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Complete Admissions Guide

Medicine at Cambridge, Admissions Guide 2027

Our students' Cambridge acceptance rate

65%

Overall Cambridge offer rate (latest published cycle)

21%

Medicine at Cambridge is among the most selective courses in the UK. Get 1-to-1 admissions coaching from Cambridge graduates who have been through the process themselves.

Last updated: June 2026

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Key Facts

  • A*A*ATypical Offer
  • 7:1Applicants / Place
  • #1UK Ranking
  • UCATAdmissions Test
  • 271Places / Year
  • A100UCAS Code

Overview

Medicine at Cambridge

Medicine at Cambridge is the standard A100 course leading to MB, BChir over 6 years, with 3 scientific/pre-clinical years followed by 3 clinical years. For 2027 entry, applicants should plan around an A*A*A typical offer, College-specific science subject requirements and the UCAT.

Why study Medicine at Cambridge?

Complete University Guide 2026 lists Cambridge Medicine as #1, and the page's peer-comparison table currently includes Cambridge, Oxford and Imperial with Complete University Guide positions only.

A university lecture hall from the back, students taking notes

Section 01

International Applicants

Click your country on the map below for country-specific entry guidance — accepted qualifications, expected scores, English-language requirements, and any local context worth knowing before you apply.

International Applicants

Country-specific admissions requirements

CanadaUnited States of AmericaSouth KoreaIndiaChinaUnited KingdomMalaysiaJapan

Pick a highlighted country to see the admissions-test, score, and English-language requirements that apply for applicants from that country.

Section 02

Entry Requirements

  • A-LevelA*A*A
    Chemistry, One of Biology / Physics / Mathematics required. Biology recommended.Applicants must satisfy College-specific subject combinations. Cambridge strongly recommends work experience before applying, paid or voluntary, in a health or social care organisation.
  • IB Diploma40–42 with 776 at HL incl. Chemistry + one of Biology/Physics/Maths
    HL: Chemistry required. Biology recommended at HL.Some Colleges may make offers above the minimum offer level, ask for 777 or a higher points total, and/or require a 7 in particular subjects.
  • Advanced Placement (AP)Minimum of five AP Test scores at Score 5
    AP Tests in subjects relevant to Medicine, matching Chemistry plus one or two further science/mathematics subjects required. AP Biology, AP Calculus BC if using Mathematics, AP Physics C tests if using Physics recommended. SAT/ACT: For Medicine/most Science courses: SAT minimum combined 1500 with Mathematics 750+, or ACT composite 33; Science applicants should also achieve ACT Science 33..AP/SAT/ACT standardised tests should normally have been achieved within 2 years of matriculation; Cambridge also expects strong High School Diploma/GPA performance.
Admissions test
Pre-registered UCAT, booked through the UCAT testing window (June–September 2026 for 2027 entry). Cambridge moved Medicine onto UCAT after the BMAT-replacement transition; ESAT is not used for standard Medicine.
Interview
Two college interviews. One is science-led (chemistry, biology, physics or maths reasoning); the other tests communication, ethical thinking and motivation. Format is conversational rather than MMI.
Required Tests:UCAT

Section 03

Application Process & Key Deadlines

  1. Jun–Jul 2026

    Open days & shortlist colleges

    Visit Cambridge in person if you can. Open days run in late June and early July. Begin narrowing your college list and reading first-year reading lists.

  2. Sep 2026

    Draft your personal statement

    Write for the subject, not the institution. Cambridge admissions tutors look for ~80% academic content and genuine super-curricular engagement.

  3. 28 Sep 2026

    UCAT registration deadline

    Pre-registration via the Pearson VUE admissions testing portal closes at 18:00 UK time. Late entry is not normally possible.

  4. 15 Oct 2026

    UCAS deadline

    Submit your UCAS application by 18:00 UK time on 15 October 2026.

  5. 12–16 Oct 2026

    Sit UCAT

    ESAT and TMUA are sat in this window at Pearson VUE centres. LNAT and UCAT use their own test windows, check each test's site for booking dates.

  6. 22 Oct 2026

    My Cambridge Application deadline

    Complete the My Cambridge Application supplementary questionnaire by 18:00 UK time on 22 October 2026. This replaced the old SAQ.

  7. 10 Nov 2026

    Submitted written work deadline

    Most arts and humanities courses ask for one or two pieces of marked school work. Each college confirms its exact deadline; 10 November is the standard date.

  8. Dec 2026

    Interviews

    Around three-quarters of applicants are interviewed. Typically 1–2 interviews of 25–45 minutes each at your chosen or allocated college.

  9. 27 Jan 2027

    Main decisions released

    Cambridge releases its main decisions on 27 January 2027. Around a quarter of offers are made through the Winter Pool, strong applicants reconsidered by colleges with remaining places.

