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This profile of Southampton highlights this medical school's entry requirements, typical offers, student numbers, competition ratios, teaching and learning methods, course structure, demographics and history. Is Southampton one of your target medical schools? This medical school can be added to or removed from your personal shortlist |
Southampton offers a five-year, integrated medical programme, with an impressive reputation in fields such as cancer research and immunology, rated as world class in 2014's Research Excellence Framework. Teaching is delivered in a systems-base manner through lectures, tutorials, coursework, and independent learning, with anatomy taught via prosection. The course is divided into four phases.
Key information dashboard
For convenience, here is an at-a-glance summary of key information related to Southampton medical school.
Links in this dashboard can help you check which other UK medical schools are similar to Southampton with regard to points listed here.
Be sure to check our notes in sections below for more details about each of these points.
Southampton medical school establishment date: 1971
Years of course: 5
Total medical students: 1230
Average year cohort: 246.0
Region: South East
Subject prerequisites:
Biology (strictly required)Chemistry (acceptable option)Environmental Studies (acceptable option)Geography (acceptable option)Maths (acceptable option)Physics (acceptable option)Psychology (acceptable option)Sociology (acceptable option)
Interview format:Assessment day
Admissions test:UCAT
A Level typical offer:AAA
Advanced Higher typical offer:Not specified
IB typical offer:36 points
General teaching method:
Integrated
Anatomy teaching:
Prosection
Intercalation mode:Optional intercalation
Typical offers
A Level results must include Biology and one other science subject.
Acceptable science subjects are Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, Sociology, Environmental Studies or Geography.
Pass in the practical examinations.
Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking.
GCSE results must include 6 subjects at grade A (7) or above, including Mathematics, Biology and Chemistry, OR Mathematics with Combined Science.
English language (or GCSE English) is required at grade B/6.
National 5 results must include 6 subjects at grade A (7) or above, including Mathematics, Biology and chemistry, OR Mathematics with Combined Science.
Acceptable science subjects are Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, Sociology, Environmental Studies or Geography.
As explained on its website, Southampton uses contextual data as part of its commitment to widening participation. Contextual offers may be made at AAB. Southampton also provides a gateway programme with BBB 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 |
265 students in this cohort | 250 Home students | 15 International students |
2019-20 |
245 students in this cohort | 230 Home students | 15 International students |
2018-19 |
255 students in this cohort | 235 Home students | 20 International students |
2017-18 |
235 students in this cohort | 220 Home students | 15 International students |
2016-17 |
230 students in this cohort | 210 Home students | 20 International students |
2015-16 |
220 students in this cohort | 205 Home students | 15 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
5 year integrated and systems-based course.
Intercalation between third and fourth year.
As explained in its overview of teaching style, Southampton medical school adopts " a flexible approach to learning, using a range of methods designed to encourage multi-faceted, integrative, deep learning.... By blending innovative approaches with established techniques, we offer a variety of specialist teaching and learning methods, all of which are supported by virtual learning environments."
As explained in discussion of intercalation on this medical school's website, "Here at Southampton, all BM and BM(EU) students have the opportunity to intercalate between their third and fourth year of the BM5 course. Applications open for some courses at the start of third year, so it’s really important to start your decision-making early if intercalation is something you are considering. "
Phase one (years one and two):
Phase one takes place across the first two years at Southampton, introducing students to anatomy, physiology, pathology, and psychosocial sciences. Modules include ‘Foundations of Medicine', ‘Locomotion', and ‘Endocrinology and the Life Cycle', among others. Students meet patients within the first few weeks of the course, learning how to take medical histories through clinical placements.
Phase two (year three):
Phase two is based within year three, marking the transition from classroom-based teaching to clinical learning via placements. Year three commences with a sixteen-week research project. Projects can include clinical audit, laboratory research, interviews, or surveys. Students then undertake twenty-four week clinical placements, focusing on primary care, medicine of the eldery, and orthopaedics. Students can apply for an intercalated Masters of Medical Science in year three.
Phase three (years four and five):
Phase three spans year four and the first half of year five, introducing students to specialties such as child health, acute care, and mental health.
Phase four (year five):
Phase four, entitled ‘Preparing for Independent Practice', takes place in the second half of year five. Students shadow a junior doctor in a 2 week assistantship in order to refine skills needed for foundation training.
Reported demographics
This chart highlights gender and disability data reported by Southampton 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 | 51.6% female students | 48.4% male students | 11.3% students with disability | 88.7% students without disability |
| 2016-17 | 51.8% female students | 48.2% male students | 90.3% students with disability | 9.7% students without disability |
Medical school history
Established in 1971, 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.