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This profile of Cambridge highlights this medical school's entry requirements, typical offers, student numbers, competition ratios, teaching and learning methods, course structure, demographics and history. Is Cambridge one of your target medical schools? This medical school can be added to or removed from your personal shortlist |
Cambridge offers a traditional six-year medical degree, segregated into preclinical and clinical study. Due to the collegiate system at Cambridge, applications are made to the first-choice college, so attention should be paid to specific entry requirements and places available to maximise chances of success. Course highlights include small group supervisions, in which students can learn from eminent members of faculty, and full cadaveric dissection. With a famous culture of rigorous exams, college supervisors monitor each student’s academic progress weekly and termly.
Key information dashboard
For convenience, here is an at-a-glance summary of key information related to Cambridge medical school.
Links in this dashboard can help you check which other UK medical schools are similar to Cambridge with regard to points listed here.
Be sure to check our notes in sections below for more details about each of these points.
Cambridge medical school establishment date: 1976
Years of course: 6
Total medical students: 1800
Average year cohort: 300.0
Region: South East
Subject prerequisites:
Biology (acceptable option)Chemistry (strictly required)Maths (acceptable option)Physics (acceptable option)
Interview format:Traditional interview
Admissions test:BMAT
A Level typical offer:A*A*A
Advanced Higher typical offer:A1A1A2
IB typical offer:40–42 points
General teaching method:
Traditional
Anatomy teaching:
Dissection
Intercalation mode:Required intercalation
Typical offers
A levels must include Chemistry and at least one of Biology, Physics, Maths (some colleges require two of these subjects).
Success rate for students offering three or more Science / Maths A levels has often been higher than for those without.
Advanced Higher subjects must include Chemistry and at least one of Biology, Physics, Maths (two required by some colleges).
Success rate for students offering three or more Science / Maths A levels has often been higher than for those without.
IB applicants must achieve 7,7,6 at Higher Chemistry and at least one of Higher Biology, Physics, Maths (two required by some colleges).
No formal access to medicine programme, though contextual factors are considered.
Relevant applications receive contextual flags based on individual, socio-economic and educational disadvantage.
As explained in discussion of 'Widening participation' on the website, Cambridge "always encouraged applications from under-represented groups – long before the government’s formalised programmes to widen access to a university education." The university delivers a Medicine Summer School with the Sutton Trust, alongside a number of other subject-specific outreach interventions.
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 |
325 students in this cohort | 305 Home students | 20 International students |
2019-20 |
315 students in this cohort | 295 Home students | 20 International students |
2018-19 |
300 students in this cohort | 275 Home students | 25 International students |
2017-18 |
280 students in this cohort | 255 Home students | 25 International students |
2016-17 |
290 students in this cohort | 270 Home students | 20 International students |
2015-16 |
290 students in this cohort | 270 Home students | 20 International students |
2014-15 |
290 students in this cohort | 270 Home students | 20 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.
Note: Cambridge currently does not report on ratios of applicants given interviews, so in our interactive charts and tables 'Home applicants per interview' and 'International applicants per interview' are recorded as zero.
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
Three years of pre-clinical medicine taught via supervisions, seminars, and practicals.
Full body cadaveric dissection.
Intercalated tripos.
As explained in the GMC review of this medical school, "The entire pre-clinical course is taught via lectures, practicals and tutorials (known as college - based supervisions). Learning in clinical environments takes place in the Preparing for Patients programme."
As noted in the overview of teaching and learning during the three clinical years at Cambridge, "Clinical teaching is delivered on the wards (with additional opportunities to attend general and specialist outpatient clinics) and in general practice. The course is based in Cambridge although at least one third is delivered in regional hospitals/practices to take advantage of the different educational opportunities which they are able to offer.... There are also supervisions, tutorials and lectures. Learning in small groups is important with an average of six-eight in an Undergraduate Clinical Supervision group."
As explained in discussion of intercalation on this medical school's website: "It also has a compulsory intercalated year in third year (Part II) which means you can study any one topic from the Natural Sciences Tripos, such as pathology or pharmacology or even history and philosophy of science. This broadens your horizons of knowledge outside core medicine...."
Pre-Clinical phase (years one, two, and three):
The first three years are known as the ‘Tripos’, ultimately leading to a BA qualification. Major areas of study include ‘Biology of Disease’ and ‘Neurobiology and Human Behaviour’. In the third year of study, students specialise in a specific area, including core-scientific and non-core-scientific disciplines.
Clinical phase (years four, five, and six):
Years four, five, and six introduce students to clinical attachments. Each year starts with an introductory course, informing learning objectives for the academic term. Year four focuses on core clinical practice, while years five and six focus on specialist and applied clinical practice.
Reported demographics
This chart highlights gender and disability data reported by Cambridge 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 | 45.8% female students | 54.2% male students | 7.1% students with disability | 92.9% students without disability |
| 2016-17 | 45.3% female students | 54.7% male students | 2.9% students with disability | 97.1% students without disability |
Medical school history
The current medical school was established in 1976, although teaching of medicine at Cambridge has a longer history. The Linacre Readership in Medicine was founded in 1524, and the Regius Professor of Physic was established in 1540.