Medical schools in Scotland
Every route, how each school selects, and who pays
Scotland has five medical schools: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews, plus ScotGEM, a graduate course run by St Andrews and Dundee. The Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council set the places: 1,417 for 2026-27, with international students capped at 10%. If you live in Scotland, SAAS pays your £1,820 tuition fee. Students from the rest of the UK pay up to £10,050 a year for 2027-28.
- Intake target 2026-27
- 1,417 first-year places
- 2027 entry deadline
- 15 Oct 2026, 18:00 UK time
- Scottish students' fee
- £1,820 a year, paid by SAAS
- Rest-of-UK fee 2027-28
- Up to £10,050 a year
- International cap
- 10% of each school's places
Photo: Chrysi Chrysochou · CC BY-SA 3.0 · cropped
Photo: Clem_nat · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Daytrick / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Ydam / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Medical schools in Scotland for 2027 entry: the short answer
Five Scottish universities teach medicine: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews. Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow run five-year MBChB degrees (the degree that leads to registration with the GMC, the General Medical Council). Edinburgh's MBChB takes six years because it includes an honours year in medical science.
St Andrews has two main routes from school: the six-year A100, which ends with three clinical years at a partner school, and ScotCOM, a five-year MBChB taught entirely by St Andrews. Graduates can apply to ScotGEM, a four-year MBChB run by St Andrews and Dundee.
Medicine is a controlled subject in Scotland: the Scottish Government recommends how many students each school takes and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) sets the targets. Where you live decides your fee, and schools manage how many students they admit from each fee group.
| Universities | Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews |
|---|---|
| UCAS deadline | 15 October 2026 at 18:00 UK time, with no more than four medicine choices |
| First-year places, 2026-27 | 1,417 in total: 1,274 for Scottish, rest-of-UK and Irish students and 143 for international students |
| Widening access places, 2026-27 | 110, for applicants from the most deprived 20% of areas (SIMD20) or with care experience |
| Tuition for Scottish students | £1,820 a year, paid to the university by SAAS if you apply each year |
| Interviews | Late November 2026 to March 2027, depending on the school |
Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews: what sets each apart
Each card links to that school's full guide. Below them, the facts that make each course different for 2027 entry, taken from the schools' own pages.
Aberdeen: interview counts for half
A five-year MBChB on the Foresterhill health campus. Aberdeen scores your academic record at 30%, UCAT at 20% and interview at 50%, with no UCAT cut-off. Every student has a remote and rural attachment in Year 4, and can spend the whole year outside Aberdeen.
Dundee: a group interview, no UCAT minimum
A five-year MBChB taught mostly at Ninewells Hospital, plus other hospitals and general practices across Scotland. Dundee sets no minimum UCAT score, and its 2027-entry interview is a two-part group discussion rather than a circuit of stations.
Edinburgh: six years and two degrees
A six-year MBChB with a research-based honours year in Year 3, so you graduate with a BMedSci as well as an MBChB. For 2027 entry Edinburgh requires a UCAT of at least 1,850 and invites about 800 applicants to an assessment day.
Glasgow: application first, then UCAT
A five-year MBChB with clinical experience from Year 1 and two electives. Glasgow screens your grades, personal statement and reference first, then uses the UCAT to allocate about 1,100 interviews. Its COMET track gives 30 students a year extra general practice teaching.
St Andrews: two main routes from school
The six-year A100 is a BSc Medicine at St Andrews followed by three clinical years at a partner school in Scotland or England. ScotCOM (A10C) is a five-year MBChB taught entirely by St Andrews, open to Home and rest-of-UK applicants only.
ScotGEM: medicine as a second degree
A four-year MBChB for graduates of any subject with a first or 2:1, taught by St Andrews in Years 1 and 2 and Dundee in Years 3 and 4, with long rural placements. It uses the GAMSAT, not the UCAT.
