Is Oxford or Cambridge better for Medicine?
Both Oxford and Cambridge are two of the world’s most prestigious universities. But since you can only apply to one, which should you choose for Medicine ?
Did you know?
For undergraduate degrees, candidates are only permitted to apply to either Oxford or Cambridge in an attempt to reduce vast applications. This rule also encourages candidates to consider carefully which university might be a better fit for them.
You can apply to both only at postgraduate level.
What’s covered
Entry requirements
Acceptance rates
Rankings
Differences in courses and placements
Student life and atmosphere
Graduate prospects
Entry requirements: which is harder to get into?
Oxford Medicine:
Entrance requirements: A*AA (excluding Critical Thinking and Thinking Skills)
Required subjects: Chemistry with either Maths, Further Maths, Biology or Physics.
Cambridge Medicine:
Entrance requirements: A level: A*A*A
IB: 41-42 points, with 776 at Higher Level
There’s a slight difference between the entry requirements, with Oxford having a slightly lower minimum. This does help with the anxiety of fulfilling any conditional offer you might get, and might well make exam season less stressful.
That said, it’s not necessarily indicative of how competitive or ‘easy’ it is to get into – both universities consistently get applications from the best of the best, many with straight A*s.
A lower entry requirement doesn’t mean Oxford will be more likely to make an average student an offer, just that it’s more likely the student won’t miss out on the conditional grade requirements at the end of the year.
Acceptance rates
Oxford
Intake: 153
Interview Rate: 23%
Acceptance rate: 9%
Cambridge
Overseas fee status places: 22
Intake: 271
Interview Rate 70%
Acceptance rate: 16%
Cambridge has a much higher interview rate than Oxford, perhaps explaining the higher acceptance rate. However promising this sounds, there’s cons to this: if you get an Oxford interview, you’re much more likely to receive an offer given that you’ve already been shortlisted against 75% of applications. With a Cambridge interview, you’ve got less of a shot.
Cambridge admits roughly 100 more students than Oxford, making it a bigger cohort. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easier to get into, but it’s something to consider, especially for the general atmosphere of the course.
Rankings
Our advice is to always take rankings with a pinch of salt – for the most part, they’re pretty subjective and can vary. You’ll notice that there are variations across different rankings:
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025:
University of Oxford: 2nd globally for medicine.
University of Cambridge: 3rd globally for medicine.
Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2025:
University of Oxford: 1st globally for clinical, pre-clinical, and health subjects.
University of Cambridge: 3rd globally for clinical, pre-clinical, and health subjects.
The Complete University Guide Subject Rankings 2025:
University of Oxford: 2nd for Medicine
University of Cambridge: 1st for Medicine
As you can see, there’s no ‘one’ ranking, but both universities are consistently at the very top of the game.
Oxford and Cambridge are always in the global top 5, and are equally prestigious, so we wouldn’t advise making a decision on which one is ‘better’ based solely on numbers.
Differences in courses and placements
The Medicine courses at Oxford and Cambridge have many more similarities than they do differences.
Both Oxford and Cambridge offer a traditional 6-year Medicine course, with three years of pre-clinical study followed by three years of clinical placements. You would be earning a BA degree for three years before progressing to clinical training. Graduates receive a BM BCh from Oxford or an MB BChir from Cambridge.
Teaching at both institutions is very personal and centred around small-group tutorials and supervisions, which are weekly 2-1 or 1-1 meetings with tutors, rather than large lectures.
Cambridge incorporates full-body dissection throughout the course, whereas Oxford relies on prosections. As a generalisation, Cambridge tends to be more practical than Oxford, which is typically more interested in the theoretical and scientific backing behind the practise of medicine. Consider whether you are particularly interested in clinical, hands-on experience when deciding between the two.
The two main placement sites for Medicine at Oxford are John Radcliffe Hospital and Churchill Hospital. Depending on the specialities, students may also be placed at surrounding hospitals in Oxford and other community-based sites.
The main placement site for students at Cambridge is Addenbrookes Hospital, and students may then be placed in one of the seven regional hospitals around Cambridge and Hertfordshire.
Please note that local placements at both universities are very competitive and randomised, so there’s a good chance you could be placed in other regions. This is irrespective of whether you attend Oxford or Cambridge.
Student life and atmosphere
Cambridge’s Medicine is a bigger cohort than Oxford’s, and can offer more variety. Both are known for a generally friendly and approachable Medicine cohort, especially given that Medicine students spend more time at the Faculty of Medicine than they do at their college, which is unlike most other degrees.
The cities of Cambridge and Oxford are, again, more alike than they are different (there’s a reason they’re often referred to in combination simply as ‘Oxbridge’)!
Both have similar vibes and the architecture is strikingly similar, to the point that non-locals mix up pictures of the cities.
There’s some differences:
Oxford is a bigger city, with more options for nightlife and leisure
Cambridge is generally greener and quieter than Oxford
Cambridge colleges are arguably more impressive than Oxford colleges (though we admit this is a generalisation!), but Oxford has an arguably more impressive cityscape and iconic landmarks
We highly recommend visiting, if you can. There’s nothing like choosing for yourself!
Graduate prospects
Potential employers view Oxford and Cambridge as equally impressive. But if you want to get into the nitty gritty of the statistics, here you go:
University of Oxford:
Approximately 94% of Oxford medical graduates engage in further study or employment within 15 months post-graduation.
Of these, 97% secure positions as medical practitioners, with the remaining 3% entering fields such as social science or public service.
University of Cambridge:
Approximately 100% of Cambridge medical graduates proceed to further study or employment within 15 months post-graduation.
All statistics from The Medic Portal.
Ultimately, the best choice depends on your learning style, career aspirations, and simply which city you’d rather live in for 6 years! Regardless of which university you choose, a medical degree from either will open doors to a successful career in medicine.