Medicine: Undergraduate Entry (A100): Admissions Process
You may also wish to review the admissions policy.Admissions Information for 2011 entry (or deferred entry 2012)
Medicine entry requirement change for 2011
The entry requirements for Medicine have been increased to AAA for 2011 entry. Subjects need to include Biology and Chemistry and a third subject excluding only General Studies and Critical Thinking.
Medical Admissions Test - UKCAT (www.ukcat.ac.uk)
For guidance, the provisional dates for 2010 are as follows:
Registration and Bursary Requests available from: 4 May 2010
Testing Begins: 6 July 2010
Last date to Register and apply for a Bursary: 27 September 2010
Last date to take a test: 8 October 2010
The UKCAT test results are valid for one year only. Therefore, every year you apply through UCAS to study medicine, you must also sit a UKCAT test.
Please refer to the UKCAT website www.ukcat.ac.uk for registration, booking, bursary and all other matters.
We believe that an admissions process based on predicted A-level achievements does not necessarily serve applicants' best interests. Together with around 27 other UK universities we will be using the UKCAT (UK Clinical Aptitude Test) in the selection process of our undergraduate (A100) BM BS course for entry in 2011 and deferred entry in 2012. This applies to all home, EU and overseas candidates.
This test will help us to address the imperative to widen participation, particularly for students whose predicted A-level grades are too low to be considered for medicine, but who may go on to achieve the required results in August. An aptitude test would be open to all applicants regardless of A-level predictions.
This test cannot be revised for as it does not contain any curriculum or science content. Instead, it focuses on exploring the cognitive abilities of candidates and other attributes considered to be valuable for health care professionals.
For 2011 entry, the UKCAT test will consist of the following components:
- Verbal reasoning
- Quantitative reasoning
- Abstract reasoning
- Decision Analysis
- Non-cognitive
We do NOT operate a threshold for the UKCAT test results.
When marking your application, we will mark each of the scores you received for the above four cognitive components of the UKCAT test, together with your personal statement, highest 8 GCSE's and answers to our on-line questionnaire. The total score an individual gains is compared with all other applications and the 800 highest scoring applicants are invited for interview.
There are practice papers available on the UKCAT website www.ukcat.ac.uk so you can familiarise yourself with their format. Make use of the options to complete the papers in both the non-timed and timed format.
You must sit the test in the same year as applying through UCAS. The deadline for UCAS applications to medicine courses is 15 October 2010.
Four choices on your UCAS form can be for medicine, the final choice can remain blank or be used to apply for another degree course. All applications must be made through UCAS.
Minimum academic requirements
In order for an application to be considered, applicants must achieve our minimum academic requirements. For 2011 (or deferred entry 2012) we require:
a) GCSE (for acceptable qualifications equivalent to GCSE please contact the Admissions Officer)
- At least 6 grade A grade passes to include Chemistry, Biology and Physics (or the science double award)
- Grade A at AS-level Physics can compensate for a B at GCSE level
- Minimum of grade B in Maths and English Language
b) A-levels (and equivalent examinations, see c)
- At A2 we require AAA to include Biology, Chemistry and a third subject (excluding General Studies and Critical Thinking)
- Having a fourth A-level will NOT increase your chances of a place at this Medical School
We also recognise other qualifications in lieu of our AAA requirement at A-level:
c) Equivalent examinations
If you have completed qualifications equivalent to GCSE or A-level the following link will advise you: Qualifications Accepted. If your qualifications do not appear on the list, please contact the Admissions Officer.
d) Graduates
- Graduates can apply for the A100 undergraduate medical course. You must have achieved a 2:1 degree in a science based subject and achieved AAA at A-level with the two A grade passes in Biology and Chemistry. If you are studying a degree at time of application, you must be in your FINAL year and have completed the degree before the start of the medical course. The UKCAT test must be taken for this course.
- A101 graduate medical course. Graduates can apply for this course if they have achieved a 2:2 degree in any discipline. The GAMSAT examination must be taken for this course.
- International graduate applicants can apply for both the A100 and A101.
e) Open University Qualifications
The following Open University qualifications can be taken in lieu of A-levels. Applicants must have achieved
- S104 Exploring Science - 80% pass with commendation
- SK277 - Human Biology - 80% pass with commendation
- Another course (30 points) - 80% pass with commendation
Questionnaire
Once you have made an application to Nottingham, we will email you requesting you complete our on-line questionnaire. This gives you the opportunity to provide evidence that you have the attitudes and attributes that the GMC consider are important in the medical profession.
