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Studying Medicine at Cambridge prepares you to become a compassionate, thoughtful and skilled member, and leader, of the medical profession.
Study this accelerated, 4-year course if you already have an undergraduate degree with 2.1 or above and you’re a home fee status student.
Overview
Number 1 in the UK for Medicine (The Complete University Guide 2025)
Medicine graduate course at Cambridge
This course combines core medical science with clinical medicine.
You’ll have the opportunity to develop your clinical skills through direct patient contact in hospital and community environments throughout the East of England.
This is an intense course, so you won’t have the time to do an additional degree, undertake optional study or exchange programmes at the same time.
The University departments collaborate with the 4 Cambridge Colleges that offer the course:
This course is for you if:
- you have an undergraduate degree in any subject
- you're a home fee status student
If you don’t already have another undergraduate degree or you’re an international fee status student, you can:
- apply to study our standard Medicine course, which is open to everyone
If you successfully complete this course, you’ll graduate with Bachelor of Medicine as well as Bachelor of Surgery MB, BChir.
Teaching and facilities
Teaching
Your pre-clinical teaching will take place in Cambridge alongside students on the standard medical course. Some of the course is also delivered in regional hospitals or practices, to take advantage of the different educational opportunities they offer.
Clinical teaching is based largely at the West Suffolk Hospital, a large district general hospital in Bury St Edmunds.
You will also be placed on general practise placements across East Anglia throughout the course.
In third year, you’ll spend half of your time on specialist rotations at Cambridge University Hospital.
Facilities
This Cambridge Medical course features teaching from world experts, progressive technology and modern facilities.
You'll also have access to the impressive Cambridge University Library, one of the world’s oldest university libraries.
Course costs
When you go to university, you’ll need to consider two main costs – your tuition fees and your living costs (sometimes referred to as maintenance costs).
Your living costs will include costs related to your studies that are not covered by your tuition fees. There are some general study costs that will apply for all students.
Find out more about general study costs.
Other additional course costs for Graduate Medicine are detailed below. If you have any queries about the costs, please contact the School of Clinical Medicine.
Equipment
To buy and maintain essential equipment for the course, the estimated cost is £60. Equipment includes:
- University approved scientific calculator
- Lab coat
- Safety glasses
- Dissecting instruments
- Gloves
You will also need:
- Theatre clogs – estimated contribution £10
- Stethoscope – estimated cost £60 to £100
Clinical Placements
Clinical placements take place in all 4 years of the course and will vary from student to student. You will be on placement at hospitals across the East Anglia region.
The types of cost you will be expected to cover and those covered by the School of Clinical Medicine are detailed below.
- The School will pay the cost of one return journey for each clinical placement.
- Costs of accommodation near the clinical placement hospitals are covered by the School.
- You are expected to cover basic subsistence costs during your placements.
College accommodation
Teaching on the course also takes place outside of term time. You’ll need around 9 weeks of additional accommodation in the first 2 years of the course and some additional weeks in Years 3 and 4. The cost of this will vary by College. Individual Colleges will be able to provide guidance on costs and the process for arranging additional accommodation.
Optional study abroad
There is an opportunity to take a medical placement outside of Cambridge (either in the UK or abroad) for 7 weeks. Depending on travel, accommodation and local placement fees, particularly for those who travel overseas, this could cost £3,000 or more. College and national grants may be available to help you cover these costs.
Course funding
You may be able to get funding from the NHS to help pay for your studies. Find out more about the NHS Bursary.
You may also be able to get funding from the Cambridge Bursary Scheme. See the Cambridge Bursary Scheme website for details.
Disabled students
The University respects and adheres to the GMC's guidance on supporting disabled learners. You can view the guidance on the GMC's Welcomed and valued website.
In your first 3 years, your College and the Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre (ADRC) will arrange most of your support.
During your clinical studies, the School of Clinical Medicine can arrange support. The School has a Student Academic Support Lead. They are a member of academic staff and they facilitate learning for disabled students.
Becoming a doctor
As a graduate you’ll be able to get provisional registration with the General Medical Council (GMC). The GMC has certain expectations about attitudes, behaviour and performance of medical students.
Read about registering as a doctor on the General Medical Council website.
You can then go anywhere in the country to complete two years as a junior doctor. These are known as Foundation Years. At the end of these two years you can register with the GMC as a doctor.
Read about the foundation programme on the UK Foundation Programme website.
Those graduating from 2025 onwards, will need to take the Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA).
This is a test introduced by the General Medical Council to test the core knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to practise safely in the UK.
Read about the medical licensing assessment on the General Medical Council website.
Your future career
We enable students to develop the excellent communication, clinical, interpersonal and professional skills required for good medical practice.