Every route into medicine in Scotland compared (2027 entry)
The main routes for school leavers and graduates for 2027 entry, from each school's course pages. Pre-medical Gateway programmes for widening-access applicants are covered further down.
| Route | Length | Who can apply | Test | Interview |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen MBChB (A100) | 5 years | School leavers and graduates; graduates start in Year 1 | UCAT | Modified MMI, in person |
| Dundee MBChB (A100) | 5 years | School leavers and graduates | UCAT | Two-part group interview |
| Edinburgh MBChB (A100) | 6 years, including a BMedSci honours year | School leavers and graduates | UCAT, minimum 1,850 | Half-day assessment day of short interviews |
| Glasgow MBChB (A100) | 5 years | School leavers; graduates need at least a 2:1 | UCAT | 30-minute online panel |
| St Andrews BSc Medicine (A100) | 6 years: 3 at St Andrews, 3 at a partner school | UK and overseas applicants; overseas students finish at Manchester | UCAT | MMI |
| St Andrews ScotCOM MBChB (A10C) | 5 years, all with St Andrews | Home and rest-of-UK fee status only | UCAT | MMI |
| ScotGEM MBChB (A101), St Andrews and Dundee | 4 years | Graduates with Home or rest-of-UK fee status | GAMSAT | MMI at Ninewells, Dundee |
Edinburgh's HCP-Med is a separate route for healthcare professionals living and working in Scotland: three part-time, mainly online years, then two years on the main MBChB.
Choosing your St Andrews A100 route
Your A100 route decides where you can finish. The Scotland route leads to Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh or Glasgow; the England route leads to Manchester or Barts (Queen Mary University of London). A No Preference applicant is placed on one of the two at the point of offer.
Within your route, places are allocated in Year 2, based on your results in the first semester of Year 2 and your preferences. Applicants with overseas fee status complete their training at Manchester.
Highers, A-levels and the UCAT: what Scottish medical schools ask for
| School | Standard offer | Widening-access minimum | Higher sciences required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | AAAAB at one sitting | AAAB | Chemistry plus two of Biology, Human Biology, Mathematics or Physics |
| Dundee | AAAAB in one sitting, then BB at Advanced Higher in S6 | AAABB, then BB at Advanced Higher | Chemistry or Biology, plus another science (Mathematics counts) |
| Edinburgh | AAAAB by the end of S5, then BB at Advanced Higher in S6 | AAABB by the end of S5, then CC at Advanced Higher (Plus Flag) | Chemistry plus two of Biology, Mathematics or Physics |
| Glasgow | AAAAB in S5, then BB at Advanced Higher in S6 | AAABB or AAAAC in S5, then BC at Advanced Higher, after Reach | Chemistry, Biology, and Physics or Mathematics |
| St Andrews | AAAAB in S5, then at least BBB in S6 | AAABB in S5, then at least BB in S6 | Chemistry plus one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics |
S5 is the fifth year of secondary school, when most pupils sit Highers; S6 is the year for Advanced Highers. Glasgow does not count Highers sat in S4, and its adjusted offer cannot have the C in Chemistry.
If you take A-levels, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews ask for AAA for 2027 entry, including Chemistry and usually one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics; Aberdeen, Edinburgh and St Andrews accept AAB from widening-access applicants. For Dundee, choose A-levels in the entry requirements tool on its course page.
Watch the resit rules. Edinburgh assesses only your first attempt at each required subject, Glasgow wants its grades at one sitting and at the first attempt, and St Andrews wants all three A-levels from the same exam sitting.
| Aberdeen | No cut-off. Your score is compared with all Aberdeen applicants and counts for 20% of your total. Scottish widening-access applicants with the minimum grades and a UCAT in the top 75% are guaranteed an interview. |
|---|---|
| Dundee | Required in the year you apply, with no minimum cut-off score. |
| Edinburgh | Minimum 1,850 unless you hold a Plus Flag. Your UCAT decile and SJT band add points to your academic score; SJT Band 4 rules you out. |
| Glasgow | Used to allocate interviews after your grades, personal statement and reference have been screened. |
| St Andrews | Applicants who pass the academic, reference and work-experience checks are ranked on UCAT; roughly the top 650 are interviewed. |
| ScotGEM | GAMSAT instead of the UCAT. For 2025 entry, only applicants scoring 50 overall with no section below 42 were interviewed. |
How many places? Intake targets, fee groups and the international cap
For 2026-27 the Scottish Government kept the national target at 1,417 first-year medical students. Its guidance splits this into 1,274 places for Scottish, rest-of-UK, Irish and Gibraltar students and 143 for international students, and says the number of Scottish-domiciled students must not fall.
There is no separate published cap on rest-of-UK students. Aberdeen and St Andrews both say they manage how many students they admit from each fee group to meet targets set by the Scottish Government and the SFC.
