Medical school guide · 2027 entry

Nottingham Medicine

School of Medicine, University of Nottingham

A newly redesigned BMBS that shortlists on UCAT, SJT and GCSE points, and makes offers on a six-scenario interview alone.

The interview Compare all schools

Queen's Medical Centre (home of the Medical School), Nottingham

Course: A100 · 5 yearsBMBS (Hons)
Typical offer: AAA
Interview: Other format
Halls from: £129/wk
Local private rent: £1,015/mo
Location: Nottingham

Preparing for Nottingham

What matters most at Nottingham.

01
Verbal Reasoning counts double in Nottingham's UCAT points, and the SJT carries substantial weight.
02
Offers rest solely on interview performance, with UCAT as the tie-breaker.
03
At least one of the six scenarios is a role play, so practise speaking to an actor in character.

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

The interview

The Nottingham medicine interview.

Other format

Format

For 2027 entry, a multiple scenario interview (six scenarios; the school does not call it an MMI).

Stations and timing

For 2027 entry, 6 scenarios of 5 minutes each, including at least one role play, after a 1-minute unscored ice-breaker. Up to one hour in total.

In person or online

For 2027 entry, in person for Home applicants; online via Microsoft Teams for international applicants.

Dates

For 2027 entry, A100 interviews run 15 December 2026 to 29 January 2027 (subject to change). The 2027 admissions policy gives a wider window starting 9 December 2026.

How it counts

Offers are based solely on interview performance (ranked), with UCAT as the tie-breaker. The personal statement and reference are checked but not scored. Near-miss candidates are reviewed in August.

What Nottingham assesses

Communication and listening skills
Understanding of professional issues
Teamwork
Respect for patients and allied professions

What the tasks involve

Role play
Scenario-based questions

Preparation advice from Nottingham

Nottingham refers applicants to the Medical Schools Council interview guidelines.

Prepare for the Nottingham interview.

The Interview Handbook covers every common question type, with a marking rubric and two full mock interviews.

See the Interview Handbook

Entry and UCAT

Getting an interview at Nottingham.

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

Typical A-level offer

AAA

Required subjects

Biology (or Human Biology) and Chemistry; a practical pass is required. A-levels are not scored for shortlisting.

How the UCAT is used

For 2027 entry, scoring is points-based. Cognitive subtests are banded 0-10 each (Verbal Reasoning counted double), for up to 40 points, plus SJT points (up to 10), for a maximum of 50. This is added to GCSE points and the top scorers are invited. There is no fixed threshold, and past thresholds are not shared.

Situational judgement (SJT)

For 2027 entry, the SJT is scored: Band 1 = 10, Band 2 = 6, Band 3 = 2. Band 4 means no interview.

Published UCAT scores

Nottingham does not publish past thresholds and has no fixed threshold for 2027 entry.

GCSEs

Minimum six GCSEs at grade 7, including Biology and Chemistry (or Double Science), plus grade 6 in Maths and English Language. Eight GCSEs are scored (9 = 4, 8 = 3, 7 = 2, 6 = 1); applied science and short courses are not accepted.

Other qualifications

IB 34 including Higher Level 6 in Biology and Chemistry, or 6,6,6 at Higher Level with Higher Level 6 in both.

Contextual offers

UK applicants meeting the University's contextual criteria: AAB (with an A in Biology or Chemistry); enhanced contextual offer ABB. International contextual offer: AAB with an A in Biology or Chemistry. Elite athletes: AAB and a fast-track interview (confirm status by 1 December).

The course

Studying medicine at Nottingham.

At a glance

Teaching: Integrated: lectures, group learning, simulation
Intercalation: Not built in; can be requested
Main campus: Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham

Complete University Guide 2027

29th

of 40 for Medicine · table

Guardian University Guide 2027

35th

of 40 for Medicine · table

National Student Survey 2025

86.4%

positive about teaching on the course (225 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 1Art of Medicine module: consultation skills, basic science and introductory clinical skills, plus reflective practice. About 14–20 contact hours a week.
Year 2Science of Medicine, interprofessional learning and an enrichment module. One day a week in primary care.
Year 3Three 10-week clinical blocks in medicine, surgery and hospital specialties, then a research skills block and a student selected module.
Year 4Four placement blocks in further hospital specialties and primary care, plus a project student selected module.
Year 5Assistantship and transition to practice: three six-week blocks before final assessments, with an optional elective.

How it is taught

A redesigned curriculum from 2026 entry, co-created with students, staff and doctors, using lectures, group-based learning, clinical and communication skills practice and simulation.

Patient contact

Year 1 covers basic patient interviews and examinations; Year 2 has one day a week of primary care placements.

Intercalation

The redesigned five-year BMBS (from 2026 entry) has no integrated BMedSci, and the course page does not include an intercalated year. University guidance (October 2022) says medical students may ask to interrupt their course to intercalate, usually after Year 3 or 4.

Placements

QMC, Nottingham City Hospital, Royal Derby, King's Mill, Chesterfield Royal and Highbury hospitals, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire healthcare trusts, and GP practices across the East Midlands.

Distinctive features

New curriculum from 2026 entry
Anatomy suite, clinical teaching and simulation centre, and clinical examination centre
Medical School building inside Queen's Medical Centre

How you are assessed

Written (including computer-based), oral and practical exams, with clinical and professional skills assessments and an e-portfolio. The GMC Medical Licensing Assessment is built into degree assessments.

Elective

Optional flexible placement in the final year, in the UK or abroad.

