Widening access to medicine

In the past, studying medicine felt out of reach for many. Today, all 5 Scottish medical schools are changing that. There's far more support available to help you apply than you might think.

Check your postcode first

Your home postcode is one of the quickest ways to see if you might qualify. Many medical schools use the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) to decide on adjusted offers, and you can look up where your postcode sits. If yours isn’t in the lowest 20%, keep reading, because postcode is only 1 of the criteria.

Types of support available

The support falls into 4 types. It helps to know which one you're looking at:

Adjusted entry requirements: Lower grades needed for an offer if you meet certain criteria.
Pre-entry support: Help preparing and applying while you're still at school.
Access courses: A qualification that prepares you for a medical degree if you’re returning to education.
Gateway years: An extra year that leads into year 1 of a medical degree.
You could be eligible for more than one of these options.

Adjusted entry requirements

Contextual admissions is a type of support lots of applicants miss. If you meet widening access criteria, Scottish medical schools will usually make you an offer at lower grades. This is often one or two grades lower than the standard requirement.

You might be eligible if you:

live in a postcode in the lowest 20% of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD20)
attend a school with low progression to higher education
care care experienced, a care leaver, or estranged from your family
are a young carer
have had your education disrupted

The criteria and grade adjustment varies between medical schools, so check each one you're applying to. You don't need to do anything extra to be considered. Just make sure your UCAS application includes the right information.

Pre-entry support routes

If you're currently at school, these national programmes offer extra guidance and hands-on support to help you apply.

Reach

Reach is a national programme supporting S4 to S6 pupils from widening access backgrounds. It helps those considering high-demand degrees like medicine, dentistry, law, veterinary medicine, and economics. All you need to do is sign up for the subject you're interested in.

It runs across 3 years. In S4, you’ll get an introduction to the profession and advice on subject choices. S5 is the busiest year, featuring campus events, research assignments, and sessions on the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT).

In S6, you get support with your UCAS application, personal statement, and interviews. All 5 medical schools run Reach, each covering a different part of Scotland. The one you join depends on where you live, and each has staff on campus to give impartial advice.

Find your local Reach programme.

Schools for Higher Education Programme (SHEP)

SHEP is also broader than medicine. It supports pupils into further and higher education, from an HNC to a degree. If you're unsure about university generally, this is the place to start.

Depending on your region, it works with pupils from S3 or S4 onwards. It's organised through your school, usually via your guidance teacher. Activities include workshops, campus visits, one-to-one advice, and help with student finance.

There are 4 regional hubs delivering SHEP:

Ask your guidance teacher whether your school takes part or check your regional hub’s website.

If you're an adult learner: SWAP Access to Medical Studies

The Scottish Wider Access Programme is for adults returning to education. The one-year access course is delivered by colleges across Scotland. It's designed for people who don't have the qualifications for direct entry.

Completing the course can lead to standard entry medicine or a gateway programme. However, the progression arrangements depend on which college you study at and which medical school it's affiliated with. Always check the progression route before you enrol, not after.

SWAP — eligibility and courses.

Gateway to Medicine

A gateway year is a full year of university study that leads into year 1 of a medical degree. 4 of the 5 Scottish medical schools run one.

Unlike Reach and SHEP, this is an entry route rather than preparation. You apply for it through UCAS, but the deadline is different from the standard medicine deadline.

See all 4 gateway programmes.

What's next

If you aren't sure which of these applies to you, start with the medical schools you're interested in. Each publishes its own widening access criteria. Checking their adjusted entry requirements is the quickest way to find out what support you can get.