Exeter Medicine 2027: UCAT, Entry Requirements & Interview

Exeter Medicine (University of Exeter Medical School) for 2027 entry: entry requirements, A-level and GCSE grades, how it uses the UCAT, admissions statistics, interview format and graduate entry - from MedicHut's medical admissions team.

Last reviewed: August 2026 by MedicHut's medical admissions team.

Exeter Medicine entry requirements (2027 entry)

Exeter Medicine asks for A*AA including Biology and Chemistry at A-level, or 38 points overall with 7,6,6 at Higher Level, including Biology and Chemistry in the IB. At GCSE: Minimum GCSE grade 6 (B) in English Language and Maths. UCAT is combined with academic achievement at a 1:3 weighting (25% of the Exeter Score, out of 90) to decide who is interviewed; SJT is not checked. In 2024, 94+ points were needed for interview, roughly the 7th decile for non-contextual A*A*A* applicants and the 5th decile for contextual A*A*A applicants.

• A-level requirement: A*AA including Biology and Chemistry
• Minimum A-levels: A*AA at first sitting - Biology and Chemistry both required
• IB requirement: 38 points overall with 7,6,6 at Higher Level, including Biology and Chemistry
• GCSE requirement: Minimum GCSE grade 6 (B) in English Language and Maths
• UCAS code: A100
• Places: ~150 Home + ~30 Overseas
• Applications per place: ~8.7 applicants per Home place, ~27.4 per International place (2024 cycle)
• Contextual offers: Widening participation grade requirements: AABBB in Scottish Highers or BBB in Scottish Advanced Highers, or AAB at A-level with an A in Biology and Chemistry.
• Fees: £9,535/yr Home (under review) · ~£47,500/yr Overseas

This school makes no use of the SJT, so a weaker band does not count against you.

How Exeter uses the UCAT

UCAT is combined with academic achievement at a 1:3 weighting (25% of the Exeter Score, out of 90) to decide who is interviewed; SJT is not checked. In 2024, 94+ points were needed for interview, roughly the 7th decile for non-contextual A*A*A* applicants and the 5th decile for contextual A*A*A applicants.

UCAT is combined with academic achievement at a 1:3 weighting (25% of the Exeter Score, out of 90) to decide who is interviewed; SJT is not checked. In 2024, 94+ points were needed for interview, roughly the 7th decile for non-contextual A*A*A* applicants and the 5th decile for contextual A*A*A applicants.

2023 → ~2,520 · 2024 → ~2,560 · 2025 → ~2,600

Exeter medicine interview format

Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) - 7 stations of ~7 minutes each, values-based with an emphasis on communication, empathy, teamwork and reflection on work experience. Held online for most applicants for 2027 entry. December-March, online via MS Teams.

Sample Exeter interview questions

• Tell us about a recent piece of work experience and what it taught you about being a doctor.
• Why Exeter specifically - what draws you to a medical school with a strong community and rural placement footprint?
• Role-play: explain to a patient why they cannot start a medication they read about online.
• Discuss the ethics of prioritising NHS resources for rural vs urban populations.
• Describe a time you worked in a team where things went wrong. What did you do differently next time?
• How would you handle a peer on placement who is repeatedly turning up late and unprepared?
• What are the biggest health challenges facing the South-West of England, and how could a doctor contribute?
• Tell us about a time you had to communicate something complicated to someone with no background knowledge.
• Discuss the role of climate change in shaping the health of coastal and rural communities.
• What does professionalism mean to you as a future medical student?

Exeter Medicine FAQs

Is Exeter Medical School good?

Yes - the University of Exeter Medical School consistently ranks in the UK top 20 for Medicine (Complete University Guide 2025 places Exeter 15th for Medicine), student satisfaction scores are among the highest in the country, and Foundation Programme allocation rates for Exeter BMBS graduates are strong. The main trade-offs are geography (clinical placements are spread across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, so you need to be comfortable travelling) and a relatively small cohort of ~180 places per year.

What UCAT score do I need for Exeter Medicine 2027 entry?

