Medicine is a huge subject, covering many aspects of life. Unlike many other degrees, a medical degree is merely the gateway to future study and a future career.
A degree in medicine provides the foundation upon which you build your specialisation with further study. It’s a highly competitive field and one that prizes academic achievement much more than others.
The good news is that almost 90% of graduates go on to immediately get a job!
Just about any career in medicine or healthcare requires a medical degree.
Doctors, nurses, practitioners, dentists, pharmacists, nutritionists, dieticians and other experts all benefit from a medical degree, while it’s mandatory for many specialisations.
If you’re considering a career in healthcare, a degree in medicine provides an essential grounding in what’s to come.
These are what we consider the best medical schools in the UK.
Dundee University is widely regarded as the top university in the UK for medicine. It is highly regarded for other subjects too and is usually in the top 20 overall, but it excels in medicine.
Dundee University offers a single medical degree course, an MBChB in medicine. It’s a focused degree with high-quality teaching and should provide everything you need for future studies.
Dundee is a city north of Edinburgh and east of Perth on the River Tay. It’s an historic place with plenty of history and lots of character. It’s also friendly, welcoming and has plenty to see and do when you’re not studying!
Aberdeen University is the next best medical school in the UK and another Scottish university to place highly. It’s a well-regarded institution known for medicine and complementing subjects.
Aberdeen University offers a single medical degree course, an MBChB in medicine. Like Dundee, it’s a complete course offering the foundations to build upon with future study.
Aberdeen is on the north eastern coast of Scotland and is mainly known for the oil industry. It’s a lively city with a lot going on and has seen significant investment over the past decades. Despite being so north, you’re far from cut off and have everything you need close to home.
Edinburgh University is the third Scottish university to place so highly for medical degrees. It’s one of the top medical schools in the UK and a nice place to study. Regarded for the quality of teaching and quality of life, it’s a great place to be a student.
Edinburgh University offers a single medical degree course, an MBChB in medicine. It’s a focused course that’s intense, demanding but very rewarding.
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and a lovely place to live and study. It’s an ancient city with lovely buildings, friendly locals and lots of students. There are also plenty of things to see and do!
Oxford University should need no introduction. Widely regarded as one of the best universities in the world, it is also one of the best medical schools in the UK.
Oxford University offers a single medical degree course, a BM BCh in medicine. It’s one of the most hotly contested courses available with a very high barrier to entry. Cause for celebration if you secure a place!
Oxford is a small city built around the university. It’s calm, relatively quiet and a nice place to be a student. It doesn’t have the facilities of places like London, but it doesn’t have any of the problems either.
Brighton Sussex Medical School ranks highly in the Guardian tables but not others, but people we spoke to said it was definitely one of the top medical schools in the UK.
It offers a single medical degree course, a Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery, BM BS in medicine. It’s a specialist course designed specifically to prepare students as a doctor and future surgeon.
Brighton is an amazing place to be a student. It’s young, vibrant, by the sea and has a huge student community. It’s also known to be laid-back, welcoming and friendly, with some of the best shopping on the south coast.
Cambridge University is also a top university in the UK for medicine. Unsurprisingly, the university ranks highly for the quality of teaching, student satisfaction and the university itself.
Cambridge University offers a single medical degree course, a MB, BChir in medicine. It’s a six-year course that covers all the foundations you need for a career in medicine.
Cambridge is a lively city with a huge medical research industry around it. It’s one of the leading cities for research and development and somewhere many research-oriented graduates gravitate to. It’s not a bad place to live either!
Swansea University doesn’t often appear in the top 10 university tables but it does for medicine. It’s an excellent option for medical science rather than a medical degree.
Swansea University offers a single degree, a BSc (hons) population health and medical sciences. It’s a specialist degree course designed more for policymakers than practitioners.
Swansea is a city in Wales, along the M4 corridor a short drive west of Cardiff. It’s a friendly city with plenty going on and proximity to the Brecon Beacons. It’s a great place to study!
Keele University makes an unusual entry into the top 10 because it’s one of the best medical schools in the UK. It is highly respected in the field of medicine, so is well worth considering.
Keele University offers two medical degree courses, MBChB (hons) medicine and MBChB (hons) medicine with a health foundation year. Both offer a gateway into healthcare and further study.
Keele is located just west of Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. It’s a nice city with a character all of its own and plenty to see and do. The two towns offer lots of shopping, dining and entertainment and great transport links to the rest of the country.
Queen Mary University of London is one of the best medical schools in the UK as well as one of the best-known universities overall. It is linked to Mile End hospital in London and delivers high-quality teaching.
Queen Mary University of London offers nine medical degrees covering pure medicine, MBBS, BEng, BSc in health, pharmacology, neuroscience and other subjects.
Queen Mary University of London is in Mile End in London, a short distance northeast of the City and many national landmarks. There’s a lot on offer here and it’s a nice place to live, close to everything you could possibly need.
London student accommodation close to Queen Mary University.
St Andrews University is a regular in these league tables and it’s no surprise that it’s also regarded as a top university in the UK for medicine.
St Andrews University offers two medical degrees, BSc (hons) medicine and MBChB medicine. Both are highly rated and reviewed for the breadth and quality of their teaching.
St Andrews is between Edinburgh and Dundee on the east coast of Scotland. It’s one of the country’s most prestigious universities, located in a lovely part of the country. There’s a lot to see and do and the entirety of Scotland on your doorstep.
Dundee student lets a short distance from St Andrews.