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This profile of Newcastle highlights this medical school's entry requirements, typical offers, student numbers, competition ratios, teaching and learning methods, course structure, demographics and history. Is Newcastle one of your target medical schools? This medical school can be added to or removed from your personal shortlist |
Newcastle offers a five-year integrated programme, utilising case-led teaching to integrate course teaching with the realities of clinical practice. As a centre of excellence for translational research, Newcastle prides itself on its teaching in academic medicine. The course uses a spiral curriculum, in which concepts are revisited each year with increasing clinical detail. Anatomy is taught by full body dissection, with input from specialists in radiology, surgery, and emergency medicine, to maximise clinical relevance.
Key information dashboard
For convenience, here is an at-a-glance summary of key information related to Newcastle medical school.
Links in this dashboard can help you check which other UK medical schools are similar to Newcastle with regard to points listed here.
Be sure to check our notes in sections below for more details about each of these points.
Newcastle medical school establishment date: 1834
Years of course: 5
Total medical students: 1795
Average year cohort: 359.0
Region: North East and Cumbria
Subject prerequisites:
Not specified
Interview format:MMI
Admissions test:UCAT
A Level typical offer:AAA
Advanced Higher typical offer:AA
IB typical offer:38 points
General teaching method:
CBL, Integrated
Anatomy teaching:
Dissection
Intercalation mode:Optional intercalation
Typical offers
No specific A Level requirement for science subjects.
A Level subjects that are not acceptable: General Studies, Use of Mathematics, World Development, Communication and Culture, and Critical Thinking.
For Biology, Chemistry and Physics A Levels, we require a pass in the practical element.
Note: Newcastle does not use predicted A level grades and do not score A levels, AS levels, or equivalent as part of our selection process. However, any offers made will be conditional on meeting the A level requirements.
GCSE subjects not specified
National 5 subjects not specified
IB subjects graded less than 5 will not be accepted.
No specific IB requirement for science subjects.
As explained on the website, contextual data (socioeconomic, school or college and/or personal or family circumstances) is considered to set each student’s academic achievements in context. Together with information from the UCAS application, this informs the offers throughout the admission process.
PARTNERS scheme applicants may attract a slightly lower UCAT threshold for interview.
Those made an offer must pass a summer school and would have received a lower A level conditional offer.
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 |
405 students in this cohort | 365 Home students | 40 International students |
2019-20 |
370 students in this cohort | 335 Home students | 35 International students |
2018-19 |
365 students in this cohort | 335 Home students | 30 International students |
2017-18 |
330 students in this cohort | 305 Home students | 25 International students |
2016-17 |
325 students in this cohort | 305 Home students | 20 International students |
2015-16 |
330 students in this cohort | 305 Home students | 25 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.
Contact with patients and visits to GPs and hospitals.
As explained in its overview of teaching, "To help you integrate your learning, we adopt a 'case-led' approach to our teaching. During the first two years, you will learn about normal and abnormal structure, function and behaviour. We show clinical relevance by the use of clinical cases. This allows you to make the links between the basic science and clinical practice."
As explained in discussion of intercalation on this medical school's website, "Our Medicine ... students have the opportunity to intercalate. They can choose a postgraduate programme after their 4th Stage of study. After Stage 2, students may also undertake the final year of one of our molecular bioscience degrees. This would lead to a BSc Honours degree."
Years one and two:
Based at Newcastle's main campus, years one and two at Newcastle introduce students to medical science through disciplines such as physiology, anatomy, and pharmacology. Learning is contextualised through a series of twenty-four clinical cases, running throughout the first two years at Newcastle. After year two, students have an option to intercalate and undertake the final year of one of our molecular bioscience degrees; this would lead to a BSc Honours degree.
Years three, four, and five:
Years three, four, and five mark the transition to clinical learning, in which students undertake placements, assistantships, and clerkships in and around Newcastle. Emphasis is placed on development of clinical skills, specialist knowledge, and professional behaviour prior to enrolment in the foundation pathway. Eight week blocks are reserved in years three to five, allowing students to pursue research in areas of interest. After year four, students have an option to intercalate and choose a postgraduate programme.
Reported demographics
This chart highlights gender and disability data reported by Newcastle 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 | 51.5% female students | 48.5% male students | 3.7% students with disability | 96.3% students without disability |
| 2016-17 | 51.4% female students | 48.6% male students | 7.5% students with disability | 92.5% students without disability |
Medical school history
Established in 1834, this medical school was known as the College of Medicine in connection with Durham University from 1851. From 1937, when it joined Armstrong College, it was known as King's College, Durham. In 1963 King's College became the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.