International students are capped at 10% of each school's target from 2026-27, replacing a fixed national target of 78. From 2027-28 the Medical ACT levy, the charge international students pay towards NHS teaching, rises to up to £21,000 a year.
| University | Total target | Widening access | International cap | Ring-fenced routes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | 298 | 24 | 30 | 55 GP-track places |
| Dundee | 220 | 24 | 22 | None listed |
| Edinburgh | 326 | 25 | 33 | 35 HCP-Med places |
| Glasgow | 346 | 25 | 35 | 30 GP-track places |
| St Andrews | 157 | 12 | 23 | 55 ScotCOM places |
| ScotGEM (St Andrews and Dundee) | 70 | None listed | None listed | Graduate entry |
Totals include widening access and international places. Gateway to Medicine places (30 at Aberdeen, 40 at Glasgow) are counted separately. Widening access places are for applicants from SIMD20 areas or with care experience.
| School and entry year | Scottish or home | Rest of UK | International |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen, 2026 | 955 applied, 228 started | 222 applied, 45 started | 455 applied, 35 started |
| Edinburgh, 2026 | 166 places | 79 places (with Ireland) | 21 places |
| Glasgow, 2025 | 942 applied, 261 started | 491 applied, 47 started | 568 applied, 33 started (with EU) |
| St Andrews A100, 2025 | 417 applied, 51 started | 335 applied, 47 started | 303 applied, 33 started |
| Dundee, 2023 | 985 applied, 155 started | 597 applied, 32 started (with Ireland) | 368 applied, 31 started |
From each school's own admissions statistics. Edinburgh gives places by fee rate for 2026 entry, from about 2,830 applications. The balance between groups varies by school and year.
Fees and funding for medicine in Scotland, by where you live
| Where you live | Who pays tuition | Help with living costs |
|---|---|---|
| Scotland | SAAS pays the £1,820 fee to the university for every year of the course, as long as you apply each year | Means-tested SAAS bursary and loan: up to £11,400 a year for a young student with household income under £21,000 |
| England | Tuition fee loan from Student Finance England in Years 1 to 4; from Year 5 the NHS Bursary pays a contribution to your fee | Student Finance England maintenance loan, then NHS Bursary support from Year 5 |
| Wales or Northern Ireland | Tuition fee loan from Student Finance Wales or Student Finance NI | Maintenance support from the same body; check its rules for the later years of medicine |
| Outside the UK | You pay the international fee, which includes the NHS teaching (ACT) levy | Plan to fund living costs yourself; NHS bursaries are not available to overseas students |
SAAS figures are its current published rates. The bursary and loan total includes a £2,400 Special Support Loan.
| School | Scottish (paid by SAAS) | Rest of UK | International |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | £1,820 (2026-27) | £9,790 (2026-27) | £50,100 including levy (2026-27) |
| Dundee | £1,820 (2027 entry, to be confirmed) | £10,050 (2027 entry, to be confirmed) | £57,600 (2027 entry); Dundee's pages differ on whether this includes the £10,000 ACT levy |
| Edinburgh | £1,820 (2027-28) | £10,050 (2027-28, subject to Parliamentary approval) | £59,700 including levy (2027-28) |
| Glasgow | £1,820 (2027-28) | £9,790 (2026-27; 2027-28 not yet confirmed) | £67,112 including levy (2027-28) |
| St Andrews A100 | Paid by SAAS; 2027 rate not yet set | £9,790 expected for 2026-27; 2027 rate not yet set | £41,600 for the St Andrews years (2027 entry) |
Rest-of-UK fees rise each year with the UK Government fee cap; Edinburgh's 2027-28 rate is £260 above 2026-27. International fees may change because the ACT levy rises from 2027-28.
SAAS (the Student Awards Agency Scotland) funds the shortest time your course needs plus one extra year, which can cover a repeat or an intercalated year. Apply every year and tick the tuition fee box; if you forget, the university bills you.
If you live in Scotland and study medicine elsewhere in the UK, SAAS lends your fee for Years 1 to 4 (up to £10,050 from 2027-28) and pays it in Year 5. Scottish students on the St Andrews A100 who move to Manchester or Barts pay fees of up to £9,790 (SAAS's current figure) in Year 4, which a SAAS loan can cover. SAAS then funds Years 5 and 6 as it did the first three.
Students from England can apply for the NHS Bursary wherever in the UK they study medicine: from Year 5 of a five- or six-year course, or Year 2 of a graduate-entry course. You must be attending on 1 December for the fee contribution.
ScotGEM is funded differently. For Scottish students the Scottish Government pays the tuition directly. Every ScotGEM student can apply for a £4,000-a-year NHS Education for Scotland bursary in return for a year of NHS Scotland work per year of bursary. Students from England paid £3,826 of the Year 1 fee in 2026-27.