Section 04

Admissions Test

Student working through problems at a desk with timed papers

Cambridge’s current official wording for Medicine (Standard Course A100) lists the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT).

The UCAT is delivered by the UCAT Consortium through Pearson VUE test centres.

The required UCAT components are Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning and Situational Judgement.

For A100 UCAT results, Cambridge says it will look at the applicant’s overall cognitive subtest score and will not use the Situational Judgement score as part of its 2027 assessment.

For 2026 testing, UCAT account registration opens on 20 May 2026 at 14:00 UK time, booking opens on 23 June 2026, and registration/booking closes on 16 September 2026 at 15:00 UK time.

The UCAT testing window for this cycle is 13 July 2026 to 24 September 2026.

The test matters because Cambridge says UCAT is used as part of selection for interview and offers, with no minimum UCAT threshold.

For international applicants, the UCAT gives Cambridge a common admissions-test measure across different school systems. In reality, that makes preparation and test-centre logistics part of the application, not a side task.

Full UCAT preparation guide | format, scoring, strategy, and practice resources.

UCAT Guide →

Section 05

The Interview: What to Expect

Invitation → Decision: the interview timeline

Interview Invitation

Late Nov

Arrival to Interview

Early Dec

Technical Question

Mid Dec

Decision

Early Jan

Question Types You’ll See

Chemistry or biochemistry problemFirst-principles physics or maths questionEthical scenarioDiscussion of work-experience reflections

Cambridge Medicine interviews involve academic discussion with scientific problem-solving plus Medicine-specific professional, communication and ethical assessment.

Subject-specific interviews commonly involve two or three interviewers, and Medicine selection should include at least one current practitioner across the process.

The location is College-specific, and interviews may be online or in person depending on College.

We recommend preparing by explaining unfamiliar biological or chemical material aloud, because the interview is a discussion rather than a memorised speech.

It helps to practise moving from evidence to judgement: what you know, what you are assuming, what else you would want to check, and how that affects a clinical or ethical conclusion.

Practise with realistic questions from our free mock interview question bank.

Free Mock Questions →
Two people in academic discussion across a table

Section 06

How Decisions Are Actually Made

Cambridge describes the decision process for this as whole-application review, with interview, academic record and UCAT cognitive score as major evidence streams.

In reality, a strong application needs consistency across the academic record, the admissions test and the interview. One weaker element is easier to manage when the rest of the file gives assessors clear evidence of scientific ability and professional readiness.

Our recommendation · weighting of admission factors

01020304035%
UCAT score
30%
Interview
20%
Predicted grades
10%
Personal statement
5%
Contextual factors
% of decisionFactor

Oxbridge Mentors recommendation, drawn from observed offer patterns. University of Cambridge does not publish official weightings — exact balance varies by college, course and year.

Section 07

Personal Statement Tips

Handwritten notes and a laptop open to a draft document

We recommend writing the Medicine personal statement as evidence, not autobiography. A strong paragraph usually links one experience to one observation and one change in your thinking.

Because Cambridge strongly recommends paid or voluntary work experience in a health or social care organisation, use work experience to show what you learned about patients, teams, uncertainty and responsibility.

Avoid generic claims about wanting to help people. It is better to describe a specific moment that changed how you understood communication, consent, public health, ageing, disability, or clinical pressure.

For a Cambridge applicant, the scientific side matters too. Use your statement to show that you read, questioned and followed up, rather than simply listing books, lectures or hospital observations.

See a full annotated example with line-by-line expert commentary.

Medicine PS Example →

Section 08

Projects

  1. 01Justification
  2. 02Project Brief
  3. 03Explain Exactly What You Did
  4. 04Difficulties
  5. 05Solutions
  6. 06Reflection

A useful Medicine project does not need to be formal research. It can be a structured piece of reading, a reflective work-experience log, a comparison of two public-health interventions, or a short investigation into a biological mechanism.

Choose something narrow enough to explain clearly. A focused question usually gives you more to discuss than a broad topic such as “cancer” or “the NHS”.

Open books, a notebook, and a coffee on a wooden desk

Section 08

Other Supercurriculars

Other supercurricular work should deepen your understanding of medicine as science and practice. It should not become a long activity list.

These activities are support, not substitute.

  • Read around one biological system until you can explain the mechanism in ordinary language.:

  • Keep a short log after work experience, focusing on observation and reflection rather than patient details.:

  • Use official UCAT preparation materials early enough to identify weak subtests.:

  • Follow one medical ethics issue through more than one viewpoint.:

  • Practise explaining quantitative information clearly.:

Section 08

Competitions

Competitions are not required for Cambridge Medicine. They can stretch you when the preparation teaches useful science, problem-solving or communication.

