Keele University School of Medicine is a campus-based medical school in Staffordshire, known for its spiral, integrated curriculum and the amount of time students spend in general practice. Keele is ranked 14th out of 40 for Medicine in the Guardian University Guide 2027, with one of the highest teaching satisfaction scores in the country at 96.9%, and 21st in the Complete University Guide 2027 (up from 23rd in 2026) – the highest-ranked medical school in the West Midlands in that table.
Keele University School of Medicine offers a spiral, integrated curriculum, which incorporates a range of learning strategies, including:
Anatomy is taught in the dissection room and anatomy suite in the David Weatherall building on campus, and includes whole-body dissection alongside laboratory activities, tutorials and skills workshops.
The curriculum at Keele School of Medicine is split into three phases and includes several clinical placements:
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Over 20% of teaching in Years 3, 4 and 5 takes place in general practices, and you’ll learn in general practice or the community in every year. Like all UK medical students, you’ll also need to pass the national Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) before you can practise.
More information about the curriculum structure, placement opportunities and teaching methods can be found here.
Keele’s partner trusts are:
Between them these sites cover a large tertiary referral centre (Royal Stoke), busy district general hospitals, specialist psychiatric centres and small community hospitals, as well as general practice. Years 4 and 5 are each spent at a distinct base – one in Staffordshire, the other in Shropshire.
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Within years 1–4, you’ll undertake a student selected component (SSC) each year, which provides opportunities for different areas of learning and additional clinical experience. The Year 1 SSC is a three-week literature-based project, Year 2 involves working or shadowing in a local voluntary or statutory health or social care organisation, and Years 3 and 4 offer four-week blocks covering case reporting, humanities, research and careers.
In year 5, you'll also have the opportunity to undertake an eight-week elective. This provides 'maximum flexibility' to explore an area of interest and a different health setting.
You can find more information about the SSC and elective programme opportunities at Keele University here.
Keele University also provides the optional opportunity to complete an intercalated degree; this allows you to take a break in your medical degree in order to undertake either a bachelor’s degree or master’s level in a medical-related subject, after Year 2 (bachelor’s) or Year 4 (bachelor’s or master’s), at Keele or another university. More information about the intercalated degree programme offered by Keele University can be found here.
Away from the curriculum, Keele MedSoc runs socials and events for students across the medical course, alongside the wider range of clubs and societies at Keele Students’ Union.
Keele University offers entry to the MB ChB programme via a Health Foundation Year, which provides applicants who do not meet the entry requirements for the course an alternative route. Successful completion of the Foundation Year allows you to progress on to the MBChB course. You can find more information about Keele’s Medicine with a Health Foundation Year here.
Other selling points you could mention at interview include:
The typical entry requirements for 2027 entry are:
You must be at least 18 by 1 October of Year 1, and Keele doesn’t use predicted grades at any point in selection – GCSE and A Level (or equivalent) requirements must already be met when you apply. There’s an Access to HE Diploma (Medicine) route for applicants out of education for at least three years, and for 2027 entry one 360-guided-learning-hours alternative academic qualification can replace the third A Level for A100; BTECs and T-Levels are only accepted for the A104 Health Foundation Year. Full details are on the entry requirements page, and you can compare schools in our guide to medicine entry requirements.
Widening access: Keele runs a range of ‘alternative offer’ schemes for home applicants, including contextual offers and offers for applicants studying in the Keele region. Its Steps2Medicine programme for Year 12 students at local partner schools and colleges entitles those who meet the academic and UCAT requirements to an interview and a reduced grade offer, and it’s part of the national UKWPMED scheme – so applicants who have completed a UKWPMED programme at any participating school are automatically invited to interview if they meet Keele’s minimum GCSE and UCAT requirements, with any offer set at ABB or equivalent. The A104 Health Foundation Year is a six-year route with lower academic requirements for applicants from under-represented groups – see the widening participation page for the full criteria.
Keele conducts its interviews online using Microsoft Teams. The interview will address the attributes listed in the person specification with additional emphasis on the broader roles and responsibilities of doctors, including awareness of ethical and social issues related to health and illness. It will take the form of two 15-minute interviews, usually two hours apart.
You’ll be asked to read some material in advance: for one interview, the section on professionalism in the GMC’s Achieving Good Medical Practice: Guidance for Medical Students, and for the other, a short case sent with your invitation, typically one to two days beforehand. You aren’t expected to memorise anything – it’s sent early so you don’t have to spend interview time reading it.
For 2027 entry, interviews will take place between December 2026 and April 2027, and Keele intends to invite 750 or more applicants to interview in total across A100 and A104. You can find more information about the interview here.
Most UK medical schools include an admissions exam as part of their entry requirements; meaning you must pass this to be considered for interview selection.
Admissions exam for Keele: University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT)
All applicants must sit the UCAT in the year of application; GAMSAT is only needed by graduate applicants who don’t meet the A Level or science GCSE requirements.
The UCAT is designed to assess your characteristics, attitudes and professional behaviours which are required for medical school. The exam includes 4 subtests: 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.
To be considered, home applicants for A100 and A104 must achieve a minimum total UCAT score of 1,700 and an SJT result in bands 1–3; international applicants need at least 1,950 and bands 1–3. (The 2,280 minimum you may see quoted elsewhere was on the previous format scored out of 3,600 and isn’t directly comparable.) International applicants are then ranked on their total score from the four cognitive subtests, while home applicants are ranked on a combined UCAT and personal statement score out of 25:
| Element | Points available |
|---|---|
| UCAT quintile (1st = 5 points, down to 5th = 1) | 1–5 |
| SJT band (band 1 = 2 points, band 2 = 1, band 3 = 0) | 0–2 |
| UCAT bursary, eligibility for an adjusted offer, or school in the Keele region (1 point each) | 0–3 |
| Personal statement, scored against the person specification | 0–15 |
Keele can’t confirm the threshold in advance, but says that in 2025 it was 15/25, with applicants on 14/25 also invited if their Verbal Reasoning score was 600 or higher. Verbal Reasoning is also the tie-breaker.
Source: Medicine how to apply – Keele University.
Effective preparation will help you to achieve the best possible score. The free Medibuddy UCAT question bank helps you to make the most of your revision time, with questions tailored to your individual learning needs, so you’re focusing on the areas which will have a real impact on your UCAT score.
The question bank dashboard (below) shows clearly your calculated skill level, the number of questions you’ve answered and correctly, and your response time for each section of the UCAT.
This makes it simple to identify areas which you need to improve to ensure that you can achieve the minimum total UCAT score and SJT band set by Keele University.
You’ll find more information about the UCAT in our complete guide and step-by-step preparation guide.
You can also see how other medical schools use the test in our guide to UCAT universities.
Tuition fees for the MBChB are:
International fees for 2027/28 haven’t been confirmed yet, so check the course page for the latest information.
Good luck with your application to Keele! For more help, take a look at our guides to applying to medical school and the best medical schools in the UK.