SIMD, Reach and contextual offers at Scottish medical schools
SIMD, the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, ranks small areas of Scotland from most to least deprived using income, employment, education, health, access to services, crime and housing. SIMD20 means your postcode is in the most deprived 20% of areas. SIMD40 usually means the most deprived 40%, but Aberdeen and Edinburgh use it for the second-most-deprived fifth only.
Every Scottish medical school uses SIMD, alongside care experience and other circumstances, to lower its grade requirements or adjust the UCAT. The Scottish Government's targets also include 110 widening access places for 2026-27. Each school publishes its own rules.
| School | Who qualifies (main criteria) | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | SIMD20 or SIMD40 postcode, POLAR4 quintile 1, care experience, young carers, or registered with Reach | Minimum AAAB at Higher or AAB at A-level; UCAT raised 10% for SIMD20 or care-experienced school leavers, 5% for SIMD40 |
| Dundee | Priority factors include a SIMD quintile 1 postcode, free school meals, caring, care experience, estrangement or refugee status | Assessed against the widening-access grades (AAABB); normally interviewed if on course to meet them |
| Edinburgh | A widening access Plus Flag or Flag; Scottish residents in the second-most-deprived fifth of areas (SIMD40) | Plus Flag: minimum grades, any UCAT considered, 10% uplift. Flag: 5% uplift. SIMD40: 10% uplift but 1,850 still needed |
| Glasgow | Scottish residents in SIMD deciles 1 to 4, care experienced, estranged, carers, asylum seekers or refugees | Adjusted offer of AAABB or AAAAC plus BC at Advanced Higher, after completing Reach |
| St Andrews | Most deprived 40% of areas, care experienced, young carers, estranged or refugees | Minimum AAABB plus BB in S6 (AAB at A-level); 10% UCAT uplift for most of these groups |
Edinburgh rejects any applicant with SJT Band 4, whatever their flag. Aberdeen asks for widening-access evidence by 15 October; Dundee needs it within a week of that date.
Glasgow Gateway to Medical Studies (A900)
A one-year CertHE funded by the Scottish Government for Scottish residents from SIMD20 areas, care-experienced or estranged applicants and similar groups. Entry is AABB at Higher with three sciences. Passing at the required grades leads to Year 1 of the MBChB with no UCAT. UCAS deadline: 13 January.
Aberdeen Gateway2Medicine
Run with North East Scotland College (NESCOL) for Scottish pupils from widening-access backgrounds. The SFC's 2026-27 targets give 30 Gateway to Medicine places to Aberdeen and 40 to Glasgow.
St Andrews Gateway to Medicine
A year of first-year science for Scottish applicants who meet a widening-access criterion such as SIMD20, a low-attainment school, care experience or a Reach project. Entry is BBBB at Higher in S5; moving on to A100 or ScotCOM needs set grades, a suitable UCAT and an MMI pass.
Reach programmes
Support for pupils at eligible state schools. Reach Edinburgh works with S4 to S6 students in south-east Scotland, Glasgow requires Reach for its adjusted medicine offer, and Aberdeen counts Reach registration as a widening-access criterion.
UCAT bursary for Scottish students
If you receive Education Maintenance Allowance, or the full-rate Young or Independent Students' Bursary from SAAS, you may get a UCAT bursary covering the whole test fee.
Medicine interviews in Scotland for 2027 entry: MMI, panel and group
The five schools use four different formats. Know yours before you prepare: a group discussion and a panel reward different habits.
| School | Format | Where and when |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | Modified MMI: 5-minute stations, two selectors at each, about an hour in total | In person at the Suttie Centre, Foresterhill, 14 to 18 December 2026 |
| Dundee | Two-part group interview: six applicants discuss a scenario for about 30 minutes while an assessor watches, then a second assessor leads a discussion | In person at Ninewells for UK applicants, online option for international applicants; January 2027 |
| Edinburgh | Half-day assessment day with a series of short interviews | Scottish and rest-of-UK applicants attend in person; outcomes by March |
| Glasgow | 30 minutes with two interviewers: Panel A on motivation and teamwork, Panel B on communication and an ethical scenario you choose from two | Online, late November 2026 to March 2027 |
| St Andrews | MMI, usually four stations of about six minutes, including at least one role-play with an actor | Early December to March; for 2026 entry, home-fee applicants were interviewed in person |
| ScotGEM | MMI with seven-minute stations | Usually at the Dundee medical school, Ninewells Hospital; most decisions by mid-March 2027 |
You read two short ethical scenarios and pick one to discuss. A practice scenario of ours: a 15-year-old asks a GP for contraception and does not want her parents told.