Interviews
There are 249 places on the A100 course this year. We will be interviewing around 800 candidates, and offers will be made to approximately 55% of of candidates. If you are invited for interview, you will have the opportunity to look around the Medical School and meet students currently on the course. We do not admit students without interview.
Last year we received around 2400 applications. The sheer number of high achieving applicants meant we were unable to interview or make offers to many strong candidates.
Re-sit candidates
We only consider re-sit candidates if they have already applied to us, and there are genuine extenuating circumstances which have affected their performance at A-level. Please contact our Admissions Officer for more details.
Re-applications
If you apply one year and are not invited for interview, you can apply the following year. You must sit the UKCAT test again and then submit your application in the normal way through UCAS. However, it is worth noting that we do not reconsider candidates who have previously been unsuccessful after interview.
Deferred entry
We welcome applications from home students who want to defer entry until the following year, and encourage candidates to use their gap year imaginatively.
Applications to other universities and courses
Your application for the A100 course is NOT affected by your applications to other universities or courses.
Late applications and clearing
As we receive such a large number of applications by the deadline of 15 October, we do not consider late applications.
If, by chance, there are any vacancies in August due to examination failures or late withdrawals, we only consider those candidates who applied to Nottingham but were unsuccessful earlier in the year. We do not enter the UCAS clearing system.
International students
Applications from candidates eligible to pay fees at the international rate are considered on the same criteria as home students.
We usually offer places to 28 international students a year. Because of the high level of fees, as a condition of entry, international applicants need to provide a guarantee that sufficient funds will be available for the duration of the course. Course tuition fees for international students for 2009/10 were £14,660 per year for years 1 and 2. Years 3, 4, and 5 will be set at the clinical rate applicable for 2011/12. For guidance, the clinical fees for 2009/10 were £25,480 per year.
In April 2006 the Home Office set new rules for international students. These rules state that after graduation, international students are allowed to practice medicine in the UK, on the Foundation Programme, for two years. After this time, they can be considered for further posts only if there are no suitable applicants from the UK and EU. Please be aware that this may change.
English language qualifications for international students
Medical students need to be fluent in English, both to understand the course and communicate with patients. If your first language is not English and you are not studying in the English medium, you will need to have or be taking either IELTS or TOEFL qualifications (requirements are shown in the table below). If your first language is English, we will accept any one of the following English Language qualifications (see table below).
| British Council IELTS test | At least 7.5 (no less than 7.0 in any element) |
| TOEFL |
At least 630
(no less than 5.0 in TWE) Computer based TOEFL 267 (no less than 5.0 in TWE) IBT TOEFL 109
(no less than 22 in any element)
|
| GCSE/O-level | Minimum grade B |
| Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English | Mininimum grade B |
| Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English | Grade A |
Mature candidates (21 or over on entry)
We will consider non-graduate mature applications from Home and EU students. International graduates are also welcome to apply. There is no fixed upper age limit, but we will consider the length of the course and the expected length of service after you qualify.
Graduate entry medicine
A101 is our graduate entry medical course for students who have achieved a 2:ii degree or higher. Applicants must sit the GAMSAT examination. Admissions for this course is dealt with by the GEM Course Office. Please contact Cathy Porter, Admissions Officer on 01332 724622 or e-mail cathy.porter@nottingham.ac.uk for more information.
Fitness to practice
Becoming a doctor means more than acquiring knowledge and skills. Medical students cannot complete the undergraduate curriculum without coming into close, and sometimes intimate, contact with members of the public who may be vulnerable or distressed. It is essential that you do nothing to diminish the trust which sick people and their relatives place in you. The award of a medical degree automatically entitles the graduate to be provisionally registered by the General Medical Council and to practice under supervision as a doctor. By awarding a medical degree, a university is therefore confirming that the graduate is fit to practice to the high standards laid down by the GMC in its guidance to the medical profession, "Good Medical Practice" [http://www.gmc-uk.org/].
Universities have a duty to ensure that no member of the public is harmed as a consequence of participating in the training of their medical students. If your conduct as a medical student falls below the high standards of honesty or behaviour that the public has a right to expect from the medical profession, you will be required to appear before the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Fitness to Practice Committee and your course may be terminated.
Students with disabilities or health problems
You should read very carefully the following statements which describe our position - and that of all other medical schools in the UK - with regard to certain personal circumstances which could make it difficult or impossible for you to practice as a doctor.
Students with disabilities
A disability is a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. The University of Nottingham welcomes students with disabilities. However, the Medical School has a special responsibility to ensure that all candidates admitted to the course will be eligible for registration by the General Medical Council on graduation.
