Where To Apply › Undergraduate medicine › Edinburgh
Edinburgh — Undergraduate medicine
Figures are on the current UCAT scale of 2700 unless a cell says otherwise.
Edinburgh - Medicine
MBChB Medicine (A100)
How this university scores applications, with the figures it publishes.
High level summary
Simple summary. Excruciating detail below.
| Question | Answer |
|---|
| Is there a score to clear? | Yes. The university publishes a number, further down this page. Miss it and you are not shortlisted. It is reset every year, so last year’s figure is a guide, not a promise. |
| How to read the UCAT figures here | A lowest score and an average are both published. Judge yourself against the average. The lowest is one person. |
| What else counts | GCSEs are a gate. Meeting the minimum is what counts; beating it earns nothing.
The SJT band is a gate. Clear it; a better band earns nothing more. |
| Note | Edinburgh does not interview school leavers for medicine, so the score and the academic record carry the whole decision. |
UCAT cut-off score, MBChB A100, all fee rates
| Entry year | Cut-off | Scale maximum | Source |
|---|
| 2025 entry | 2450 | 3600 | FOI2026/00627 and the Edinburgh Medical School UCAT page |
| 2026 entry | 1650 | 2700 | FOI2026/00627 and the Edinburgh Medical School UCAT page |
| 2027 entry | Published on the Edinburgh Medical School UCAT page | 2700 | University website |
What the cut-off does
| Item | Detail |
|---|
| Nature | A floor for further consideration, not a shortlist. Meeting it does not earn an interview |
| After the cut-off | Applicants are scored and ranked; the top scorers are invited to an Assessment Day |
| SJT band 4 | Processed as unsuccessful. No band 4 applicant appears at interview or offer |
| Plus Flag applicants | Exempt from the cut-off entirely |
| Scale change | 2450 of 3600 and 1650 of 2700 are not comparable directly - see the UCAT deciles by year tab |
Contextual applicants, UCAT scores, 2025 entry (of 3600)
| Measure | Invited to interview | Offer holders |
|---|
| Mean UCAT score | 2824 | 2891 |
| 25th percentile | 2640 | 2728 |
| 50th percentile | 2816 | 2877 |
| 75th percentile | 2981 | 3045 |
Contextual applicants, SJT bands, 2025 entry
| SJT band | Invited to interview | Offer holders |
|---|
| Band 1 | 48 | 38 |
| Band 2 | 115 | 91 |
| Band 3 | 91 | 52 |
| Band 4 | 0 - automatic rejection | 0 - automatic rejection |
| Total | 254 | 181 |
Contextual admissions: the two flags
| Item | Plus Flag | Flag |
|---|
| UCAT cut-off | Exempt - does not need to meet it | Must meet or exceed it |
| UCAT uplift | 10 per cent added to total score | 5 per cent added to total score |
| Academic points | Additional academic disadvantage points | Additional academic disadvantage points |
| Interview | Prioritised for invitation where possible | Shortlisted alongside all other applicants |
| SJT required | Band 3 or better | Band 3 or better |
| Places | Same controlled places as everyone else | Same controlled places as everyone else |
How the final score is built
| Stage | What happens |
|---|
| 1. Academic screen | Achieved and predicted grades assessed and scored |
| 2. UCAT cut-off | Applicants must meet or exceed it to go further, unless Plus Flagged |
| 3. Shortlisting | Academic score, UCAT total and SJT scored; top scorers invited to an Assessment Day |
| 4. Final score | Academic score, UCAT decile, SJT band and interview score combined |
| 5. Offers | Applicants ranked on final score within each fee category; offers to the highest ranked |
| Weightings | The weights on the four final-score elements are in the Applying for Medicine booklet 2027/28, and applied in 2025 and 2026 entry |
| Scoring matrix | Refused under FOISA sections 30(c) and 33(1)(b). Requirement for review sent 11 September 2026 |
Places
| Item | Detail |
|---|
| Who sets the number | The Scottish Funding Council, in liaison with NHS Scotland. Medicine is a controlled subject |
| Fee groups | Scotland-domiciled, rest of UK and Republic of Ireland, and EU/overseas are funded and allocated separately |
| Extra SIMD20 places | 25 additional places in both 2025 and 2026 entry, on top of the standard allocation |
| 2027 entry | Not held. The SFC is expected to confirm numbers in March 2027 |
| Where published | 2026 entry split by fee status on the University website; earlier years in SFC 'intake targets for medicine' publications |
What was withheld, and when it is due
| Questions | Exemption | Position |
|---|
| 1 to 3, 2026 entry: application volumes and UCAT figures | FOISA s33(1)(b), commercial interests | Refused as a live cycle. Edinburgh states the cycle closes in late October 2026 and that it will then be able to supply the figures. Write again in November |
| 4c and 5: UCAT and academic grade scoring matrices | FOISA s30(c) and s33(1)(b) | Refused. Requirement for review sent 11 September 2026, limited to this point |
| 1 to 3, 2025 entry | FOISA s25(1), otherwise accessible | Answered by reference to the published MBChB admissions statistics |
Programmes
| Item | Detail |
|---|
| Programmes run | A100 MBChB Medicine only |
| Gateway, foundation year, graduate entry | Edinburgh confirmed it runs none of these |
Summary of the selection model
| Item | Detail |
|---|
| Scoring approach | Cut-off, then rank, then interview, then a four-part final score of academic score, UCAT decile, SJT band and interview score. Applicants are ranked within their fee category. Edinburgh refused the scoring matrix and the academic points scheme under FOISA sections 30(c) and 33(1)(b); a requirement for review was sent on 11 September 2026 |
