How to Get into Oxford Medicine: Requirements, UCAT & Personal Statement Tips
If you’re dreaming of going to the famous ‘city of dreaming spires’ to study Oxford’s prestigious Medicine course, you’re in the right place.
What’s covered
Understanding the course and grade requirements
Understanding the admissions deadlines
Preparing for the UCAT effectively
Writing a standout personal statement for Medicine
Getting relevant work experience
Oxford Medicine is one of the most competitive courses in the world.
Our Think Smart Admissions Experts are here to give you the edge. Reach out today and let us help you stand out.
Understanding Oxford Medicine Course Requirements
Entrance requirements:
A*AA
IB equivalent 39 (including core points) with 766 at HL.
Course duration:
3 years (BA); 6 years (BM BCh)
Required subjects:
Chemistry with either Maths, Further Maths, Biology or Physics.
Pre-clinical annual course fees:
Home £9,535
Overseas £46,600
Clinical annual course fees:
Home £9,535
Overseas £61,560
Oxford Medicine has a particular focus on the scientific underpinnings of clinical work, retaining a distinct 3 year period solely for the scientific understanding of Medicine. The standard Oxford medical course has separate pre-clinical (years 1-3) and clinical (years 4-6).
It’s also a relatively small course, which makes for a friendly and collaborative atmosphere.
All Medicine studies undertake an experimental research project as part of their first three years, which is a research project based on a field of your interest in a laboratory from a wide range of departments within the Medical Sciences Division.
Understanding the admissions deadlines
You should also have an understanding of the general timeline for the admissions process, so that you don’t miss anything important.
Pay special attention to the UCAT registration and booking deadlines. Missing the UCAT deadline means automatic disqualification, so register early!
Oxford Medicine Admissions Deadlines
| Oxford Medicine | Deadlines | Work needed |
|---|---|---|
| Apply for funding (international only; UK students apply in spring) | Depends on student’s home country | Submit on time. |
| Registering for UCAT | Previously 19 September 2024; may vary slightly this year | Submit on time. |
| UCAT (Admissions Test) | Between 8 July and 26 September 2025 | 2–3 months, ideally begin in May. |
| Personal statement (UCAS application) | 15 October 2025 | 2–3 months, begin late July. |
| Interview (if applicable) | Varies, usually mid-late December | 1–2 months. |
Admissions statistics*
Interviewed: 23%
Intake: 149
Successful: 8%
*3-year average 2021-23
Please note that the number of international fee status medical students at each medical school in the UK is subject to a government quota. For Oxford this quota is currently a maximum of 14 per year across both the standard entry A100 and A101 graduate-entry/accelerated Medicine courses.
Preparing for the UCAT effectively
Don’t miss the registration deadline, or you won’t be able to continue with your application! You can register to sit the UCAT by creating a UCAT account (from 13 May 2025) and then booking a test from 17 June 2025. The test is usually taken between July and September.
Effective preparation includes using official practice materials, timed mock exams, and focusing on strategies for each section. Make sure to start preparing well in advance – we recommend at least three months – in order to give yourself the best chance of a high score. To guarantee effective revision, get in touch with us any time, and we’ll put you in contact with one of our expert tutors.
The structure of the UCAT
The UCAT is a two-hour test that consists of 228 multiple-choice questions across five separately timed sections. It's designed to test aptitude, not academic knowledge. The UCAT includes sections on:
Verbal Reasoning – Assesses your ability to critically evaluate information in a written text.
Decision Making – Tests your logical reasoning and decision-making skills alongside data.
Quantitative Reasoning – Measures numerical problem-solving ability.
Abstract Reasoning – Evaluates your ability to identify patterns and relationships.
Situational Judgement – Assesses your approach to ethical scenarios and decision-making in medical contexts.
You can find out more about the exam, and what our UCAT tutors offer, on our UCAT page.
Writing a standout personal statement for Medicine
Your personal statement is one of the most important aspects of your Oxford Medicine application—it’s your chance to demonstrate how fantastic you are. Oxford places a lot of emphasis on academic excellence and scientific curiosity, to make sure to highlight these aspects of your suitability for the course.
Try to avoid saying ‘I’ve always wanted to be a doctor because I want to help people’ (it’s overdone, and a little cliche). Since Oxford prioritises the scientific background behind medicine, you’ll want to prove that you have a fascination with the technical side of things. For example, instead of saying “I shadowed a cardiologist in a hospital”, you could write: "Observing a cardiologist use patient history and diagnostic tests to make a treatment decision showed me how scientific knowledge is applied in real-world medicine. This led me to research the effectiveness of different diagnostic methods for heart disease.”
That said, you do still want to show the Oxford admissions tutors that you genuinely care about the power of Medicine to change, and save, lives. Prove it by discussing the most important part of any Oxford personal statement:
Super-curriculars
Unlike extracurriculars, which could be sports or hobby-based, super-curriculars are more academically-inclined. Examples in the field of medicine could include:
Wider reading – books like The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee or Bad Science by Ben Goldacre can help you develop critical thinking.
MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are free online courses on platforms like Coursera or FutureLearn that can show proactive learning.
Research or projects like extended essays, science competitions, or independent research on medical topics help you stand out.
Everyone who applies has great grades, so that’s simply not enough anymore. Make no mistake: super-curriculars are your key to Oxford.
Getting relevant work experience
One of the best ways to gain experience is shadowing doctors in hospitals or GP surgeries. If you don’t have personal connections, try contacting local NHS trusts, GP practices, or hospital education departments to ask about formal work experience schemes. Persistence is key – sending polite, well-worded emails explaining your interest in medicine can sometimes open doors.
If clinical placements are hard to secure, volunteering in care homes, hospices, or charities like St John Ambulance can still provide invaluable patient-facing experience.
Virtual work experience is another option. Programs like Observe GP or Brighton and Sussex Medical School’s Virtual Work Experience provide insight into patient interactions and the NHS structure. Attending medical lectures or online conferences can also help you engage with current issues in healthcare, giving you strong material for your personal statement and interviews.
If in-person opportunities are limited, consider international medical programs like Gap Medics or Projects Abroad, which offer placements in hospitals and clinics worldwide. These can be expensive, but they provide experience in different healthcare systems, which can be valuable when discussing medicine on a global scale in your application.
Then the crucial step: Did you notice any ethical dilemmas? What did you observe about patient-doctor relationships? Oxford is not impressed by a long list of placements. Instead, they want to see thoughtful reflection on what you gained from them.
Ask yourself:
What did I learn about the challenges of medicine?
How did this experience shape my understanding of the profession?
Did it raise any ethical or scientific questions that I explored further?