Accepting a student who is unable to complete the core components of the course, and thus the criteria required by the GMC to be fit to practice, would not be in the interests of the student and would be contrary to the Medical School's overriding duty of care to the public.For these reasons, students with disabilities should seek specific individual advice from the Admissions Sub-Dean before applying to Nottingham.
Students with dyslexia
The central question when considering an applicant who has dyslexia is whether the condition is of sufficient severity to prevent you practicing safely as a doctor.
In general, the requirements for admission to medical school are so high that we are dealing with a self-selected group of people who have largely learnt to compensate for dyslexia. The approach we take is to try to explore with you the extent to which dyslexia interferes with your studies and your life in general. In addition, we try to judge the level of insight that you have about difficulties that might be encountered with important matters such as accurate drug prescribing.
The University has extensive learning support facilities. The Medical School is moving towards a policy of allowing a limited amount of extra time in purely academic examinations, by which we mean essays and multiple choice papers. However, it is the view both of the British Dyslexia Association and the Medical School that absolutely no concessions should be made in the conduct of clinical examinations. The reason is obvious and it is all to do with your safety as a doctor. The responsibility that universities with medical schools have in this regard is not only moral but legal. The 1983 Medical Act states that when a university grants a medical degree it is not only confirming that you have reached the requisite academic level but that you are also fit to practice medicine, which of course is not simply a question of academic attainment.
Medical Students and infectious diseases
As a medical student, you will be offered immunisations against Hepatitis B virus, followed by a test of your antibody response, to provide protection both for you and your patients against the risk of contracting Hepatitis B virus in healthcare settings.
The Medical School requires that all students receive a full course of immunisations against the Hepatitis B virus which is carried out at the beginning of year one. The Medical School reserves the right to re-test any, or all, medical students for any or all of the markers of Hepatitis B virus, which includes a test to identify carriers of the Hepatitis B virus.
You can request tests for other blood borne viruses (Human Immunodeficiency Virus [HIV] and/or Hepatitis C). These tests can be carried out through the Occupational Health service.
There are no vaccines against either of these disorders though specific treatment strategies would be offered. Students who are chronic carriers of Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C or HIV are currently allowed to continue on the course and to qualify as a doctor. None of the activities students are normally required to undertake during their undergraduate training would place them or patients at risk. However, students who demonstrate an interest in surgical specialties and wish to be more involved practically in surgical procedures may find restrictions placed on them. Carriers of Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV may not be able to pursue a career in surgical specialties.
All offers of admission to the Medical School are subject to Occupational Health screening confirming you are fit to undertake the course.
Students with mental health or behavioural difficulties
We ask you to inform us if you have been treated for mental illness, if you have been diagnosed as having a personality disorder or if you have deliberately harmed yourself. We also ask you to tell us if you are addicted to drugs, including alcohol.
Criminal offences and other related matters
All new medical students, from offers of a place to continued enrolment, are subject to a satisfactory enhanced Criminal Record Disclosure and must be registered with the Independent Safeguarding Authority. Consequently, you must advise us if you have received any convictions, cautions, warnings or reprimands irrespective of the reasons. Failure to disclose this information is looked on very severely by the Medical School. You must also tell us if you have been the subject of a Child Protection investigation.
Failure to disclose information which directly relates to your fitness to practice will result in the termination of your medical course.
Tuition Fees
Fees for 2009 were £3225 per year, however you may be eligible for either a University of Nottingham bursary or a Government Grant. Please view our website:
www.nottingham.ac.uk/student-support/ for more information.
Exemptions from parts of the medical course
The medical course at Nottingham is fully integrated, and therefore we are unable to allow exemptions from any part of the course or from any examinations, even to students who already hold a related qualification, or have completed part of a medical course elsewhere. All students accepted at Nottingham must study for the full five-year course.
Course transfers
Because of the integrated nature of the course, students are not able to transfer into the Medical School from other faculties within the University or from other universities.
Medical School Open Day
The Medical School will be taking part in the University Open Days on Friday 25 June 2010, Saturday 26 June 2010, Friday 10 September 2010 and Saturday 11 September 2010. If you would like to attend, please book online at www.nottingham.ac.uk/opendays or telephone the Enquiry Line on +44 (0) 115 9515559. Although the University campus is open to visitors all year round, and tours are organised regularly by the Enquiry Centre, we do not, unfortunately have the resources in the Medical School to arrange alternative visits, tours or interviews.
Contact Details
The Admissions Officer
Medical Course Office
The University of Nottingham
Queen's Medical Centre
Nottingham NG7 2UH
Email: medschool@nottingham.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)115 8230000
Fax: +44 (0)115 8230004
For international student enquiries, please contact:
The International Office
Email: international-office@nottingham.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)115 9515247
Fax: +44 (0)115 9515155