Main teaching hospitals

Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham
Nottingham City Hospital
Royal Derby Hospital
King's Mill Hospital, Sutton-in-Ashfield
Chesterfield Royal Hospital
Highbury Hospital, Nottingham

Placements and travel

Clinical placements are run from Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire hubs, and students are expected to live within about 30 miles of their hub. Students not yet on the NHS Bursary (and international students) claim excess travel through the School's placement travel policy; bursary holders claim through the NHS Business Services Authority.

Student life

Living in Nottingham 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.

Accommodation

First-year students are guaranteed a room in university halls if they firmly accept their offer and apply by the deadline (31 August 2026 for 2026 entry). Self-catered halls from £129 a week; catered up to £302 a week.

Medical society

University of Nottingham Medical Society (MedSoc)

Students' union

University of Nottingham Students' Union

Medic societies and clubs

MedSoc Teaching (peer teaching and revision)
SCRUBS (Student Surgical Society)
WAMS (Widening Access to Medical School Society)
GEMSoc (Graduate Entry Medicine Society)

Sport and gyms

Main facility is David Ross Sports Village, with Jubilee and Sutton Bonington sports centres. Student sport and fitness membership £279 early bird (2026/27); MedSoc runs its own medics' sports teams.

Getting around

Free hopper buses link university sites, and the School expects students within a mile of a hopper stop to use them for placement travel.

Support for medics

Students meet an educational supervisor for up to one hour a month. MedSoc's Medic Parent scheme pairs each fresher with a student in the year above, alongside a peer support scheme.

Cars and parking

Students in halls, or living within 15 miles of University Park, cannot normally get a campus parking permit (other permits are priced by vehicle emissions). A car is not needed for placements: the School's 2026/27 travel policy expects the cheapest option (walking, the free hopper bus or public transport), notes there is no onsite parking at QMC or City Hospital, and reimburses 42p a mile plus receipted parking permits where driving is justified.

Food and essentials

There is a SPAR in the Portland Building on University Park and a small Co-op just outside campus, with a large Tesco, Lidl and other shops in nearby Beeston.

Going out

The Students' Union bar is Mooch in the Portland Building on University Park; nights out are in Nottingham city centre, with Hockley and the Lace Market among the main areas.

Costs and living

Nottingham medicine fees and living costs.

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

University halls

From £129/wk

Self-catered halls from £129 to £219 per week; catered halls from £226 to £302 per week (2026/27 listings).

Accommodation prices

Local rent, whole homes (ONS)

£1,015/mo

£1,015 per month average private rent, Nottingham, ONS Price Index of Private Rents (Sept 2026 data, 21 Oct 2026 release)

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

Home tuition fee

£10,050 per year (2027/28)

International tuition fee

£48,900 per year (2027 entry)

Fees source

Bursaries and funding

English students on the five-year course can apply for the NHS Bursary from Year 5. The course page lists sports scholarships for elite athletes, who can also receive an AAB offer.

Other routes in

Graduate, gateway and international routes.

Graduate entry

BMBS Medicine (Graduate Entry) · A101 · 4 years. 2:1 in any subject, or 2:2 plus a taught master's at merit or above; A-level Biology B for non-bioscience degrees; GCSE Maths 6/B. Test: UCAT (same year; SJT Band 4 not considered; no fixed threshold). Places: Nottingham does not publish a fixed number of Graduate Entry Medicine places. From September 2026 the course is taught on Nottingham-based campuses.

Gateway or foundation

Medicine with a Foundation Year BMBS (A108), 6 years: for Home fee status applicants who meet the University's contextual criteria, have no previous university study and do not meet the A100 requirements. The typical offer is BBC including Biology and Chemistry. You cannot apply alongside A100.

International applicants

Accepts international applicants. International places: About 20 places a year for international students on A100 (based on previous years). The Foundation Year course (A108) is not open to international applicants (2027 entry).

International applicants are interviewed online via Microsoft Teams, and home applicants in person.

Places

About 200 Home and 20 international A100 places; about 27 Home places on A108.

Applications, interviews and offers

Ranges over recent years: Home applicants meeting criteria 1,874-2,100; Home interviewed 823-1,219; Home offers 267-642; International interviewed 60-96; International offers 28-60.

FAQs

Nottingham medicine FAQs.

What are the entry requirements for Nottingham medicine?

For 2027 entry, the typical offer is AAA with Biology (or Human Biology) and Chemistry, and A-levels are not scored for shortlisting. You need at least six GCSEs at grade 7 including Biology and Chemistry, plus grade 6 in Maths and English Language.

What UCAT score do you need for Nottingham medicine?

Nottingham has no fixed threshold for 2027 entry and does not share past ones. Cognitive subtests are banded into points (Verbal Reasoning counted double) and added to SJT and GCSE points, and SJT Band 4 means no interview.

What is the Nottingham medicine interview like?

For 2027 entry, Nottingham's interview is six scenarios of 5 minutes each, including at least one role play, after a 1-minute unscored ice-breaker. It is in person for home applicants and on Microsoft Teams for international applicants.

When are Nottingham medicine interviews for 2027 entry?

For 2027 entry, A100 interviews run from 15 December 2026 to 29 January 2027 (subject to change).

How does Nottingham decide medicine offers?

For 2027 entry, offers are based solely on interview performance, with UCAT as the tie-breaker. The personal statement and reference are checked but not scored.

How many places does Nottingham medicine have?

About 200 home and 20 international A100 places, plus about 27 home places on the A108 foundation year (latest published, undated).

Sources

Official sources.

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

Official links

Open days: 2027 open day dates are not yet released; register interest on the open days page. Check dates

Show 20 sources

Photo: Queen's Medical Centre (home of the Medical School), Nottingham, mattbuck, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Vetta Education is independent and not affiliated with Nottingham or any university. No offer, interview or admission outcome is guaranteed.

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