The short answer: a UCAS application for medicine can technically be submitted without a UCAT score. In practice, almost every UK medical school will not consider it.
Can I apply, and will I be considered
These are two different questions. UCAS does not check whether an applicant has sat the UCAT. Scores travel separately, from the UCAT Consortium directly to the universities. So the application goes through, but a school that requires the UCAT will not assess it. Glasgow, for example, states on its admissions page that applicants who have not sat the UCAT will not be considered, with no exceptions.
The UCAT is now the standard test
The BMAT has been discontinued, and no UK medical school uses it for 2027 entry. Universities that previously relied on the BMAT now use the UCAT. For a school leaver applying to a standard medicine course, the UCAT is effectively the only admissions test that matters.
The schools that do not use the UCAT
A small number of UK medical schools select without it. The list is short and each comes with conditions.
| University | How it selects | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| University of Buckingham | Its own in-house selection, including a Multiple Mini Interview | Private university, self-funded, no student loans, January entry |
| University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) | No admissions test | Places for residents of north-west England and for international students, small cohort |
| Brunel University London | No admissions test listed for international applicants in recent cycles | Home applicants sit the UCAT or GAMSAT. Confirm on the university's own page |
Requirements change every cycle. Anyone planning around one of these schools should confirm the current position on the university's own admissions page before relying on it.
There is also a cost dimension. These routes are built for applicants who can fund international fees in full, usually without access to loans. For a student who needs a scholarship, they are not a realistic alternative.
Routes that avoid the UCAT but change the timeline
- Graduate entry medicine. Uses the GAMSAT in most cases and requires a first degree, so it adds three or four years before medicine begins.
- Foundation and gateway years. Usually designed for UK students from widening participation backgrounds, and rarely open to international applicants.
- A related degree first. Biomedical science and similar courses can lead to graduate entry later, with no guarantee of a place.
What this means for planning
Avoiding the UCAT is possible. It narrows the options to a handful of schools, usually raises the cost, and often lengthens the route. For most applicants, the stronger plan is to build the year around the test: register in May, sit it in July or August, and apply by 15 October.
If this year's window has already closed, the realistic choice is between the next cycle and one of the schools above, and that decision depends on qualifications and funding more than on ambition.
Avoiding the UCAT is possible. It is rarely the faster or the cheaper route.
Burcu Dedeoglu
International education and career strategy · Dublin
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