Devon District Hospital, Barnstaple
Placements and travel
Every student spends at least one year based in Truro and must relocate to Cornwall for it; campus rotation is given after enrolment. Final-year attachments can be in Exeter, Truro, Barnstaple or Torbay.
Student life
Living in Exeter (with Truro, Cornwall) 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
Year 1 teaching is at St Luke's Campus, a short walk from the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and about 25 minutes' walk from the main Streatham Campus. Cornwall years are based at the Royal Cornwall Hospital site in Truro.
Accommodation
First-years are guaranteed a room if they apply by 31 July and firmly accept their offer. Medics use a BMBS-specific form for halls near St Luke's (Rowancroft, Nancherrow), within a 10-minute walk, on 43-week contracts from £6,264 (2026/27).
Medical society
Students' union
Medic societies and clubs
- Medics rugby (PEMRFC, the Squirrels)
- Medics hockey (Flamingos)
- Medics basketball (Crocodiles)
- Medics netball (EMNC)
- Medics football (EUMFC)
- MedSoc Run Club
- Cornwall MedSoc (Truro)
Sport and gyms
Gyms at the Sports Park (Streatham) and St Luke's Sports Centre, which has an indoor pool. A student gym membership costs £243 for the full year or £206 early-bird (2026/27); MedSoc runs medic-only teams.
Getting around
Frequent buses link St Luke's and Streatham Campuses, a short ride apart.
Support for medics
Each student has an academic tutor, changed each year, who oversees progress and professional development. MedSoc runs weekly welfare drop-ins, peer support and OSCE revision sessions.
Cars and parking
Residents of University accommodation cannot park on the Streatham or St Luke's campuses (Blue Badge holders excepted) and do not qualify for council residents' permits nearby. Rowancroft is a short walk from the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital at Wonford, where the Trust reports increasingly busy car parks and promotes its Sowton park and ride, which stops at the medical school.
Food and essentials
St Luke's Campus has the Cross Keys café-bar (breakfasts, hot food boxes, wraps, weekdays in term), and the Heavitree and St Leonard's shopping areas near Rowancroft have supermarkets, cafés and takeaways; Streatham has Market Place shops in the Forum, Cornwall House and Great Hall.
Going out
On campus there are the Lemon Grove live music venue, The Great Hall and The Ram Bar on Streatham; in the city centre (a Purple Flag area), students head to clubs such as Timepiece, Cavern, The Vaults and Move.
Costs and living
Exeter medicine fees and living costs.
Fees, university accommodation and local private rents, from official sources.
University halls
From £146/wk£146–£342 per week (2026/27, Exeter campuses); cheapest self-catered rooms on 42-week contracts, catered halls on 32-week contracts
Accommodation pricesLocal rent, whole homes (ONS)
£1,318/mo£1,318 per month, Exeter, ONS Price Index of Private Rents (Sept 2026 data, published 21 Oct 2026)
Average for a whole home of any size; a room in a shared house costs much less.
Home tuition fee
£10,050 per year (2027 entry, as published on the course page)
Bursaries and funding
English-domiciled students can apply for the NHS Bursary from Year 5, covering tuition fees, a non-means-tested grant and a means-tested bursary. Exeter also offers scholarships for sport, music and students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and Exeter Excellence Scholarships for international students (2027/28).
Other routes in
Graduate, gateway and international routes.
Graduate entry
Exeter 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
No gateway or foundation route listed for 2027.
International applicants
Accepts international applicants. International places: 10 (2027 entry).
The 2027 admissions policy gives 10 international places, with about 30 international applicants interviewed.
Places
10 international places (2027 entry). The total number of Home places is not published; about 800 Home applicants are interviewed and about 30 international applicants.
Applications, interviews and offers
Home: 6.4 applicants per place and 1.6 per interview. International: 20.8 applicants per place and 5 per interview.
FAQs
Exeter medicine FAQs.
What are the entry requirements for Exeter medicine?
For 2027 entry, the typical offer is A*AA with Biology/Human Biology and Chemistry, both at grade A. The only GCSE requirement is English Language at grade 6/B.
What UCAT score do you need for Exeter medicine?
No official cut-off is published. For 2027 entry, applicants receive an 'Exeter Score' that weights academic achievement to UCAT 3:1, and this ranks them for interview.
What is the Exeter MMI like?
For 2027 entry, Exeter uses an MMI that may take place in person or online; the most recently published format (2024 entry) had 4 stations, and the 2027 format is not yet confirmed.
When are Exeter medicine interviews for 2027 entry?
For 2027 entry, interviews run from December 2026 to March 2027, and all interview decisions are sent by mid-May at the latest.
How does Exeter decide medicine offers?
For 2027 entry, interview judgements are recorded from the MMI, and a defined number of offers go to applicants the interview panel judges suitable, with a reserve list. The policy does not say the Exeter Score is used at offer stage.
Does Exeter make contextual offers for medicine?
Yes. For 2027 entry, widening participation eligible home applicants can receive an offer of AAB (A in Biology and Chemistry) and a +5 uplift in the Exeter Score.
Sources
Official sources.
Checked in October 2026 for 2027 entry. Requirements and dates change each cycle, so always confirm on the Exeter website before applying.
Official links
Open days: Exeter (Streatham and St Luke's) open days on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 June 2027; register interest to be told when booking opens. Check dates
Show 16 sources
- exeter.ac.uk/v8media/recruitmentsites/documents/BMBS_Admissions_Policy_2027_v2.p
- exeter.ac.uk/undergraduate-degrees/bmbs-medicine
- medschools.ac.uk/courses/exeter-medicine-a100
- medicine.exeter.ac.uk/study/ug/medicine/interviews/interview
- medicine.exeter.ac.uk/clinical-biomedical/studying/undergraduate/medicine/interv
- exeter.ac.uk/undergraduate-degrees/bmbs-medicine/faqs
- exeter.ac.uk/v8media/recruitmentsites/documents/BMBS_Admissions_Policy_2026_(V4)
- exeter.ac.uk/undergraduate-degrees/bmbs-medicine/faqs
- exeter.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/medicine/medicine/faqs
- thesu.org.uk/organisation/9542
- exeter.ac.uk/open-days/undergraduate
- nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-bursary-students/medical-and-dental-students
- faq.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/knowledgebase/article/KA-02480/en-us
- exeter.ac.uk/v8media/specificsites/accommodation/docs/2026FICS002_UG_Accommodati
- ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/datasets/priceindexofprivaterentsukm
- exeter.ac.uk/undergraduate-degrees/bmbs-medicine
Photo: St Luke's Campus, University of Exeter, Mr Ignavy (geograph.org.uk), CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Vetta Education is independent and not affiliated with Exeter or any university. No offer, interview or admission outcome is guaranteed.
Personal statement review
Applying to Exeter? Have a doctor read your statement.
Upload your draft and receive structured comments by email: what already works, where reflection is thin, and what to strengthen before you submit. Your words stay yours. We comment and challenge, but never rewrite.
- Structure, reflection and evidence, section by section
- Clear priorities for your next draft
- Word, PDF or pasted text, returned as written comments
Choosing your four
Is Exeter right for you?
In the Applicant Diagnostic, a doctor weighs your chosen universities against your profile and shows how to make the strongest case for each.
Questions
How can we help?
Send your admissions or programme enquiry and we'll reply by email.