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For 2027 entry, there were 25,840 applicants to study medicine, essentially unchanged from last year’s 25,770. The sharp upward trend seen in the previous year appears to have peaked.
The total of 25,840 medicine applicants is still 10.7% above the level recorded two years ago. In other words, the rise in demand seen for 2026 entry has not been reversed.
UCAS recorded 4,420 medicine reapplicants for 2027 entry, compared with 3,380 a year earlier — a rise of 30.8%. Their share of the medicine applicant pool has climbed from approximately 13% to 17% in a single cycle.
Meanwhile, first-time applicants fell from 22,390 to 21,420, a decline of 4.3%.
The biggest change is among applicants who are 19. UK 19-year-old medicine applicants increased by 28.5% to 3,360, and 2,510 of them were reapplicants — up 40.6% from last year. That means roughly three in four UK 19-year-olds applying to medicine have previously made a UCAS application, though not necessarily for medicine.
International applications have fallen from 5,040 for 2026 entry to 4,560 for 2027 entry. This will be relevant for international students, however domestic students are considered separately.
Despite longstanding ambitions to expand medical education, there is currently little evidence of a substantial nationwide increase in undergraduate medicine places for 2027 entry.
England’s published medical school funding limits remain unchanged, although some universities, including Bangor in Wales, are expanding.
At this point in the application cycle, you should be doing everything you can to prepare for Medical School interviews. To make sure you stand out, get to grips with the interview format of your chosen university, try lots of practice questions, and make sure you understand NHS hot topics and medical ethics.
If you’re feeling worried about interviews, you might want to attend an interview course, take part in an MMI Circuit, or arrange a mock interview.
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