| UCAT - how it is used | The cut-off is a floor, not a shortlist. Applicants at or above it are scored and ranked, and the top scorers are invited to an Assessment Day. After the Assessment Day the final score combines four elements - academic score from achieved and predicted grades, UCAT decile, SJT band and interview score - and offers go to the highest ranked in each fee category. The weightings of those four elements are in the Applying for Medicine booklet. The matrix converting UCAT and grades into points was refused under FOI |
| UCAT threshold | A minimum cut-off score applies to all fee rates, and it is now published. 2025 entry: 2450 (of 3600). 2026 entry: 1650 (of 2700). The 2027 entry figure is on the Edinburgh Medical School UCAT page. Plus Flag applicants are exempt from the cut-off entirely. SJT band 4 is processed as unsuccessful, so no band 4 applicant reaches interview or offer |
| UCAT lowest accepted | The cut-off IS the floor: 1650 of 2700 for 2026 entry, 2450 of 3600 for 2025 entry. A Plus Flag applicants are exempt from it entirely |
| UCAT average accepted | Contextual applicants, 2025 entry (of 3600). Invited to interview: mean 2824, quartiles 2640 / 2816 / 2981. Offer holders: mean 2891, quartiles 2728 / 2877 / 3045. Edinburgh does not hold UCAT deciles broken down by fee rate or for contextual applicants. Figures for 2026 entry were withheld as a live cycle and are due after late October 2026 Approximate current-scale equivalents, out of 2700: 2824 is about 2090, 2640 is about 1950, 2816 is about 2090, 2981 is above the 9th decile, 2891 is about 2150, 2728 is about 2020, 2877 is about 2140. |
| Interview format | Interview required for all applicants |
| Contextual offer | Two flags. A Plus Flag applicant does not need to meet the UCAT cut-off, receives a 10 per cent uplift to total UCAT score, receives additional academic disadvantage points, and is prioritised for interview where possible, provided minimum entry requirements are met or predicted and SJT band 3 or better is achieved. A Flag applicant receives a 5 per cent uplift and academic disadvantage points but is shortlisted alongside everyone else, and must meet the standard entry requirements and the UCAT cut-off. Both are considered for the same controlled places. Separately, the Scottish Government funded an extra 25 SIMD20 places in both 2025 and 2026 entry, on top of the standard allocation |
| Resits | Not permitted except in exceptional circumstances |
| Data status | UCAT cut-offs and contextual mechanics now confirmed directly by Edinburgh. Two gaps: the scoring matrix is under internal review, and the 2026 entry volumes and UCAT figures were withheld as a live cycle with a commitment to supply them after late October 2026 |
Source
University of Edinburgh FOI response FOI2026/00627, 11 September 2026, plus the Applying for Medicine booklet, the Edinburgh Medical School UCAT page and the published MBChB admissions statistics
Entry requirements
| Item | Detail |
|---|
| Country | Scotland |
| Course (UCAS code) | MBChB Medicine (A100) |
| GCSE | Biology 7, Chemistry 7, English 7, Maths 7 (widening access: grade 6 in each) |
| A level | AAA in one sitting including Chemistry plus one of Biology/Human Biology, Maths/Further Maths or Physics (widening access AAB) |
| Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers | AAAAB by end of S5 and BB at Advanced Higher in S6, including Chemistry plus two from Biology, Maths/Applications of Maths or Physics (widening access AAABB and CC). National 5 Biology, Chemistry, English, Maths at B |
| IB | 38 points with 666 at HL including Chemistry plus one of Biology, Maths or Physics; SL Maths 6, English 6, Biology 6 if not HL (widening access 34 with 655) |
| English language | IELTS Academic 7.5 with 7.5 in each component; TOEFL-iBT 110 with 25 each; C1 Advanced/C2 Proficiency 191 with 191 each; Oxford ELLT 9; Oxford Test of English Advanced 165 |
| Resits accepted? | Only with mitigating circumstances |
How the UCAT is turned into a score
| Item | Detail |
|---|
| Is a UCAT points conversion published? | No points conversion has been published. What the University does say about the UCAT is in the row below. |
| How the UCAT is used, in the University’s own words | The cut-off is a floor, not a shortlist. Applicants at or above it are scored and ranked, and the top scorers are invited to an Assessment Day. After the Assessment Day the final score combines four elements - academic score from achieved and predicted grades, UCAT decile, SJT band and interview score - and offers go to the highest ranked in each fee category. The weightings of those four elements are in the Applying for Medicine booklet. The matrix converting UCAT and grades into points was refused under FOI Cut-off, then rank, then interview, then a four-part final score of academic score, UCAT decile, SJT band and interview score. Applicants are ranked within their fee category. Edinburgh refused the scoring matrix and the academic points scheme under FOISA sections 30(c) and 33(1)(b); a requirement for review was sent on 11 September 2026 |
Entry requirements and places, as shown on the comparison table
| Item | Detail |
|---|
| Figures cover | Places only: Scottish Funding Council intake target for academic year 2025-26, covering Scottish, rest of UK, Republic of Ireland and international students together. The SFC sets these targets, not the university, and not the Office for Students, which has no remit in Scotland. |
| SJT - how the band is used | Band 4 is processed as unsuccessful, so no band 4 applicant reaches interview or offer. Bands 1 to 3 form one of the four elements of the final score after the Assessment Day. |
Other undergraduate medicine pages