University of Leicester Medical School

This profile of Leicester highlights this medical school's entry requirements, typical offers, student numbers, competition ratios, teaching and learning methods, course structure, demographics and history.

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Summary overview:

Leicester's integrated five-year medical degree gives patients clinical experience from year one. The main medical building (George Davies Centre) was renovated 2016 to provide students with a state of the art learning environment. Course highlights include the provision of iPads to first-year students to aid dissemination of lecture material, with course content rapidly revised and updated. Anatomy is taught through cadaveric dissection, with learning enhanced through Apple TVs and video recording equipment.

Website:

https://www.le.ac.uk/study/ugp/medicine/departments/msce

Email:

med-admis@le.ac.uk

Telephone:

+44 (0)116 252 2969

Key information dashboard

For convenience, here is an at-a-glance summary of key information related to Leicester medical school.

Links in this dashboard can help you check which other UK medical schools are similar to Leicester with regard to points listed here.

Be sure to check our notes in sections below for more details about each of these points.

Leicester medical school establishment date:
1975

Years of course:
5

Total medical students:
1320

Average year cohort:
264.0

Region:
East Midlands

Subject prerequisites:

Biology (acceptable option)
Chemistry (acceptable option)
Maths (acceptable option)
Physics (acceptable option)
Psychology (acceptable option)

Interview format:
MMI

Admissions test:
UCAT

A Level typical offer:
A*AB-AAA

Advanced Higher typical offer:
AAA

IB typical offer:
34 points

General teaching method:
Integrated

Anatomy teaching:
Dissection

Intercalation mode:
Optional intercalation

Entry requirements

Work experience expectations:

Healthcare-related work experience is not required but applicants, particularly those who are borderline, must showcase reflection in whatever type of work they have encountered (voluntary, paid work in retail, catering, health or social care).

Admissions test: UCAT

50% of the pre-interview scoring system. Applicants scoring in the bottom two deciles of that year’s results are rejected.
Applicants with SJT band 4 are typically rejected.

Personal statement usage:

Personal statement is not routinely read, although it can be used in a borderline or tiebreaker situation.

Interview type: MMI

Candidates are assessed on: Motivation to study medicine & genuine interest in the medical profession, insight into personal strengths and weaknesses, self-reflection, personal organisation, academic ability, problem solving, coping with uncertainty, ability to take responsibility for their own actions, conscientiousness, insight into their own health, communication skills,teamwork abilities, ability to treat people with compassion, respect and dignity, resilience and the ability to deal with difficult situations, empathy and the ability to care for others, honesty, emotional intelligence, and ethical judgement.
Candidates rotate through eight stations.

For more details about subjects expected by this medical school, see the notes below regarding typical offers.

Typical offers

A Level typical offer: A*AB-AAA

A Levels must include Chemistry or Biology, with one of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology or Maths.
A*AB offered if an A is achieved in Chemistry or Biology.
Excludes General Studies, Citizenship Studies or Critical Thinking.

GCSE requirements:

GCSE results must include grade B / 6 in English Language, Mathematics, and two sciences (either Chemistry and Biology or Science and Additional Science).

Advanced Higher typical offer: AAA

Advanced Highers must include Chemistry or Biology and one of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology or Maths.
Alternatively, two sciences at Advanced Higher (grade AA) plus three other subjects at Highers level (grades AAB) are considered.

Scottish Higher typical offer: Not specified

Applicants who only take Scottish Highers are not considered.

National 5 requirements:

National 5 results must include grade B in English Language, Mathematics and two sciences, including Chemistry.

International Baccalaureate typical offer: 34 points

IB applicants must achieve 6,6,6 at Higher level subjects, including Chemistry or Biology, and one of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths or Psychology.
7,6,5 accepted, provided at least a 6 in Chemistry or Biology is offered.

Notes about Widening Access:

As explained on the website, AccessLeicester: Medicine allows for contextual data to be used in selecting for interview and at offer stage.
Applicants on the Realising Opportunities Programme and MEDLEAP access programmes are automatically invited to interview, as long as they do not obtain SJT band 4 or a UCAT score in the bottom 20% nationally.

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'.

Total medical students: 1320 Total years of course: 5 Years data reports available: 5 Average cohort per year: 264.0 Percentage of Home students in latest cohort: 92.2% Percentage of International students in latest cohort: 7.8%

Recent cohort admissions data:

Admission year	Total students admitted this year	Home places	International places
2020-21	320 students in this cohort	295 Home students	25 International students
2019-20	285 students in this cohort	270 Home students	15 International students
2018-19	245 students in this cohort	230 Home students	15 International students
2017-18	240 students in this cohort	215 Home students	25 International students
2016-17	230 students in this cohort	215 Home students	15 International students
2015-16	235 students in this cohort	215 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.

Ratio of Home applicants per interview:

1.8

Ratio of Home applicant interviews per place:

4.2

Ratio of Home applicants per place:

7.6

Ratio of International applicants per interview:

2.8

Ratio of International applicant interviews per place:

5.8

Ratio of International applicants per place:

16.1

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.

Total number of all applicants in latest admissions cycle: 2645

Number of Home applicants in latest admissions cycle:

2242

Number of Home applicant interviews in latest admissions cycle:

1246

Number of Home applicants securing places:

295

Number of International applicants in latest admissions cycle:

403

Number of International applicant interviews in latest admissions cycle:

144

Number of International applicants securing places in latest admissions cycle:

Teaching and learning

Predominant teaching style: Integrated

Community and hospital-based very early clinical experience.
‘Compassionate, Holistic, Diagnostic Detective Course’
Medical students dissect almost the entire cadaver in their first two years at medical school, and then revisit the dissecting room in their later years to consolidate learning.
Emphasis on apprenticeship in the three clinical years.
As explained in its overview of teaching, "We run an integrated curriculum. Teaching and learning is based around patients and their needs. It is not a problem-based learning course, but rather a patient-focused curriculum which is delivered through a mixture of lectures, small group work and clinical teaching. This ensures that you learn the essential science underpinning how the human body operates, whilst learning how things can go wrong through the study of patients."

Anatomy teaching method: Dissection Intercalation mode: Optional intercalation

As explained in discussion of intercalation on this medical school's website, "You can take a step back after the first two, three, or four years of your Medicine course, reflect on how far you have come, and look to your future career. With an intercalated degree you will have an additional qualification, and unique knowledge and experiences that will be to your advantage when you are applying for jobs or further training."

Overview of course structure

Phase one (years one and two):
Phase one at Leicester introduces students to anatomy and physiology, put into a clinical context through real patient cases. Teaching is given in early clinical apprenticeships, systems based cellular and molecular science, and social and population science.
Phase two (years three, four, and five):
Phase two gives students three twelve-week clinical placements in primary care, surgery, and Medicine, with a student selected component at the end of the floor. Year four introduces students to additional medical specialties, including child health, mental health, and cancer care. The fifth and final year at Leicester gives students a foundation assistantship in order to hone key skills before graduation and progression to FY1.

Reported demographics

This chart highlights gender and disability data reported by Leicester 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.

Demographic data collection:

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	56.4% female students	43.6% male students	14.8% students with disability	85.2% students without disability
2016-17	55.8% female students	44.2% male students	12.0% students with disability	88.0% students without disability

Medical school history

Established in 1975, this school was formed following the 1968 recommendations of the Royal Commission on Medical Educationreport, popularly known as the Todd Report, that new medical schools should be established at the Universities of Nottingham, Leicester and Southampton.