Subject requirements for medicine: there’s more choice than students think

However, there are now at least 34 medicine courses where A level chemistry is not required and at least 46 medicine courses where A level biology is not required in the UK. This suggests that the perception of medicine as a fixed subject choice requiring a specific set of pre-requisite qualifications is thoroughly out-of-date. In reality there is more choice than students think when it comes to choosing their subjects at A level.

This is important as UCAS reports that one in five students say that they were unable to study a degree subject that interested them because they did not have the relevant subjects for entry. UCAS’s analysis also found that a third of applicants recall thinking about higher education in primary school, with advantaged students 1.4 times more likely to do so than their disadvantaged peers. This suggests that careers guidance should start within primary schools and early secondary years to help students to understand the broad entry requirements for medicine and inform choice.

Other key findings from the report include:

• 83% of students decided on their degree subject before they chose their preferred university or college, highlighting the role of subject-focused outreach.
• 58% of medicine students had thought about their preferred degree subject before starting GCSE/National 5, compared to only 18% of business studies students and 20% of economics students.
• 17% of students who reported having a parent or carer who is a medical practitioner are studying medicine or dentistry courses in 2020.
• Over 10% of students who reported that they could not study a subject because of the qualification and subject decisions they made in school were interested in studying medicine.
• 8% of students said that the pandemic had prompted them to apply for a subject leading to the medical or healthcare professions.

Dr Paul Garrud, Chair of the MSC Selection Alliance, said:

 “Today’s report from UCAS highlights that while there is no lack of choice awaiting students in higher education, students’ routes in are never straightforward. It takes time – often influenced by GCSE and A level choices (or level two/three equivalents) made years previously – for students to arrive at individual and highly nuanced decisions about which course they wish to pursue.

“Providing careers guidance to students about the entry requirements for medicine at an earlier stage is vital in ensuring that students understand the consequences of their GCSE and A level subject choices. Debunking the myth that A level qualifications in biology and chemistry are required for all medicine courses is also important. Medical school entry requirements have diversified considerably in recent years to allow students greater freedom in their choice of subjects.

“The report’s findings for widening participation must also not be missed – disadvantaged students are more likely to consider higher education later, which can limit their choices, especially for more selective subjects. This adds to existing evidence that primary school outreach is important because many children develop a sense of their aspirations and capabilities by the time they are eleven years old. We also know that that students from disadvantaged backgrounds will have been the most severely affected by school closure during the pandemic.

“Medical schools are deeply concerned by the impact of the pandemic on these students. In 2021 medical schools have ramped up their digital outreach, coming together through the Medical Schools Council, amongst other initiatives, to provide targeted support to prospective applicants, teachers and careers advisers in areas of disadvantage. We look forward to meeting teachers and careers advisers, via virtual conferences and webinars, from across the country over the next few months to provide up-to-date information, advice and guidance.”

UCAS: Where next? What influences the choices school leavers make?