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This profile of Barts highlights this medical school's entry requirements, typical offers, student numbers, competition ratios, teaching and learning methods, course structure, demographics and history. Is Barts one of your target medical schools? This medical school can be added to or removed from your personal shortlist |
Barts and the London School of Medicine & Dentistry was founded in 1785, making it one of the oldest medical schools in the UK. Its five-year integrated course is consistently ranked among the top 10 in the UK, owing to high student satisfaction and high-quality research. Its teaching hospitals are based in the East End and the City of London, meaning that medical students can learn from the one of the most diverse patient groups anywhere in the UK. PBL forms a major part of the curriculum at Barts. Groups of up to ten students discuss medical cases in order to reach a diagnosis and management plan, aided by a facilitator from the faculty.
Key information dashboard
For convenience, here is an at-a-glance summary of key information related to Barts medical school.
Links in this dashboard can help you check which other UK medical schools are similar to Barts with regard to points listed here.
Be sure to check our notes in sections below for more details about each of these points.
Barts medical school establishment date: 1785
Years of course: 5
Total medical students: 1725
Average year cohort: 345.0
Region: London
Subject prerequisites:
Biology (acceptable option)Chemistry (acceptable option)
Interview format:Traditional interview
Admissions test:UCAT
A Level typical offer:A*AA
Advanced Higher typical offer:AA
IB typical offer:38 points
General teaching method:
Integrated, PBL
Anatomy teaching:
Dissection
Intercalation mode:Optional intercalation
Typical offers
A Levels must include Chemistry or Biology and a second science subject (Chemistry, Biology, Physics or Maths).
Any third A level can be taken except for Further Maths, General Studies or Critical Thinking.
GCSE results must achieve 777666 (AAABBB for GSCEs taken before 2015) or above in any order, to include Biology (or Human Biology), Chemistry, English Language, and Maths (or Additional Maths or Statistics).
Advanced Highers must include two of the subjects offered at Scottish Highers, including Chemistry and/or Biology.
Scottish Highers must include Biology and Chemistry.
National 5 subjects not specified
IB applicants must achieve minimum of 6 points in the Higher-level science subjects and 6 points in the third Higher-level subject.
Three subjects required, including Chemistry or Biology and one other science or mathematical subject at Higher level.
Three subjects required at Standard level including Chemistry or Biology, if not offered at the Higher level.
Barts has 'Bridge the Gap' and 'Realising Opportunities' schemes in place. Students on these schemes may receive a contextual offer.
As explained in discussion of 'Contextual offers' on the website, medical school applicants "must score 3 points from at least two of our contextual criteria, or successful completion of the Realising Opportunities Programme."
Total students and cohort sizes at UK medical schools
For uniform comparison of medical student admissions each year across all UK medical schools, we rely on annual reports from the Office for Students (OfS) entitled 'Medical and dental intakes'.
| Admission year | Total students admitted this year | Home places | International places |
|---|---|---|---|
2020-21 |
415 students in this cohort | 370 Home students | 45 International students |
2019-20 |
375 students in this cohort | 340 Home students | 35 International students |
2018-19 |
330 students in this cohort | 300 Home students | 30 International students |
2017-18 |
300 students in this cohort | 265 Home students | 35 International students |
2016-17 |
305 students in this cohort | 285 Home students | 20 International students |
2015-16 |
310 students in this cohort | 280 Home students | 30 International students |
Competition data
Competition ratio data reported here is from the 2019-20 admissions cycle, as confirmed by MedSchoolGenie Freedom of Information (FOI) requests from this period.
Please note: Due to ongoing impact of Covid-19 since March 2020, UK medical schools have not yet released competition ratio data for the 2020-21 admissions cycle. Applicants should keep in mind that coronavirus-related lockdowns and other restrictions affected the entire UK education sector, so competition ratios were most likely distorted during 2020-21. MedSchoolGenie will update here when further competition data becomes available.
Applicant percentages of success
From reported competition ratios, it's possible to calculate percentages of success at various stages of the application process.
Numbers of applicants competing in latest admissions cycle
Based on reported numbers of applicants securing places, we can use competition ratios to estimate how many applicants have been competing at each stage of the most recent admissions cycle.
Please note: Estimates of competition factors from 2020 onwards may be less reliable than in previous years because UK medical schools have not yet reported competition ratios for the 2020-21 admissions cycle. MedSchoolGenie will update here when more recent data on competition ratios becomes available.
Teaching and learning
Early clinical experience
Emphasis on communication skills
Problem-based learning
Formal lectures play relatively small part in curriculum compared with more traditional programmes
As explained in its overview of teaching methods, Problem-based learning is a "central element of the medical curriculum.... PBL involves groups of eight to ten students working together to understand and explain the central issues of a problem under the guidance of a tutor. Effective teamwork is essential for PBL, and undertaking independent research and presenting your findings to the group will help you retain the information, developing your communication skills. The early use of clinical scenarios will help you apply your knowledge."
As explained in discussion of intercalation on this medical school's website: "Who can take an intercalated degree? Applications to study will be considered from post 2nd / 3rd / 4th year medical ... students for an iBSc or post 3rd / 4th year for an MSc (or equivalent undergraduate award in UK / EU countries) who have passed all years to date. This includes those who have previously undertaken an undergraduate degree unless that course was itself an intercalated degree."
Phase one (years one and two):
PBL is a major part of the first two years at Barts, implemented in a series of systems-based modules. Students choose one student-selected component in each year of phase one. Early patient contact forms the backbone of teaching in phase one.
Phase two (years three and four):
Students spend an increasing amount of time on clinical placement, covering a range of specialties in primary and secondary care, in order to consolidate learning from phase one. Three student-selected components are chosen each year in phase two. Students return to the medical school for lectures throughout phase two.
Phase three (year five):
Phase three takes place in year five, focussing on preparation for practice as an FY1 doctor. Medical students complete clinical attachments at their chosen hospital, shadowing current FY1s. Similar to phase two, medical students return to medical school for lectures throughout the year for communication skills teaching and simulated patient scenarios.
Reported demographics
This chart highlights gender and disability data reported by Barts to the General Medical Council (GMC), which has compiled this information into spreadsheets as part of its medical school annual return (MSAR) data sets.
Please note this data is retrospective, and that future numbers can vary from preceding years.
For comparison, we also include below all demographic data reported by this medical school to General Medical Council.
| Reporting year | Female students | Male students | Students with declared disability | Students without declared disability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 52.8% female students | 47.2% male students | 17.5% students with disability | 82.5% students without disability |
| 2016-17 | 51.9% female students | 48.1% male students | 18.6% students with disability | 81.4% students without disability |
Medical school history
The current structure of Barts medical school was formed by the 1785 merger of the Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital (founded 1123) and the London Hospital Medical College. It has claim to be the oldest and first medical school in England and Wales. St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College and The London Hospital Medical College merged In 1995 with Queen Mary University.
Note: To see how this compares chronologically, you can check our sortable overview of establishment dates at UK medical schools.