Manchester Medical School Guide

Overview of the University of Manchester Medical School

Manchester Medical School is the third oldest medical school in England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Manchester is also one of the red-brick Universities, founded along with the medical school in 1824. It is the third-largest university in the United Kingdom by total enrolment. Manchester is home to the Curry Mile, the biggest concentration of South Asian restaurants outside of the Asian continent. As well as this, it is where filming for Peaky Blinders took place and where the atom was split. Manchester is also especially famous for its architecture and music.

Academic Entry Requirements for Manchester Medical School

Category	Grade	Other Information
GCSE	At least seven GCSEs at grade A (7) or A* (8+). English Language, Mathematics, and at least two science subjects are required at GCSE minimum grade B (6). If Dual Award Science or Core and Additional Science are offered, the minimum required is BB (66)
A-Level	AAA	Chemistry or Biology/Human Biology and one of Chemistry, Biology/Human Biology; Physics; Psychology; Mathematics/ Further Mathematics
Scottish Highers	AAAAB	English Language and any science subject (Maths, Chemistry or Biology)
Scottish Advanced Highers	AAA	Chemistry or Biology; a second science (from Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, Psychology, or Physics); plus one other rigorous academic subject. They accept other combinations, see their website for details.
IB	At least 766 required at Higher Level   37 points	Major subjects must include Chemistry or Biology, plus another science (one from Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Psychology, or Mathematics) and one further subject at Higher Level. If an applicant cannot take Maths and English Language as part of the Diploma, they must have them at GCSE or IGCSE at grade B (6) or above. We accept both Maths options as part of the Diploma.

UCAT Score Needed for University of Manchester Medical School

The University of Manchester uses the UCAT to select for interviews. Importantly, they do not consider applicants who achieve Band 4 in the Situational Judgement Test. As well as this, the selection process favours applicants with Band 1 or 2 scores. 2730 was the UCAT threshold for an interview in 2022, making Manchester a reasonably competitive medical school. It’s important to apply strategically to medical school, therefore, you should not apply to Manchester if you have a low UCAT score.

Life as a Medical Student at the University of Manchester

In preclinical years you will have at least half a day of contact hours. Some days may be full days if you also have clinical placements. The rest of the time is free for you to decide to split between self-study, free time, and extracurricular activities. In the clinical years student placements are in various locations. Depending on your assigned hospital, your schedule will vary.

The main campus buildings are on Oxford Road which is close to most other amenities. There are lots of societies to get involved in and the MedSoc is one of the biggest societies in the University.

Pros	Cons
The famous city	Lots of independent learning
Lots of anatomy teaching	Anatomy is self taught
The PBL/Integrated style of teaching	The lack of clinical placements

University of Manchester Medical School Ranking

The Guardian ranks Manchester as the 30th Medical school in the UK. On the other hand, The Complete University Guide ranks the University of Manchester 20th.

It’s important to keep in mind that university rankings are subjective and based on differing criteria. Rankings may be a factor in deciding which medical schools you apply to, but a holistic approach is most important. Crucially, when making your decisions consider which universities you would thrive in the most.

Home and International Student Places at Manchester Medical School

There are 369 home student and 28 international student places at Manchester Medical School. This means that Manchester has one of the biggest cohorts for medical students each year. This is in keeping with it being the largest medical school in the UK.

Home and International Student Fees for Medicine at Manchester University

Home students pay £9,250 per year. International students pay £27,000 per year in Years 1 and 2. In Years 3,4 and 5, the fee is £46,000 per year. However, fees are subject to change each year.

Medicine Course Structure in Manchester

Whilst the course is predominantly focused on problem-based learning, there are some elements similar to integrated-style courses. There are 2 PBL sessions per week in the preclinical years as well as weekly supplementary lectures. Manchester uses whole-body dissection as well as prosections to teach anatomy. There is also a communication skills class which provides the opportunity to practice clinical skills such as taking histories from simulated patients. As well as this you also practice performing basic clinical examinations. Students learn histology and evidence-based medicine in larger group sessions. In 1st year there are three clinical placements per term. The number of clinical placements increases as you progress through medical school.

Manchester Medicine Interviews

The University of Manchester does an MMI-style interview. They state that the interview is used to satisfy non-academic criteria relating to the values and behaviors expected of a medical student. The interview in each station will be eight minutes long with a two-minute gap between the stations. There is no information provided in advance and there is no reading or writing component. Some topics that are mentioned on the website are:

• Why do you want to be a doctor?
• Previous caring experience
• Matters of medical interest
• Ethical and other issues

A few example questions for Manchester are below, with a brief answer guide underneath each.

What steps have you taken to further your interest in Medicine?

Work experience is a great way to demonstrate an interest in medicine, and this question is the ideal situation to discuss this. What did you do or see that inspired you to pursue a medical career? Other ways of demonstrating an interest in medicine include attending talks/conferences, talking to current or former medical professionals about their careers, and engaging in research.

What motivates you to study Medicine?

Medicine is a long and, at times, challenging course; having a strong understanding of what drives you is very important. This is another great opportunity to discuss work experience or any other experience that inspired you to pursue a medical career. Make sure to demonstrate an understanding of the realities of a medical career – discussing articles you’ve read or discussions you’ve had with medical professionals can help with this.

What are your thoughts on mandatory vaccination against COVID-19?

This question tests your ability to consider multiple points of view and express your own opinion. As such, it is important to demonstrate a good understanding of both sides of the mandatory vaccination debate when answering – use the four pillars of medical ethics as a base for these arguments. Make sure to present your own beliefs on the subject after considering these viewpoints, and use your earlier arguments to justify this.