Exeter's UCAT threshold for 2025 entry sat around 2,600 (2,570-2,610 depending on applicant pool). To be safe for 2027 entry aim for 2,650+; below 2,500 is high-risk unless you qualify for the Access to Exeter (A2E) contextual scheme. Band 4 SJT is an automatic reject.

How do I get into Exeter Medical School?

Hit A*AA at first sitting including A* Biology + a second science at A, maintain a broad GCSE profile with grade 5/B minimum in English and Maths, score 2,600+ on the UCAT with no Band 4 SJT, then perform strongly across all 7 MMI stations. Because Exeter is heavily MMI-weighted post-shortlist, applicants who reach interview but underperform on communication, empathy or reflection are the most common rejections - it's worth practising values-based stations specifically.

Where is Exeter Medical School?

Pre-clinical years are taught at St Luke's Campus, a compact site on Magdalen Road about 15 minutes' walk from Exeter city centre. Clinical placements from Year 3 onward run across the whole South-West Peninsula: Royal Devon University Healthcare Trust (Exeter and North Devon), Torbay Hospital, Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (Truro), and community GP surgeries as far as the Isles of Scilly.

How many places are there at Exeter Medical School?

Approximately 180 places per year - roughly 150 for Home/RUK applicants and 30 for Overseas applicants. Application volume is around 1,400-1,500, giving a home-application-to-place ratio of roughly 8:1 - competitive but noticeably less punishing than Oxbridge, Imperial or Edinburgh.

Why choose Exeter Medical School over Bristol, Cardiff or Plymouth?

Three reasons applicants pick Exeter over its peers: (1) the small-cohort, community-oriented curriculum with more one-to-one clinical teaching than a large city school; (2) the spiral BMBS structure with early clinical exposure from Year 1 through a longitudinal GP placement; (3) the South-West coastal location - Exeter students consistently score the highest UK-wide National Student Survey satisfaction for lifestyle and campus. The trade-off is that clinical placements are geographically dispersed and you'll need to relocate multiple times.

Does Exeter Medical School use the UCAT or the BMAT?

UCAT only. Exeter, like every other UK medical school for 2025 entry onwards, has migrated fully to the UCAT - the BMAT was retired after the 2023 cycle. There is no additional written admissions test.

Is Exeter Medicine PBL (problem-based learning)?

The Exeter BMBS is a spiral, case-based integrated curriculum - not strict PBL and not traditional lecture-heavy. Learning is anchored in weekly clinical cases with early patient contact, small-group tutorials, anatomy through prosection and clinical placements from Year 1. Structurally it sits between PBL (Manchester, Liverpool) and traditional (Cambridge, Oxford).

Does Exeter accept resit A-levels?

Yes, with mitigating circumstances - achieved grades must hit A*AA including A* Biology at the resit attempt, and the mitigation must be disclosed in the UCAS reference.

Does Exeter offer Graduate Entry Medicine?

No - Exeter only runs the 5-year A100 BMBS. Graduates apply through the standard A100 route on the same academic and UCAT criteria as school-leavers.

When does Exeter Medical School make decisions?

MMI invitations go out from late November; final outcomes are typically issued January-April for 2027 entry, with the majority of offers in February and March.

Does Exeter accept the IB for Medicine?

Yes - 36 points overall with 6,6,6 at Higher Level including HL Biology and one further HL science (Chemistry, Physics or Maths).

Can I apply to Exeter as an international student?

Yes - Exeter allocates around 30 Overseas places per year. Academic requirements match Home applicants (A*AA with Biology + second science, or equivalent), plus IELTS 7.0 with no component below 6.5. Overseas fees are approximately £43,000 per year.

When did Exeter Medical School open?

The current University of Exeter Medical School launched in August 2013, following the split of the Peninsula Medical School (which Exeter had shared with the University of Plymouth since 2000). Exeter now runs its own independent BMBS; Plymouth runs a separate BMBS at the Plymouth Peninsula Medical School.

Practise the Exeter interview

Book a Exeter medicine mock interview in the exact format Exeter uses, with an interviewer who holds an offer there.

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