Pupils → Selecting a medical school
STEP 5 of 9
Selecting a medical school
How to choose where to apply, and what makes each Scottish medical school different.
How do you choose?
You might get one offer, or you might have a choice. Either way, it helps to know what makes each medical school different - and which suits you.
There's no "best" medical school
Every UK medical school teaches to the same standards, set by the General Medical Council (GMC). When you graduate, you can register with the GMC and apply for the two-year Foundation Programme – wherever you studied.
Things to think about
Location
Distance from home, the cost of rent, and whether placements are rural.
Course length
5 or 6 years. An extra year means an extra year of living costs.
Support
Wellbeing services, plus bursaries or scholarships you might be eligible for.
Seeing patients
Some schools start in year 1; others focus on it in the later years.
Scottish medical schools compared
What makes each one different:
Aberdeen
5 years
You see patients from year 1. Final exams are in year 4, so year 5 is placements and an elective.
Dundee
5 years
You see patients from year 1, and learn anatomy through full-body dissection (Thiel-embalmed bodies).
Edinburgh
6 years
Includes a compulsory extra honours degree (intercalation), unless you already have a degree.
Glasgow
5 years
You do two electives – placements you choose – instead of the usual one.
Edinburgh
6 years
Years 1–3 in St Andrews, then your clinical years at a partner medical school. Two graduations.
Courses change - always check the university's own website.
Top Tip: visit before you decide
Go to open days- and offer-holder days if you get an offer. Talk to current students and ask what a normal week is like.
Useful Links
University of Aberdeen - Medicine (MBChB)
University of Dundee - Medicine (MBChB)
University of Edinburgh - Medicine (MBChB)
University of Glasgow - Medicine (MBChB)
University of St Andrews - Medicine (MBChB)