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UK Medicine · 2027 Entry

Medical schools inNorthern Ireland

2 schools2027 entry

Northern Ireland has two medical schools: Queen's University Belfast (5-year A100, established) and Ulster University at Magee (5-year A100, newer route). Both are NHS NI-funded with placements across Belfast Trust, the Ulster Hospital, Antrim Area Hospital and other regional sites. NI-domiciled places are highly competitive due to a small quota, and the Department for the Economy (DfE) caps total intake.

Overview

Studying medicine in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland-domiciled applicants funded by Student Finance NI pay £4,710/year (significantly below the UK rate). Rest-of-UK and International applicants pay standard or overseas fees. Both schools strongly weight academic attainment alongside UCAT, and both run interviews tailored to the local healthcare context. Graduates predominantly enter the Northern Ireland Foundation School, which has historically had strong retention.

Northern Ireland funding. NI-domiciled: £4,710/year (substantially below the £9,250 RUK rate). Rest of UK: £9,250/year. International: standard overseas rates. NI Foundation School is the predominant career path for graduates.
Schools

Medical schools in Northern Ireland

2 medical schools in Northern Ireland for 2027 Entry — click any school for the full how-to-get-in guide including UCAT cut-offs, NGMP TrueScore prediction, and Northern Ireland-specific entry advice.

Queen's University Belfast (QUB)
Belfast · Established 1849
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
TrueScore
1700+
home
Ulster University Medical School
Londonderry · Established 2022
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Two: Queen's University Belfast (the long-established A100) and Ulster University at Magee (a newer A100 graduate-entry route).

For Northern Ireland-domiciled applicants Queen's is one of the most realistic routes - the NI quota gives them a much higher offer rate than at competitor English schools. For Rest-of-UK applicants the Queen's quota is small and competition is intense.

NI-domiciled applicants pay £4,710/year (Student Finance NI rate). Rest-of-UK applicants pay the standard £9,250/year. International applicants pay overseas fees (~£25,000-£42,000/year depending on school).

Queen's typically requires UCAT 1940+/2700 for NI applicants and 2010+/2700 for Rest-of-UK. Ulster's thresholds are slightly lower but its programme is graduate-entry. See each school's NGMP TrueScore prediction for the latest cycle.

The NI Foundation School has high retention and strong satisfaction scores. Many Queen's and Ulster graduates remain in NI for foundation training. Allocation is national - you can apply elsewhere - but most NI medical-school graduates rank NI Foundation programmes highly.

Apply to medicine in Northern Ireland with NextGen MedPrep

UCAT prep, personal statement coaching, and interview practice with current medical-student tutors who know each Northern Ireland school inside out.

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Reviewed by Isaac Butler-King, medical student at the University of Glasgow. Last reviewed: 26 June 2026