Edinburgh Medicine: Entry Requirements & UCAT Cutoff (2027 Entry)
Last cycle
Edinburgh Medicine at a glance
Entry requirements
Selection · how they rank for interview
Edinburgh scores you for its Assessment Day on a single pre-interview score:
2- Academics - 50% (GCSE/National 5 grades + predicted grades).
- UCAT - 35% (scored by decile).
- SJT - 15% (by band; Band 4 rejected).
Contextual adjustments apply to this ranking.
Full requirements, with sources
A-Levels
- You must be taking Chemistry and one from Biology/Human Biology, Maths/Further Maths or Physics. Only one of Maths or Further Maths - and one of Biology or Human Biology - counts.1
GCSE
- You need GCSE Biology, Chemistry, English and Maths all at A/7. Double Award combined sciences at AA/77 can replace the separate science grades; Applied Science isn't accepted.1
UCAT
Resits & reapplying
- No resits - every grade must come from your first sitting (AS module resits included), except in very exceptional circumstances evidenced before you apply.1
- Your qualifications must have been obtained within 3 years of the programme start.3
- Reapplying is fine - but you must resit the UCAT for the new cycle.2
- Transfers are accepted only from institutions with a prior agreement (e.g. the St Andrews matching scheme) - never from other Edinburgh degrees. You're not eligible if you're midway through another degree.4
Selection & shortlisting
- Edinburgh ranks you on a single pre-interview score, built from three parts:2
- Academics - 50%. GCSEs (best 8 grades) carry ~35% of the total; predicted A-levels ~15%.
- UCAT - 35%, scored by decile.
- SJT - 15%.
- Edinburgh confirmed the 50/35/15 split; the point tables aren't published, so those are our estimates.
- Places are allocated separately by fee status - Scotland, RUK/RoI and Overseas/EU are each ranked against their own quota.
- Your pre-interview score counts for 50% of the overall selection score - interview performance is the other half.
- If you tie on the ranked score, your individual UCAT subtest scores break the tie.2
- The personal statement and reference aren't scored - they're used only as shortlisting guidance.5
- No published cut-off - about 800 applicants reach Assessment Day in total, the top scorers within each fee group's own quota (Scotland, RUK/RoI, Overseas/EU), so the bar moves with each year's pool.6
Contextual eligibility
View policy- Who qualifies
You count as contextual here if any one of these applies:
Care-experienced (any time in care)RefugeeSeeking asylumSIMD quintile (Scotland) 1LEAPS Group 1 / Group 1+ schoolScottish target / access schoolSWAP (Scottish Wider Access Programme)Other recognised WP / access schemeEstranged from familyACORN quintile 1 + State (non-fee-paying) schoolPOLAR4 quintile 1 + State (non-fee-paying) school- What it changes
The lighter Flag tier gives a 5% UCAT uplift and priority when places are allocated - you must still meet the 1850 UCAT cut-off. Scottish-domiciled SIMD40 applicants get a 10% uplift instead.
Interview & decision
- A half-day Assessment Day with a series of short interviews - Scottish and RUK/RoI applicants attend in person.7
- Offers are decided on a 50/50 combination of your pre-interview score and your Assessment Day performance.
- Deferred entry is not accepted, except for mandatory military / National Service in your home country.4
Conditional offer
- Conditional offer: AAA - including Chemistry and one from Biology/Human Biology, Maths/Further Maths or Physics.1
Edinburgh admissions email: medug@ed.ac.uk
Would Edinburgh interview you?
Enter your GCSEs, A-Levels and UCAT score - the selector checks you against every UK medical school's published rules and shows where you're competitive.
Frequently asked questions
What UCAT score do you need for Medicine at Edinburgh?
In the 2025 cycle, the lowest UCAT score invited to interview (home applicants) was 1520 (converted from the old 4-section scale). You need a UCAT total of at least 1850 - below it you're not considered, unless you hold a widening-access Plus Flag. SJT Band 4 is auto-rejected - widening access doesn't waive it. Bands 1-3 feed the pre-interview scoring. Thresholds move with each year's applicant pool - use our free university selector to see where your score is competitive.
What A-Levels do you need for Edinburgh Medicine?
You must be taking Chemistry and one from Biology/Human Biology, Maths/Further Maths or Physics. Only one of Maths or Further Maths - and one of Biology or Human Biology - counts.
What are the GCSE requirements for Edinburgh Medicine?
You need GCSE Biology, Chemistry, English and Maths all at A/7. Double Award combined sciences at AA/77 can replace the separate science grades; Applied Science isn't accepted.
How does Edinburgh decide who gets a Medicine interview?
Edinburgh ranks you on a single pre-interview score, built from three parts: Places are allocated separately by fee status - Scotland, RUK/RoI and Overseas/EU are each ranked against their own quota.
What is the Medicine interview like at Edinburgh?
A half-day Assessment Day with a series of short interviews - Scottish and RUK/RoI applicants attend in person. Offers are decided on a 50/50 combination of your pre-interview score and your Assessment Day performance.
Sources
Admissions policies change - always confirm with Edinburgh before finalising your UCAS choices.
- 1study.ed.ac.uk - entry requirements
- 2medicine-vet-medicine.ed.ac.uk - ucat
- 3medicine-vet-medicine.ed.ac.uk - graduate mature
- 4medicine-vet-medicine.ed.ac.uk - procedure
- 5medicine-vet-medicine.ed.ac.uk - personal statement
- 6study.ed.ac.uk - 354 mbchb medicine 6 year programme
- 7medicine-vet-medicine.ed.ac.uk - selection