The UK medical school application can be a daunting process for families. Here is all you need to know about MBBS in UK for Indian students after 12th – entry requirements, top colleges, tuition & living costs in Indian rupees, and medical school application timeline.
If you have decided on becoming a doctor or, perhaps later, branching off to an allied medical profession, you would need to commit yourself to an MBBS program right at the beginning of your career. To embark on a career in medicine, it is essential for you to have studied biology and chemistry in high school (and maybe a relevant summer program), with transcripts to showcase your merits for performance and eligibility for admission to an MBBS program.
If your aspirations can financially accommodate an MBBS abroad (because acquiring MBBS degrees from foreign universities can be expensive), then we recommend the UK as an excellent destination for your studies. In this post, we will look at the process of studying medicine/MBBS in UK for Indian students after 12th. We will particularly focus on the timeline planning, entry requirements, and costs.
MBBS in UK for Indian and international students
The UK has been renowned for its quality of higher education for centuries, and that includes medicine as a field of study, attracting thousands of international students to its MBBS and many other courses in medicine.
The UK has produced many of the best doctors, and medical research scientists over the past two hundred years, established world-famous hospitals, research labs, and pharmaceutical companies, and is known for discoveries, treatments, scientific R&D, and inventions in the field of medicine. It’s needless to say that the academic excellence of UK medical colleges, universities, curriculum, and teaching faculty are the best in the world.
The MBBS degree that UK universities offer is geared towards preparing the medical students for a career as a doctor in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), which is the publicly-funded healthcare system in the UK for UK citizens.
After graduating with an MBBS from UK universities, all aspiring doctors are expected to register with the NHS for practice, research, and employment. As a doctor in the UK, there are many different careers to choose from in the health service; many aspects of medicine to specialize in; many areas of research to build your knowledge and careers on, or dedicate your life to simply treating patients in your locality.
Why Study MBBS in UK?
- 45 of the UK universities were included in the list of top 600 medical universities of the world, according to QS News Ranking 2020.
- The average salary of a Doctor/Physician in the UK is 67% more than that of other health and medical occupations.
- The pay grade of Doctors/Physicians has been increasing continuously for the past 4 years. Annual pay increased from 245,000 GBP in 2016 to 267,000 GBP in 2019.
How to Decide the Right University for MBBS in UK
All of this starts with your dedicated search for the MBBS degree from a UK university that best suits your application. Like all international students, you too will base your decision on a combination of the following criteria (in general order of preference):
- University’s reputation
- Degree and specializations offered
- Course fees and related costs of stay during your study
- University’s location within the UK
- University’s placement record and opportunities
- Post-MBBS research opportunities
As you do your research on the UK universities for your MBBS selection based on the criteria listed above, you will begin to feel the pulse of various UK universities as they compare to each other in your mental map. But, your task is not over yet.
MBBS in UK Eligibility for Indian Students
Entry Requirements for Medical Schools in UK
- At least 18 years old
- At least 80 % in your 10+2 (scores in Chemistry and Biology are essential in this case)
- UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT), the Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT), or GAMSAT test scores
- 50% percentile in NEET
Important Documents for Application
- IELTS score;
- High-school transcripts indicating your scores are sufficient to meet the qualifying standards for entry to an MBBS course;
- Personal statements reinforcing your commitment to the MBBS course; and
- Test scores from the mandatory medical admission tests which the universities require for your MBBS application and entry.
Required Entrance Tests for MBBS in UK
There are mainly two medical admission tests for applying to an MBBS course in the UK, which are: the UCAT (UKCAT), BMAT, or GAMTSAT.
Usually, you need a minimum of 650 in UKCAT / 4.5 – 5.0 in BMAT / 60 – 66 in GAMSAT to be eligible to study MBBS in the UK.
The purpose of these tests is to check your aptitude for studying medicine at the MBBS level.
The universities you select will clearly state on their website which medical admission test score they prefer and you will need to separately register for and complete that specific medical admission test.
You will need to register for your UCAT or BMAT before you apply to the universities through UCAS.
UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT / UKCAT)
The UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) is part of the selection process of some UK medical and dental schools. It is an online test designed to test cognitive abilities, attitudes, critical thinking, and logical reasoning. There are four reasoning tests and a situational judgment test.
- Verbal Reasoning. Assesses ability to think logically about written information and arrive at a reasoned conclusion: 21 minutes, with 11 passages to read and 44 questions.
- Quantitative reasoning. Assesses ability to solve numerical problems: 24 minutes, 9 tables, charts, graphs, etc. as information and 36 questions.
- Abstract reasoning. Assesses ability to infer relationships from information by convergent and divergent thinking: 13 minutes and 55 questions.
- Decision Analysis. Assesses ability to deal with various forms of information to infer relationships, make informed judgments, and decide on an appropriate response: 32 minutes, 1 scenario full of information, and 28 questions (basic calculator provided)
- Situational Judgement. Measures your responses in situations, and your grasp of medical ethics: 27 minutes and 67 questions on 20 scenarios.
BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT)
Medical School Application Timeline UK
Since the final deadline for applying to MBBS and other medical courses in the UK through UCAS is 15th October every year (for courses commencing in September of the following year), you will need to complete your registration for UCAT or BMAT tests beforehand.
- UCAT Registrations: open from June to September.
- UCAT Testing: from July until September.
- BMAT Test # Registration: open beginning September.
- BMAT Test #Testing: November.
- Your BMAT score is sent directly to the universities to which you are applying.
- All MBBS applications must be made through UCAS.
- UCAS allows you to apply to a maximum of four courses in the year.
The October 15 application deadline refers to courses commencing in September of the following year. This means, to apply for your MBBS in 2022, you need to complete your university application process through UCAS by 15th October 2021.
As you can see, the medical school application journey to UK universities can be complicated. That’s why we always recommend that you seek help from competent education counsellors. And, we haven’t even begun talking about which UK university MBBS courses will be the right ones for you to consider for your application.
Below (see table) are the Universities that offer study in Medicine in the UK. This table of universities is not an all-comprehensive list. But, from our experience, we believe that we have the right pulse of the MBBS study opportunities that the UK offers to international students.
List of Top Medical Colleges in UK for Indian Students
[table id=74 /]
*UK Ranking: as per studyin-uk.com
**Tuition Fees: as per hotcoursesabroad.com