Alternatives to Medicine and Surgery courses at university

CONTENTS

1. Why is it so hard to get onto a Medicine degree?

2. What are the alternatives to studying Medicine?

3. Subjects related to Medicine and Surgery

4. Reapplying for Medicine

Why is it so hard to get onto a Medicine degree?

Getting a place on a Medicine degree can be tricky, due to the limited places available on each course, high entry requirements and the high number of applicants.

Entry to a Medicine degree has been particularly challenging in recent years.

Unlike other degrees, the UK government caps the number of university places for medical students. In addition, after the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of exams, students were awarded teacher-assessed grades in 2020 and 2021 – which on average were higher. Unis who'd offered places on the basis of students achieving their grades had to accept more students than anticipated, stretching their resources.

The situation may stabilise in 2024 and the government has pledged to expand the number of medical school places available in England – though in the short term, there are unlikely to be significant additional places available to meet demand.

In 2023 students took up 10,030 medical school places across the UK. For 2024 entry, over 24,000 have applied via UCAS – most of whom are predicted or on track to achieve the typical grades required (usually at least or equivalent AAA-A*AA at A Level). Only around 5–7% of places are available to international applicants.

Students who face educational or social disadvantage may be eligible for entry onto a Medicine with a Gateway year degree. These have lower entry requirements, taking students' circumstances into account.

What are the alternatives to studying Medicine?

For those wanting to study a Medicine degree but are unable to secure a place, there are many other degrees in a related subject worth considering.

You also have your fifth UCAS choice, which can provide a route to an alternate career or a longer-term plan for getting back into medical training after a first degree.

Some of these options may lead to an opportunity for a graduate-entry Medicine degree but are also worthwhile careers and study options in themselves, providing crucial roles in a global health system, medical research or within the NHS in the UK.

If you've applied to Medicine and received a rejection, or have changed your mind, you can use UCAS Extra or Clearing to explore these other excellent options.

Medicine itself is very unlikely to have late places in Clearing but you're welcome to check via UCAS or look at alternatives such as January entry or accredited Medicine degrees overseas.

Our advice is always to have a plan B and C for entry to medical school. Demand always exceeds supply and the number of 18-year-old eligible applicants in the UK is projected to increase by at least 3% each year for the next 5 years.

Subjects related to Medicine and Surgery

You could build knowledge that would be useful for a graduate-entry Medicine degree:

• Biological Sciences
• Biomedical Science
• Chemistry
• Medical Technology & Bioengineering
• Neuroscience
• Pharmacology & Pharmacy
• Psychology

Specific science degrees may be required for some graduate-entry Medicine degrees. Others are open to applicants with any degree – though you might need two science A Levels (or equivalent qualification). These courses may include a preliminary year.

If your motivation is to work with patients in a healthcare setting, alternate careers could include Nursing, Midwifery or an allied health profession role:

• Dietetics or Nutrition
• Midwifery
• Nursing (adult, child, learning disability or mental health) with the option to specialise in areas such as accident and emergency, neonatal, neurology…
• Occupational Therapy
• Operating Department Practice
• Orthoptics
• Orthotics/Prosthetics
• Paramedic Science
• Physiotherapy
• Podiatry/Chiropody
• Radiography (Diagnostic/Therapeutic)
• Speech and Language Therapy/Audiology

These subjects are all available as undergraduate degrees, and depending on what and where you study, NHS funding may be available. Some are available as degree apprenticeships in England, along with other subjects like Healthcare Science.

Reapplying for Medicine

If your heart is set on a career in medicine and you want to study it as a first degree, a final option is to reapply. You won't be alone if you do this: for 2024 entry, over 3,500 applicants were reapplying.

If you got an interview but didn't get an offer of a place, request feedback – it may tell you more about why you weren't selected for interview.

If you missed out on a place because of your exam grades, you could resit your A Levels. Entry requirements for resits vary between medical schools – some won't accept them, or the grades might need to be higher. Check the websites of individual medical schools to find out current entry requirements.