Lancaster Medical School is part of Lancaster University – a high-ranking, forward-looking university. We have been training medics since 2006, initially in collaboration with the University of Liverpool and independently since 2012.
We are proud to remain one of the UK’s smaller medical schools, even after the recent increase in the number of MBChB places available. Our size allows us to offer you a student-focused learning environment within a highly supportive community.
Being a medical student can present many challenges, both academic and personal. We have a comprehensive network of formal and informal mechanisms in place to provide support and guidance, to help you cope with the transition to university, and throughout your clinical training.
Medicine and Surgery with a Gateway Year is a pathway into Medicine for UK students who, for a number of restricted reasons, may be disadvantaged applying to our 5-year MBChB Medicine and Surgery programme. Please check the Lancaster Medical school website for details. It provides an intensive one year grounding in the medical sciences and will prepare you to enter Year One of our standard MBChB Medicine and Surgery degree programme.
The following describes the content of the 5-year MBChB Medicine and Surgery programme that you would progress onto pending satisfactory completion of the Gateway Year.
Our MBChB is delivered through problem-based learning, lectures and clinical anatomy teaching. Problem-based learning is a form of small group learning. In groups of usually 7 or 8, you will explore realistic patient-based scenarios that resemble the clinical situations you may face in the future as a doctor. Your group will identify what you need to learn in relation to the scenario, and then you will independently research the topics, drawing on resource lists, seeking information and critically appraising its worth. An experienced tutor facilitates group discussions and feedback meetings to ensure that you learn the appropriate breadth and depth of material. In later years, in some instances, you will use real patients as a stimulus for your learning in place of written scenarios, but using the same problem-based learning process. Problem-based learning is an excellent method of developing and applying your medical knowledge, preparing you for your first day as a junior doctor and beyond.
In year one, you will learn in small group sessions with a GP tutor about the fundamental principles of GP care and how care in the community is delivered. There are also facilitated discussions on real patient consultations. In year two, you will spend up to two days a week on hospital placement; you will also engage in a variety of community-related activities. Early patient contact allows you to practise your history-taking and examination skills, whilst providing a real-life context for your learning.
In years three to five, the majority of your time will be spent on clinical placements, rotating through a variety of hospital and community settings to gain experience of different specialities. Your clinical placements will be in the acute hospitals and primary care settings of north and east Lancashire, and south Cumbria.
A modern medical school, Lancaster utilises new technologies in its anatomy teaching, including Anatomage tables for virtual dissection. The School’s Clinical Anatomy Learning Centre has also invested significantly in ultrasound teaching, enabling you to learn anatomy, ultrasonography and clinical interpretation together.
During your clinical skills training, you will learn the practical procedures and examinations required for clinical practice. In year one, clinical skills training takes place in the Clinical Skills Centre at Lancaster University. In years two to five, you will learn to perform clinical skills on patients whilst on clinical placements, supervised by senior medical staff.
Doctors need to be able to communicate effectively with patients and their families in difficult times, to be their advocate and help inform their choices. In year one, you will study the evidence base around effective communication and start to develop your communication skills in a safe environment, through interaction with simulated patients (actors). From year two onwards, you will develop your communication skills further through interaction with real patients in hospitals and GP practices.
In addition to the core curriculum, you’ll have the opportunity to pursue your own areas of interest in more depth through Selectives in Advanced Medical Practice and coursework assignments. You can also choose to study abroad during your Elective or take a year out from the course (between years 4 and 5) to study a medicine-related topic at BSc, MSc or MPhil level.
Medicine is a challenging but rewarding career that offers an enormous variety of possible career paths, almost 100% employment after graduation and excellent remuneration. As a doctor you will face the intellectual challenge of diagnosis, apply critical analytical and reasoning skills to decide on the best treatment for your patients, provide an empathetic and understanding ear to your patients and their families (often in times of great distress), and work effectively in a team with other healthcare professionals. If you want to make a difference to patients’ lives, if you have an enquiring mind and an aptitude for science, and if you enjoy working with people, then medicine might be the career for you.
Most medical graduates work in clinical practice, either in hospitals or in the community. There are more than 60 different clinical specialities to choose from. All medical graduates that work in clinical practice must undertake specialist postgraduate training to prepare them for their chosen clinical speciality. Approximately half of all UK medical graduates work in general practice.
If you decide against a career in clinical practice, the transferable skills you will acquire will prepare you for a wide variety of possible careers in fields such as public health or medical research.
