The University of Exeter Medical School is a Russell Group medical school with a patient-centred, small-group curriculum delivered across Devon and Cornwall. Exeter is ranked 10th in the UK for Medicine in the Complete University Guide 2027 (up from 15th in 2026), and 24th out of 40 in the Guardian University Guide 2027, where it scores 99 out of 100 for career prospects.
The University of Exeter Medical School delivers a patient-centred curriculum. During the first two years, the curriculum is centred around small group learning, in which you’ll use problem-based learning (PBL) to explore a series of clinical cases.
A variety of teaching formats are used to support learning across the curriculum, including:
The teaching of anatomy is delivered within the LSRC using “medical imaging, including x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound, coupled with the study of plastinates, models, living anatomy and virtual multimedia methods”. There’s no full-body dissection, but students are encouraged to take part in peer physical examinations on one another.
At Exeter Medical School you’ll experience early contact with patients, usually within the first few weeks of the course, and undertake the following clinical attachments:
Assessment is largely through the Applied Medical Knowledge (AMK) test, sat four times a year, which measures long-term, practical knowledge rather than last-minute revision. You’ll also sit both parts of the national Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA).
More information about the course content, teaching and assessment can be found here.
Exeter’s BMBS is built on a partnership with the NHS in Devon and Cornwall, and you’ll study in different locations across coastal, rural and urban settings:
You’ll spend a minimum of one year based at the Knowledge Spa at Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, a modern, multi-disciplinary building with specialist teaching facilities, so you’ll need to relocate to Cornwall for that part of the course.
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In Year 3 you’ll take an International Health special study unit, in the UK or overseas, with host links including the universities of South Florida, Cape Town and Sydney.
In your final year, you’ll undertake an eight-week student selected elective, involving clinical or research placements, or a combination of both, with the option to complete this abroad.
Exeter Medical School offers an optional intercalated degree, between Years 3 & 4 of your medical degree; this allows you to complete one additional year of study to gain a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from options ranging from Neuroscience to Genomic Medicine and Health Data Science. Places are competitive – roughly the top quartile of third-year students receive an automatic offer, and the second quartile compete for the rest. More information is available here.
Exeter also runs the INSPIRE research programme with Bristol, Cardiff and Plymouth, offering research taster days and chances to work alongside clinical academics.
Away from the curriculum, Exeter MedSoc is one of the largest societies at the university, with over 500 members, medic sports teams, OSCE and end-of-block teaching sessions, welfare drop-ins and four balls a year.
You’ll have the opportunity to undertake clinical placements with partner organisations overseas, including two-week placements at Wollega Medical School in Ethiopia in Years 3 and 4, and electives with partners in China and Malaysia.
The University of Exeter has scholarships and financial support available for students from 'disadvantaged backgrounds, lower income households and under-represented groups'. You can find out more here.
Other selling points you could mention at interview include:
The typical entry requirements for 2027 entry are:
You must be at least 18 years old on or before 6 September 2027, and there are 10 places for international students. BTEC applicants need D*DD plus A Level Biology and Chemistry at grade A, and Access to HE applicants need 30 Level 3 credits at Distinction (including Biology and Chemistry) and 15 at Merit; T Levels aren’t accepted. Work experience isn’t part of the selection criteria and your personal statement isn’t scored. Check the full list on the course page, and compare schools in our guide to medicine entry requirements.
Widening access: eligible home applicants can receive a contextual offer of AAB (IB 34 with 6,6,5 at Higher Level, or BTEC DDD), still including grade A in Biology and Chemistry, and a 5-point uplift to their Exeter Score when interviews are allocated. The criteria include living in a POLAR4, TUNDRA or IMD quintile 1 or 2 area, receiving free school meals, being care experienced or a carer, attending a school on Exeter’s contextual offer list, or joining a programme such as Exeter Scholars. You can check whether you qualify using Exeter’s eligibility checker.
The University of Exeter Medical School uses the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format for its interview. Exeter says its MMIs are designed to determine whether applicants have the non-academic qualities – such as communication skills, reflectiveness and empathy – required to become a successful doctor, and interviewers give a ‘global judgement’ on whether you’ve shown the attitudes, behaviours and values needed to train as a doctor at Exeter. Whether or not you receive an offer typically depends on how you perform on the day.
For 2027 entry, Exeter says the interview “may take place either in person or online”, and that shortlisted applicants will be invited between December and March – its FAQs say interviews normally run in December and January, with offers in late February or early March. Exeter expects to interview around 800 applicants, including roughly 30 international applicants, and assistance with travel is available if you meet certain eligibility criteria. For more information, check out Exeter's website here.
As part of their entry criteria, most medical schools require you to pass an admissions exam before you’ll be invited for interview.
Admissions exam for Exeter: University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT)
The UCAT is designed to assess the skills, characteristics, attitudes and professional behaviours required for medical school. This exam now includes 4 sections: Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning and Situational Judgement (SJT). Abstract Reasoning has been removed from the test.
For 2027 entry, the UCAT is being held between 13 July and 24 September 2026. Your UCAT score is used alongside your academic profile to rank you against other candidates and decide whether you’ll be invited to interview at Exeter Medical School. The two are combined into an Exeter Score, weighted 3:1 in favour of academic achievement over the UCAT, using your UCAT decile rather than your raw score. Your score falls by 10 points for each grade you drop and 4 points for each decile, while applicants with achieved grades get a 10-point uplift and widening participation applicants a 5-point uplift:
| Applicant group | Maximum Exeter Score |
|---|---|
| Predicted grades | 90 |
| Predicted grades, widening participation | 95 |
| Achieved grades | 100 |
| Achieved grades, widening participation | 105 |
Source: BMBS Medicine Admissions Policy 2027.
Because Exeter ranks applicants by decile, it doesn’t publish a UCAT cut-off score – the threshold is set in November once all scores are in. The Medical Schools Council lists 6.4 home applicants per place and 1.6 per interview, and 20.8 international applicants per place. So to secure your interview place, it’s essential that you prepare well for all areas of the UCAT.
The free Medibuddy UCAT question bank will support you to prepare effectively for all sections of the exam. Using our AI-powered algorithm to identify your strengths and weaknesses within the syllabus, you’ll be given individually selected questions targeted at the areas which you need to improve to increase your UCAT.
You can also use the question bank dashboard (below) to quickly see how you’re performing in each section. With information like your calculated skill level, your response time and the number of questions you’ve answered correctly for each section, it’s easy to identify the areas that you’ve “mastered” and the ones which you need to dedicate more time to.
You’ll find everything you need to know about the UCAT in our Complete Guide, as well as preparation tips on our website.
If you’re a graduate applicant, or it will be more than two full academic years since you completed your A Levels when you start the course, you’ll sit the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) instead. Results are valid for two years, so sittings from March 2025 to September 2026 count for 2027 entry, and your Exeter Score is based purely on your GAMSAT score – 70 or more converts to the maximum 100 points, while 40 or less scores zero.
You can also see how other medical schools use the test in our guide to UCAT universities.
Tuition fees for students starting in 2027 are:
Home students may be eligible for NHS bursary funding towards their final-year fees. Exeter’s policy is to increase international fees in each year of study, so check the fees and funding page for the latest information.
Good luck with your application to the University of Exeter Medical School! For more help, take a look at our guides to applying to medical school and the best medical schools in the UK.
