St Andrews Medicine: Entry Requirements & UCAT Cutoff (2027 Entry)
Last cycle
St Andrews Medicine at a glance
Entry requirements
Selection · how they rank for interview
St Andrews ranks eligible applicants purely by UCAT total for interview.
52024 thresholds Home ≈2080
Contextual adjustments apply to this ranking.
Full requirements, with sources
A-Levels
- All three A-Levels must be taken at one sitting, studied over two years and completed in Year 13.1
- General Studies, Critical Thinking and Global Perspectives & Research are not accepted, and only one of Maths or Further Maths counts towards the three A-Levels.1
- A fourth A-Level gives no advantage.1
- AQA Baccalaureate: a pass in the Baccalaureate plus AAA at A-Level including Chemistry and one of Biology, Maths or Physics.1
GCSE
- Five GCSEs at grade A/7, taken at one sitting (applicants with achieved A-Levels may be considered with fewer).1
- GCSE or AS-Level grade 5/B in Biology, Maths and English (Language or Literature) for any of these not taken at A-Level. Dual-award/Combined Science doesn't replace GCSE Biology, and CCEA grade C* counts as a 5.1
- Intensive English (ESOL) GCSEs are not accepted in lieu of GCSE English Language or Literature; Human Biology counts as Biology.1
UCAT
- You must sit the UCAT in your application year - re-applicants re-sit each cycle. There's no fixed cut-off: the threshold changes each year with the applicant pool.2
- Your SJT band isn't used, and there are no minimum section scores.
- St Andrews won't exempt you from the UCAT on medical or personal grounds.2
Resits & reapplying
- Resits aren't normally considered - only with accepted extenuating circumstances and grades typically one grade below the requirement. GCSE resits to meet a specific subject requirement are allowed.3
- School-level qualifications must be achieved within the three years before the programme starts - older than that, your only route in is as a graduate.3
- One repeat application is allowed - if unsuccessful, you may apply once more in a different year.3
- If you have, or have had, a place on a medical programme elsewhere, you won't be considered.3
- Transfers aren't accepted.3
Selection & shortlisting
- All applicants who meet the minimum requirements are ranked and selected by their raw UCAT total - nothing else in the application is scored or weighted.4
- Roughly the top 650 are invited to interview. The personal statement and reference aren't scored - the statement is read as part of the whole picture.4
- Before the UCAT ranking you must pass three checks: your academic record, a satisfactory reference, and medically-related work experience. None of these are scored - they just have to pass.4
- In 2024 the lowest UCAT invited to interview, converted to the 2700 scale, was 2080 for rest-of-UK applicants and 1790 for Scottish-domiciled applicants - our estimate is you'd need around 2120 (rest-of-UK) next cycle.5
- If you reside in the lowest 40% most deprived areas of Scotland, are looked after, estranged or a refugee, a 10% uplift is applied to your UCAT score before the ranking for interview.2
- Applicants are ranked separately by fee status - Home (Scotland), RUK and International - each pool clearing at its own cut-off.
Contextual eligibility
View policy- Who qualifies
You count as contextual here if any one of these applies:
SIMD quintile (Scotland) 1SIMD quintile (Scotland) 2IMD quintile 1IMD quintile 2Care-experienced (any time in care)Young / adult carerEstranged from familyRefugee- What it changes
Qualifying widening-participation criteria: living in the lowest 40% most deprived areas (by postcode - SIMD in Scotland, IMD elsewhere in the UK), being care-experienced, a registered young carer, estranged, or a refugee - with evidence required for whichever applies.
Interview & decision
- MMI - usually four stations of about six minutes each. Home-funded applicants interview in person in St Andrews; everyone else interviews online.4
- Offers are based on interview performance, alongside St Andrews' widening-participation commitments - it doesn't publish how those adjust the ranking. Tied interview scores are broken by total UCAT score.4
- Deferred entry isn't accepted.3
Conditional offer
- Conditional offer: AAA - including Chemistry and one of Biology, Maths or Physics - and you must have achieved or be predicted AAA to be considered for interview.1
St Andrews admissions email: medical.admissions@st-andrews.ac.uk
Would St Andrews 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 St Andrews?
In the 2025 cycle, the lowest UCAT score invited to interview (home applicants) was 1650 (converted from the old 4-section scale). You must sit the UCAT in your application year - re-applicants re-sit each cycle. There's no fixed cut-off: the threshold changes each year with the applicant pool. Your SJT band isn't used, and there are no minimum section scores. 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 St Andrews Medicine?
All three A-Levels must be taken at one sitting, studied over two years and completed in Year 13. General Studies, Critical Thinking and Global Perspectives & Research are not accepted, and only one of Maths or Further Maths counts towards the three A-Levels.
What are the GCSE requirements for St Andrews Medicine?
Five GCSEs at grade A/7, taken at one sitting (applicants with achieved A-Levels may be considered with fewer). GCSE or AS-Level grade 5/B in Biology, Maths and English (Language or Literature) for any of these not taken at A-Level. Dual-award/Combined Science doesn't replace GCSE Biology, and CCEA grade C* counts as a 5.
How does St Andrews decide who gets a Medicine interview?
All applicants who meet the minimum requirements are ranked and selected by their raw UCAT total - nothing else in the application is scored or weighted. Roughly the top 650 are invited to interview. The personal statement and reference aren't scored - the statement is read as part of the whole picture.
What is the Medicine interview like at St Andrews?
MMI - usually four stations of about six minutes each. Home-funded applicants interview in person in St Andrews; everyone else interviews online. Offers are based on interview performance, alongside St Andrews' widening-participation commitments - it doesn't publish how those adjust the ranking. Tied interview scores are broken by total UCAT score.
Sources
Admissions policies change - always confirm with St Andrews before finalising your UCAS choices.