Please note, the deadline for applications to Medicine and Surgery (with a Gateway year) is in mid-October. Late applications will not be considered and overseas applicants are not eligible for this programme.
Lancaster Medical School considers applications to Medicine and Surgery (with a Gateway year) in a four stage selection process. More details of this process can be found on the Lancaster Medical School website.
Our entry requirements have three components: Academic qualifications, non-academic criteria and UCAT (The University Clinical Aptitude Test). Please note, Lancaster University used the Biomedical Admissions test (BMAT) up to, and for, 2024 entry.
Only certain UK applicants who fulfil certain widening participation criteria are eligible to be considered for the Gateway year. EU and International students are not eligible for Medicine and Surgery with a Gateway Year. Please visit the how to apply page on the Lancaster Medical School website for detailed information about eligibility requirements.
A Level: BBB
Required Subjects: A level Biology and Chemistry
GCSE: requirements will vary depending on individual circumstance but all applicants must have achieved grade B (or grade 6) in double award Combined Science (trilogy) or Biology, Chemistry and Physics, Maths and English Language.
International Baccalaureate: 30 points overall with at least 5 in 3 Higher Level subjects including Biology and Chemistry
BTEC: BTEC not accepted on its own
All applicants must take UCAT (The University Clinical Aptitude Test). You must register to be able to take UCAT and registration is separate from the UCAS application process. More information about UCAT, how to register and how to prepare for the test can be found on the UCAT website.
Please note, Lancaster University used the Biomedical Admissions test (BMAT) up to, and for, 2024 entry
No applicant will be offered a place without being interviewed in person. The Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) will usually be held in January and February. The exact timing of the MMI days will vary from year to year but we aim to give applicants two weeks’ notice of their MMI date. More information about our interview process can be found on the Lancaster Medical School website.
Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored foundation pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.
Our Contextual Offer Scheme recognises the potential of applicants whose personal circumstances may have impacted their exam results.
Contextual offersYou will complete the gateway year during the first year of this six-year course, after which you will begin Year 1 of the MBChB programme (dependent upon satisfactory academic progress).
In your gateway year, you will study a range of modules designed to prepare you for further study. Topics covered include:
The gateway year is designed to prepare you for successful progression onto year one of the MBChB programme by developing your knowledge, academic writing and independent study skills. You will attend weekly support tutorials with the rest of your year group, which will build your academic skills and introduce you to broader topics in Medicine such as the Sociology and Psychology of Health, and Medical Ethics.
If you fail to meet the academic criteria for progression onto year one of the MBChB, you may be eligible to progress onto year two of another degree offered by Lancaster University’s Faculty of Health and Medicine (for example, BSc Biomedicine).
We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2025/26 entry fees have not yet been set.
As a guide, our fees in 2024/25 were:
| Home | International |
|---|---|
| £9,250 | £45,315 |
An initial Disclosure and Barring (DBS) check is paid for by the University but any subsequent checks will be paid for by the student. Any travel costs will need to be accounted for by the student, such as travel to and from GP and community placements. Students may also incur additional travel costs during clinical placement and for travel to and from placement accommodation. Students are also expected to purchase a stethoscope at a cost of around £60, a scientific calculator at a cost of around £6 and smart clothes for their clinical placements.
There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.
Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.
Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small college membership fee which supports the running of college events and activities. Students on some distance-learning courses are not liable to pay a college fee.
For students starting in 2023 and 2024, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses. Fees for students starting in 2025 have not yet been set.
To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.
The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.
In addition to travel and accommodation costs, while you are studying abroad, you will need to have a passport and, depending on the country, there may be other costs such as travel documents (e.g. VISA or work permit) and any tests and vaccines that are required at the time of travel. Some countries may require proof of funds.
In addition to possible commuting costs during your placement, you may need to buy clothing that is suitable for your workplace and you may have accommodation costs. Depending on the employer and your job, you may have other costs such as copies of personal documents required by your employer for example.
The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your fee status.
Fees are set by the UK Government annually, and subsequent years' fees may be subject to increases. Read more about fees in subsequent years.
We will charge tuition fees to Home undergraduate students on full-year study abroad/work placements in line with the maximum amounts permitted by the Department for Education. The current maximum levels are:
International students on full-year study abroad/work placements will be charged the same percentages as the standard International fee.
Please note that the maximum levels chargeable in future years may be subject to changes in Government policy.
Details of our scholarships and bursaries for students starting in 2025 are not yet available. You can use our scholarships for 2024-entry applicants as guidance.
The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.
The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.
More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.
We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.
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