Scotland has five undergraduate medical schools - Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews - plus a graduate-entry route at Aberdeen. The selection algorithms in Scotland are distinctive: SAAS funding for Scottish-domiciled applicants creates a separate quota with markedly lower UCAT thresholds than the Rest-of-UK (RUK) cohort, and most Scottish schools weight UCAT more heavily than English schools at shortlisting.
Overview
Studying medicine in Scotland
Scottish medical degrees are publicly funded for Scottish-domiciled applicants through SAAS - tuition is effectively free. Rest-of-UK applicants pay £9,250/year for years 1-4 (year 5 is funded for everyone). International applicants pay overseas fees, typically £37,000-£62,000/year. Quotas are distinct: each Scottish school has separate Scottish, RUK and International thresholds, and competitive UCAT scores differ by 200-400 points between tiers. Most Scottish schools also use the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) for contextual offers - postcode-based widening-participation reductions of 100-200 UCAT points.
Fees + funding. Scottish-domiciled (SAAS): tuition free. Rest-of-UK: £9,250/year for years 1-4, year 5 funded by NHS bursary. International: £37,000-£62,000/year (varies by school).
Schools
Medical schools in Scotland
5 medical schools in Scotland for 2027 Entry — click any school for the full how-to-get-in guide including UCAT cut-offs, NGMP TrueScore prediction, and Scotland-specific entry advice.
Five undergraduate (A100) routes: University of Aberdeen, University of Dundee, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, and University of St Andrews. Aberdeen also offers a four-year graduate-entry route.
For Scottish-domiciled applicants funded by SAAS, yes - tuition is free for the whole degree. Rest-of-UK applicants pay £9,250/year for years 1-4 and the NHS bursary covers year 5. International applicants pay overseas fees of £37,000-£62,000/year.
Thresholds vary widely by school AND by tier. As a rough guide for 2027 entry: Scottish-domiciled cut-offs are typically 1750-1900 (Glasgow ~1850), Rest-of-UK applicants need 1900-2050, and International applicants face 2000-2200. See each school's page for the NGMP TrueScore prediction.
Quotas are smaller for RUK candidates and the UCAT bar is materially higher - Glasgow accepted ~73 of 130 RUK applicants for interview in 2025, vs ~647 of 825 Scottish applicants. The competition ratio is real, but a strong UCAT (2050+) can offset the quota gap.
Mostly no. Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee do not score the personal statement at shortlisting (it may be discussed at interview). Aberdeen reviews it for fit. St Andrews uses it as a tiebreaker. Focus your prep on UCAT, GCSE attainment, and interview performance.
The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation flags postcodes in the most-deprived 20-40% of Scotland. Glasgow, Dundee and Edinburgh use SIMD to identify widening-participation applicants who get reduced UCAT thresholds (typically 100-200 points lower) and reserved interview slots.
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