A biology or chemistry competition can be worth doing if it supports a specific learning goal, but one or two thoughtful activities beat five half-attempted lines on an application.

  1. British Biology Olympiad — national biology competition testing depth beyond A-level; strong preparation for Cambridge's science-based interviews
  2. UK Brain Bee — national neuroscience competition; develops knowledge of the nervous system and introduces research-level thinking
  3. Nuffield Research Placements — six-week research placement in a university or research institute; provides authentic scientific experience and interview material
  4. Biology Challenge — RSB competition for Year 10–12 students; accessible entry point before attempting the full Olympiad
  5. Intermediate Biology Olympiad — extended biology competition for Year 12; tests biological reasoning at an appropriate step up from A-level
  6. RSC UK Chemistry Olympiad — chemistry competition that develops problem-solving beyond the standard curriculum; useful since Medicine requires strong chemistry

Section 09

Course Structure

  1. Year

    01 / 05

    1

    Year 1

    Scientific and pre-clinical foundations alongside the clinical strand.

  2. Year

    02 / 05

    2

    Year 2

    Further scientific study with continuing clinical preparation.

  3. Year

    03 / 05

    3

    Year 3

    Intercalated BA (Hons) phase if the first three years are completed successfully.

  4. Year

    04 / 05

    4

    Year 4

    Start of the clinical phase, with placements and clinical assessment.

  5. Year

    05 / 05

    5

    Years 5-6

    Later clinical training leading to MB, BChir, using regional hospital and GP practice placements.

Section 10

Building Medicine Knowledge

Start with the Cambridge Medicine course page, because it is the verified official source for the A100 course identity, entry requirements and course structure in this.

Use the UCAT official practice tests And question banks for admissions-test preparation, because the current verified admissions test for Cambridge Medicine A100 is UCAT.

The Medical Schools Council work experience guidance Is useful because Cambridge strongly recommends work experience before applying, paid or voluntary, in a health or social care organisation.

Keep notes short enough that you can revisit them before interview.

A study planner, highlighters and a stack of revision cards

Section 11

College Choice & Reallocation

29 colleges offer this subject. 10.2% (2024 cycle; 2,257 open applications out of 22,153 direct plus open applications) of applicants submit an open application. 20.6% (2024 cycle; 4,557 Winter Pooled applications out of 22,153 direct plus open applications) of places come through the pool.

College choice can affect assessment handling, interview arrangements and College-specific Medicine subject requirements.

The Winter Pool moderates across Colleges, and the 2024 statistics verify 4,557 Winter Pooled applications and 986 offers via the Winter Pool.

In the 2024 cycle, open applications were 10.2% of direct plus open applications, and Winter Pooled applications were 20.6% of direct plus open applications.

We recommend choosing a College only after checking its Medicine subject requirements. The College should fit your academic profile; it should not be a substitute for meeting the course requirements.

Stone college quadrangle viewed through an archway

Section 12

Career Prospects

Discover Uni reports 99% work or study 15 months after the Cambridge MB, BChir Medicine course, with 97% of employed graduates in highly skilled work and 94% working as medical practitioners.

Cambridge also highlights readiness for careers across general practice, medicine, psychiatry and other specialties, with an MB/PhD route for academic research careers.

Section 13

Contextual Circumstances

For 15 October applicants, extenuating-circumstances evidence must reach Cambridge by 22 October 2026 for 2027 entry.

Medicine offer-holders must satisfy professional checks including DBS or overseas equivalent, vaccination, blood test and occupational-health requirements, and must be 18 by 1 November in Year 1.

If your school did not offer the subject combination you wanted, or if illness, caring responsibilities or disruption affected your record, it helps to make that context clear through the appropriate school and admissions channels.

Watch & Learn

Helpful Videos for Medicine at Cambridge

Student vlogs, mock interviews, lecture tasters, and admissions advice.

Medicine at Cambridge

The real job for life: study medicine at Cambridge University and choose GP as a career

Studying Medicine at the University of Cambridge: Subject Focus Session

All videos are the property of their respective creators.

Further Reading

Recommended Resources

Super-curricular reading, websites, and tools recommended by our expert tutors.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Current official Cambridge pages for 2027 Medicine (Standard Course A100) list the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT).
No.
No portfolio is listed for Cambridge Medicine A100.
1,791 applicants, 288 offers and 271 acceptances, about 6.6 applicants per acceptance.
Around 271-272 students are accepted each year, based on 271 acceptances in the 2024 cycle and a supplied three-year average of approximately 272.
Yes, especially for college-specific subject requirements, but the Winter Pool moderates across colleges.
Chemistry plus Biology and Mathematics or Physics.
Yes; for 2027 entry the deadline is 15 October 2026 at 6pm UK time.

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