Medicine: Application Checklist
We suggest that you use this checklist below when preparing an application.
1. Check entry requirements
As well as fulfilling the academic entry requirements, all applicants are required to register for and sit the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) between July and September in the year that you are applying. Find more information on the UCAT on the UCAT website. Please also check our webpage about UCAT for any changes to UCAT arrangements and requirements in the 2024 application cycle for 2025 entry.
Applicants should also read our statement on health & fitness to practise medicine.
Please be aware that there is a lower age limit in place at Oxford Medical School, which means you should be at least 18 years of age on 1 November in the year you are applying to start the course. Please see our FAQs for further details.
2. Attend an open day
We strongly recommend that you attend one of the Medicine open days at the Medical Sciences Teaching Centre. Find out more on the University's Open Day landing pages.
3. Think about costs & funding
How much will it cost?
Information on course fees and general living costs can be found on the student funding website.
What's my fee status?
It is extremely important that applicants are clear on their fee status prior to submitting an application to the Medical School. Do consult the advice posted by the UK Council for International Student Affairs on their website, which provides a checklist covering information that we may ask you for when deciding on your status:
Any applicant unsure of their status should check the University’s website on determining status for fees purposes and/or write to the Student Fees Team at student.fees@admin.ox.ac.uk with full details of their circumstances.
Are there any scholarships?
We regret that there are no scholarships available for Medicine in Oxford due to the nature and duration of the course and the costs involved. For more information about student finance matters, and to undertake a full funding search, please see the student funding website.
This scholarship search website may also be of interest.
Your local branch of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies might be able to advise you on finding scholarships, or looking for more affordable medical courses, perhaps in your own country.
UK students are strongly advised to read through the Oxford Bursaries website.
4. Register for the UNIVERSITY CLINICAL APTITUDE TEST (ucat)
Normally all applicants for Medicine at Oxford must register for and sit the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT). Please check our webpage about UCAT for any changes to UCAT arrangements and requirements in the 2024 application cycle for 2025 entry.
The UCAT is delivered in Pearson VUE test centres throughout the UK and in over 130 countries worldwide. A list of all available test centres can be found using the Pearson VUE Test Centre Locator.
Applicants can register to sit the UCAT by creating a UCAT account (from 14 May 2024) and then booking a test from 18 June 2024. The test is usually taken between July and September.
We have chosen to use the UCAT as part of our shortlisting process as it is the one measure we have for all our applicants and we know the test has some capacity to predict students’ aptitude for our course. There is absolutely no need to attend a formal course to prepare for the UCAT and we would instead advise applicants to prepare using the free official practice materials which have been developed by the UCAT consortium.
5. Choose a college
Look at the page on colleges, and the University website on colleges.
You can choose a college if you want to, BUT you do not have to! You can in fact submit an open application to the University. Around 20% of applicants to Oxford choose to do this. In any case, you can be assured that our admissions process strives to admit the best candidates irrespective of choice of college on the UCAS form. All colleges are strong academically, and your course (lectures, practicals, seminars, etc) will be the same regardless of the college of which you are a member.
6. Submit an application through UCAS
The deadline for submission of UCAS applications will be in mid-October. You can apply on the UCAS website. Please note that applications submitted to UCAS past the UCAS deadline cannot be considered by the Medical School.
Do ensure that you give your complete educational history, and not just details of the qualifications you might be currently working towards (i.e. provide full information on your GCSEs or GCSE-equivalent qualifications).
When writing your personal statement, think about our selection criteria, and read our advice on personal statements:
Do remember to allow sufficient time for your referee to complete their section.