As a graduate you’ll be ready to pursue for a range of careers across, across all areas of medicine.
If you’re interested in an academic research career, our MB/PhD Programme leads to the MB, BChir and PhD degrees. Read about the MB/PhD on the School of Clinical Medicine website.
Course outline
Teaching
Teaching is delivered through a combination of lectures, practical classes that include dissections, and small-group supervisions. There are typically 20 to 25 teaching hours each week. You’ll be expected to do at least 20 hours of independent study, in addition to your group teaching.
Clinical teaching is delivered on the wards and in general practice.
Clinical teaching is supported by weekly small-group sessions with a Graduate Clinical Tutor. This will take the form of supervisions in College in term time and support during clinical placements at the West Suffolk Hospital.
You’ll also have weekly bedside clinical teaching from a Clinical Supervisor on clinical placements and small-group seminars when on general practice placements.
Assessment
Your ongoing progress is reviewed each week and term by your College supervisors.
Formal assessment, which determines your ability to proceed with the course, includes written and practical examinations, coursework submission and clinical assessments.
Practical work is undertaken and assessed in all years of the degree programme.
Years 1 and 2
You study core medical sciences with those on the Standard Course in Medicine.
We’ll provide you with the scientific basis that will allow you to develop your medical career to the full.
The main areas of learning are covered by courses in:
- Functional Architecture of the Body, where you examine and dissect the human body, and includes living anatomy, and the use of modern imaging techniques
- Homeostasis, which covers the physiological systems that underpin the body's regulation of its internal environment and its responses to external threats. You also have related practical classes in experimental physiology and histology (the microscopic structure of tissues)
- Molecules in Medical Science, which examines the chemical and molecular basis of how cells and organisms work
- Biology of Disease, dealing with the nature and mechanisms of disease processes
- Mechanisms of Drug Action, which provides an understanding of the basic mechanisms of drug action at the levels of both drug-receptor interactions and the effects on body systems
- Neurobiology and Human Behaviour, covering the structure and function of the sense organs and central nervous system, the effects of drugs on brain function, and various psychological aspects
- Human Reproduction, where you look at the biology of the human reproductive system, its social context, and its influence on demographic trends
- Head and Neck Anatomy, where you learn about the structure and organisation of the human head and neck. There is a focus on the relationship of structure to function
The clinical strand of Years 1 and 2 involves:
- Foundations of Evidence-Based Practice, covering epidemiology and how it is applied in medicine
- Social and Ethical Context of Health and Illness, which is an introduction to the broader cultural aspects of healthcare and the medical profession in Britain, working with patients and colleagues, both in hospital and in the community
- Preparing for Patients involves meeting patients in general practice in the first year, in a hospital setting in second year, and through visiting community-based health-related agencies in second and third year
You’ll also go on 5 clinical placements and 4 general practice placements. These will take place outside of term time, during the University vacations.
Year 3
You spend the year doing specialist clinical practice.
You go on placements at Cambridge University Hospital and other hospitals in East Anglia. You’ll learn alongside students on the standard Medicine course doing their clinical studies.
Your placements are based around the stages of the human lifespan:
- growth, development and childhood illness
- women’s health
- major adult diseases – cardiothoracic medicine, oncology, infectious disease
- neurosciences and mental health
Year 4
You spend the year doing applied clinical practice. You go on clinical placements at West Suffolk Hospital and in General Practice. This will reinforce everything you’ve learnt in first and second year.
Your placements focus on:
- integration of primary care, secondary care and the specialties
- following the patient journey
For further information about this course see the School of Clinical Medicine website.
Changing course
It’s really important to think carefully about which course you want to study before you apply.
In rare cases, it may be possible to change course once you’ve joined the University. You will usually have to get agreement from your College and the relevant departments. It’s not guaranteed that your course change will be approved.
You might also have to:
- take part in an interview
- complete an admissions test
- produce some written work
- achieve a particular grade in your current studies
- do some catch-up work
- start your new course from the beginning
You should contact your College’s Admissions Office if you’re thinking of changing your course. They will be able to give you advice and explain how changing courses works.
Entry requirements
The listed entry requirements relate to entry in 2026 or deferred entry in 2027.
Minimum offer level
A level and undergraduate degree:
- A*A*A (or equivalent in other qualifications) if you graduated with a 2.1 or are yet to complete your degree
- ABB (or equivalent in other qualifications) if you graduated with a first class degree
IB:
- 41-42 points, with 776 at Higher Level if you graduated with a 2.1 or are yet to complete your degree
- 38-40 points, with 665 at Higher Level if you graduated with a first class degree
Other qualifications: Check which other qualifications we accept
You can't apply for this course if you:
- want to take a gap year before you start the course
- do not have home fee status
- have failed at or been excluded from another medical school
Work experience: work experience plays a large role in our selection process. Competitive candidates typically have a variety of work experience, built up over several years. This can be paid or voluntary, in a health or social care organisation.
