Medical Schools in London

2027 Entry · 7 schools

London has the densest cluster of medical schools in the UK — Imperial College, UCL, King's College London (KCL), Barts and The London (Queen Mary), and St George's University of London. All five are research-intensive Russell Group institutions with major NHS teaching trust links across central, east and south London. The five schools have markedly different selection algorithms — Imperial weights UCAT heavily, UCL splits academics + UCAT roughly evenly, KCL prioritises GCSEs, Barts has a distinctive contextual offer scheme, and St George's is famous for its compressed graduate route.

Studying medicine in London

Living in London during medical school is expensive — typical undergraduate accommodation costs £180-£300/week, eating into the maintenance loan. NHS placements span world-class teaching hospitals (Hammersmith, UCLH, Guy's + St Thomas', the Royal London, St George's) but commute times can stretch to 60-90 minutes for outer-zone placements. London medical schools tend to attract candidates aiming for academic medicine, surgical specialties or competitive London-based foundation training.

London cost reality

Tuition: £9,250/year (UK home). Accommodation: typical £180-£300/week, considerably above non-London medical schools. Maintenance loans for London-resident students are higher (~£13,762 vs ~£9,978 elsewhere).

Medical schools in London

7 medical schools in London for 2027 Entry. Click any school for the full how-to-get-in guide including UCAT cut-offs, NGMP TrueScore prediction, and London-specific entry advice.

Frequently asked questions

How many medical schools are in London?: Five: Imperial College London, UCL, King's College London (KCL), Barts and The London (Queen Mary), and St George's University of London. Together they admit ~1,800 students per year.
Which London medical school is the hardest to get into?: Imperial typically has the highest UCAT cut-off (~2700+) and the lowest interview-to-offer rate. UCL and KCL are close behind. Barts is competitive but uses a distinctive contextual offer scheme. St George's is fiercely competitive for the 4-year graduate route specifically.
Which London medical school has the best NHS placements?: All five have outstanding placements — Imperial uses Hammersmith / Charing Cross, UCL uses UCLH, KCL uses Guy's + St Thomas', Barts uses the Royal London, and St George's uses St George's Hospital Tooting. Choice usually comes down to commute and clinical-school style preference.
Is medicine in London more expensive than elsewhere?: Yes. Accommodation in zones 1-3 typically costs £180-£300/week vs £100-£160/week in non-London cities. The London maintenance loan uplift partially offsets this (~£13,762 vs ~£9,978 elsewhere). Many students share flats from year 2 to keep costs down.
Do London medical schools weight personal statements?: Imperial does not score it at shortlisting. UCL reviews it as part of academic ranking. KCL uses it as a tiebreaker. Barts and St George's both incorporate it more directly into shortlisting. See each school's how-to-get-in guide for specifics.
Can I work in London after a London medical school?: Foundation training is allocated nationally — there is no formal preference for the London deanery, but London-based medical students often rank London foundation programmes highly. London foundation programmes are competitive but most graduates from London medical schools get a London training post if they rank it first.

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Reviewed by Isaac Butler-King, medical student at the University of Glasgow. Last reviewed: 14 May 2026