Pick the scenario you can reason through best. Name the tension, here confidentiality against safety and her right to decide, say what more you would want to know, and reach a balanced, kind conclusion, including who you would ask for help.
- State the principles in plain words
- Ask what you would need to find out
- End with a clear course of action
A practice task of ours: your group of six must agree how a rural practice should share a small number of same-day appointments.
Dundee assesses communication, group working, personal values and professionalism. Speak early but briefly, build on others' points by name, bring in anyone who has not spoken, and summarise where the group has got to. The loudest voice is not the leader.
- Listen and respond, do not just wait to speak
- Disagree politely, with a reason
- Help the group decide on time
Clinical placements: where each Scottish medical school sends students
Aberdeen: the north of Scotland
Clinical attachments with NHS Grampian, Highland, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles. Year 4 includes remote and rural medicine for everyone, and you can spend the whole year outside Aberdeen.
Dundee: Ninewells and beyond
Most teaching happens at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, with other hospital sites and general practices across Scotland, and general practice placements from the early years.
Edinburgh: Lothian and the south of Scotland
Hospital placements in Lothian's teaching hospitals and regional sites mainly across the south of Scotland, general practice in south-east Scotland, and a limited number of placements in the Highlands and Islands.
Glasgow: hospitals and general practice
Clinical blocks in hospitals and general practice from the second half of Year 3. COMET students spend one day a month in the same GP practice for two years and study health inequalities, including time in Deep End practices.
St Andrews: partner schools or ScotCOM boards
A100 students do their clinical years at their partner school. ScotCOM students train in community hospitals in Fife, then across NHS Fife, NHS Borders and NHS Forth Valley, so expect to live away from Fife for some blocks.
ScotGEM: rural Scotland
Year 1 is in St Andrews and Fife. From Year 2 you live and study in rural parts of the Highlands and Dumfries and Galloway for periods, and Year 3 is a year-long placement in one general practice.
Placements cost money. Edinburgh estimates travel and accommodation at a maximum of £530 to £900 a year, pays a travel subsidy in most years, and reimburses journeys of 20 miles or more each way when no accommodation is provided. It also estimates living costs in Edinburgh at £1,546 a month for 2026-27.
Applying for 2028 entry: a timeline for S5 and Year 12 students
Dates for the 2028-entry cycle are not published yet. This timeline follows the pattern of the 2027-entry cycle; confirm each date when UCAS, the UCAT Consortium and the schools publish them.
- Now to spring 2027
Check subjects, grades and your SIMD status
Make sure your Highers or A-levels include the sciences each school requires and that you will sit them at the first attempt. Look up whether your postcode is SIMD20 or SIMD40 and ask your school about Reach.
- St Andrews needs relevant medically related work experience before it will interview you
- Summer 2027
Sit the UCAT
UCAT 2027 dates are not out yet. In the 2026 cycle, registration opened on 20 May, testing ran from 13 July to 24 September, and the booking deadline was 16 September. Book early so you can rebook if you are ill.
- Apply for a UCAT bursary before the bursary deadline if you are eligible
- By mid-October 2027
Apply through UCAS, with up to four medicine choices
For 2027 entry the deadline was 15 October 2026 at 18:00 UK time. Expect a similar mid-October deadline for 2028 entry, and check UCAS for the exact date.
- Upload widening-access evidence with your application
- November 2027 to March 2028
Interviews and offers
In the 2027-entry cycle, Glasgow interviews from late November to March, Aberdeen in mid-December and Dundee in January. Most offers come by the end of March.
- Spring to August 2028
Funding, checks and results
Apply to SAAS or your student finance body for each year of the course. Offer holders join the PVG scheme (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) before starting. At Dundee you must meet every offer condition by 31 August.
Mistakes that cost applicants a place at Scottish medical schools
Medical schools in Scotland: your questions answered
Where this guide's facts come from
Checked against these sources on 19 October 2026. Rules change between cycles, so confirm anything that decides your application on the official page for your entry year.
Applying to medicine in Scotland?
Practise the interview format your Scottish schools use with a tutor, or check where your Highers or A-levels and UCAT fit with our free Where to Apply tool.