Subject requirements
- A level Chemistry at grade A or above.
- At least one of Biology, Physics, Mathematics, at A level or AS level.
Please note that these requirements do not need to be met to apply; you can apply with pending qualifications.
IB Higher Level subjects or Scottish Highers in relevant subjects will satisfy the A level requirements.
If you do not have recent science A levels (or equivalent), but believe your degree meets the subject requirements, please contact a College.
Admissions test
You will need to take the University Clinical Aptitude Test.
You will need to register in advance for this test.
Applicants to A101
For UCAT results, we will look at an applicant’s overall cognitive subtest score and situational judgement score as part of our assessment.
We will use results as part of our selection when making offers. We will consider your results alongside all the other information we know about you.
We assess applicants through a mixture of academic record, UCAT and interviews. There is no minimum threshold for UCAT score and it does not help us decide who to interview.
Visit our UCAT page for more information.
When you apply
You can apply to study this course at Hughes Hall, Lucy Cavendish, St Edmund’s or Wolfson.
As well as applying to the Graduate course, those with a prior degree can apply to study the standard course in Medicine in 5 years rather than the usual 6. This is known as the affiliated route. If you apply to both the standard and graduate courses, you must apply to the same College for both courses. This means you can apply to Lucy Cavendish, St Edmund's or Wolfson. The standard course is not offered at Hughes Hall.
When you have submitted your UCAS application, you will need to complete some extra steps. We will email you with details once we receive your UCAS application.
You will be asked to:
- complete the Graduate Course in Medicine application form. This collects things like:
- your academic transcripts
- details of your second referee (this should be someone other than your UCAS referee)
- residency and citizenship information
- contextual information, like eligibility for free school meals
- fill out a document detailing your healthcare work experience. You will upload this to the Graduate Course in Medicine application form
Extra requirements if you get offered a place
If you get offered a place on this course we’ll need to check a few extra things with you. We’ll explain what you need to do when we send the offer letter out to you.
Everything you tell us will be confidential. Some of the usual extra checks include:
- a criminal record check. In the UK this is called a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check. Find out more about criminal record checks
- vaccinations – you’ll need to be immunised against certain infectious diseases
- blood test – to make sure you can safely take part in certain surgical procedures
- occupational health assessment
- if you have a disability, specific learning difficulty (SpLD) or a long-term health condition, we'll discuss your needs with you
Declaring minor misdemeanours
Minor misdemeanours will not necessarily prevent you from entering the medical profession.
You should declare these in your UCAS application. We will send you the relevant forms to complete if you are offered a place.
Selection requirements
You must be a keen scientist with a sound scientific understanding.
As selection for medical school implies selection for the medical profession, admissions decisions are informed by national guidance on what makes a good doctor. For example:
- the Medical Schools Council's Consensus Statement on the Role of the Doctor
- Guiding Principles for the Admission of Medical Students.
Professional expectations
The GMC has expectations regarding the attitudes, behaviour and performance of medical students.
Trainee doctors at Cambridge must satisfy the GMC's fitness to practise requirements, both when applying and throughout the course.
These requirements are in place to ensure the safety of patients.
Submitted work
You won’t need to submit any written work before your interview.
Offers above the minimum requirement
The minimum offer level and subject requirements outline the minimum you'll usually need to achieve to get an offer from Cambridge.
In some cases, you'll get a higher or more challenging offer. Colleges set higher offer requirements for a range of reasons. If you'd like to find out more about why we do this, check the information about offers above the minimum requirement on the entry requirements page.
All undergraduate admissions decisions are the responsibility of the Cambridge Colleges. Please contact the relevant College admissions office if you have any queries.
Next steps
Discover your department or faculty
- - The School of Clinical Medicine website has more information about this course, facilities, people and research.
Explore our Colleges
- - A College is where you’ll live, eat and socialise. It’s also where you’ll have teaching in a small group, known as supervisions.
- - If you think you know which course you’d like to study, it’s time to choose a College.
Visit us on open day
- - Get a feel for the city and the University.
- - We offer a range of events where you can find out more about Cambridge, Colleges, and your course. Many of our events have hybrid options so you can join us virtually.
Find out how to apply
- - Our admissions process is slightly different to other universities. We’ve put together a handy guide to tell you everything you need to know about applying to study at Cambridge.
- - Supercurricular activities are a great way to engage with your chosen subject outside of school or college.