Chester
Chester Medical School is accepting its first cohort of students in September 2024 for a four-year, graduate-entry medical programme. Chester’s contingency school is Warwick Medical School, ensuring the security of new students’ enrolment in the programme.
About The Course
Located in the historic city of Chester, Chester Medical School will provide their students with the knowledge and skills required to become a professional and competent doctor.
Teaching is delivered through a variety of means including lectures, seminars, workshops and case-based learning to provide students with a rich learning environment in which they can thrive.
Structure Of The Course
Year 1
The first year focuses on teaching students the core knowledge and practical skills in preparation for future clinical placements. Teaching this year is based primarily on the Chester campus, in the Wheeler building. Students will progress through five blocks each of five weeks which cover biomedical, psychosocial and clinical aspects of medicine with a focus on case-based learning.
Year 2
The second year at Chester is divided into three blocks. Firstly, Advanced Cases 1 involves group work, self-study and lectures based around advanced clinical cases. Additionally, students undertake a Student Selected Project in which a topic of further interest can be explored. The remainder of year two consists of Core Clinical Education (CCE) which introduces students to clinical placement in hospitals and general practices. CCE is split into three ten-week blocks of medicine, surgery and specialties.
Year 3
Year three starts with an eight-week block in which students undertake an independent project, called SSC2. Following this, teaching in Advanced Cases 2 involves group work, lectures and clinical learning in further advanced cases. Finally, students start Specialist Clinical Placements in eight different specialties, each six weeks long. The first six placements are completed in year three and are then continued into the final year.
Year 4
The final year starts with the remaining two specialist placements and after your final examinations, ends with an assistantship designed to prepare students for their foundation doctor roles.
Academic Requirements
GCSEs: Due to being a graduate entry programme, there are no requirements for qualifications at the levels of GCSEs and A-levels.
A-levels: Due to being a graduate entry programme, there are no requirements for qualifications at the levels of GCSEs and A-levels.
IELTs (International applicants only): IELTS 7.0 with a maximum of two component scores at 6.0 or 6.5.
Bachelor's Degree (Graduates only): Minimum of 2:1 class degree in any subject. Candidates who hold a Masters or Doctoral qualification may apply even if they hold a 2:2 in their undergraduate degree. Please note, at this stage, candidates must have completed their degree and cannot apply during their final year with their predicted grade.
Mitigating Circumstances
Resits policy: Candidates who have previously attended medical school and left due to academic failure will not be considered at Chester. However, if the reason for leaving is genuine and not due to academic failure, students may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Extenuating circumstances: There is limited information regarding Chester’s transfer, deferrals and mitigation circumstances policy. Please contact Chester Medical School using the contact details at the bottom of the page if you wish to find out more.
Further Entry Requirements
Work experience: All students are required to complete a minimum of 70 hours of work experience, either paid or voluntary but within a healthcare setting. A maximum of 20 hours work experience can be as shadowing a doctor or healthcare professional. Applicants must provide references as proof of work experience completion and must have been completed within the previous three years.
Personal statement: One reference per candidate must be submitted from someone who holds a position of responsibility and can comment on the candidate’s suitability for medicine. If the applicant has been in higher education within the past two years, an academic reference must be provided.
Admissions Process
Application to Chester Medical School must be done via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Deadlines for submission are earlier for medical courses, typically mid-October, however, unlike most other medical schools, Chester will accept applications after this date until places are filled. This means the earlier you apply, the better your chances. This application will include all of your academic history as well as your personal statement and other qualifications/achievements.
The first stage of student selection involves checking candidates who meet the above outlined academic requirements and further requirements such as work experience and references – so make sure you have fulfilled these before applying.
Admissions Tests:
UCAT ✅
Chester Medical School will accept candidates with any of the three following admissions tests; UCAT, GAMSAT or MCAT. This is fairly unique for UK medical schools and means candidates can apply using their best scoring admissions test results.
The minimum threshold required for the UCAT is an overall score of 2540 with a minimum of 570 in the Verbal Reasoning section.
Interview Type: MMI
Interview Topics: GAMSAT: The GAMSAT is an admissions test designed specifically for graduate entry candidates. It is slightly different from other admissions tests as it is a full-day exam and can be taken multiple times in an application cycle. You can find out more about the GAMSAT in our guide. The minimum overall score required for Chester is 60 with a minimum of 50 in paper 3.
MCAT: The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) is the primary admissions test used for US and Canadian medical schools. You can find out more about the MCAT in our guide. Candidates require a minimum overall score of 505 with at least 127 in Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills and no less than 125 in all other sections.
Aside from meeting the minimum admission scores, it is unclear how Chester selects their candidates for interview. Typically, medical schools will rank candidates based on factors such as their UCAT score and select the top ‘x’ amount for an interview.
If you are successful and receive an invitation to attend the interview for Chester, this will consist of six Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI’s) lasting around an hour and a half in total. The interviews aim to assess applicants based on the GMC’s ‘Good Medical Practice’ and will be conducted by two assessors in each station who may be medical professionals, academics, current students or lay people.
Following the completion of interviews, candidates’ performance on the interview stage is assessed and used to determine which candidates will receive an offer for Chester Medical School. It is unclear when offers will be made, however, it is usually between February and May.
Admissions Statistics
| Total number of applicants: | TBC |
| Total number of places: | 50 |
| Total number of entrants: | 50 |
| Acceptance rate: | TBC |
Fees
| Home students: | £9250 pa |
| Rest of UK: | TBC |
| International students: | £42498 pa (Funding for graduate entry medicine is a bit different compared with undergraduate medicine and can be quite complex. To learn more, see our guide about the costs and funding of graduate entry medicine.) |
Teaching Methods
Teaching style: Chester Medical School uses a variety of means to teach their students including lectures, group work, workshops and independent study. However, there is a focus on Case Based Learning (CBL) which aims to mirror the presentation and use of problem-solving skills faced by experienced doctors. Finally, students will learn from a variety of clinicians and allied healthcare workers during their extensive clinical placements.
Graduate Prospects
Due to being a new course, there is no data for Chester Medical School graduate prospects. However, Chester’s programme is designed with students’ personal and professional development in mind to achieve competent doctors with a wide range of skills.
FAQs
What are the Entry Requirements for Chester Medical School?
Candidates require a 2:1 in an undergraduate degree of any subject (or a 2:2 if a postgraduate degree is held). Applicants must also take an admissions test which can either be the UCAT, MCAT or GAMSAT, threshold scores for each are outlined above in ‘Admissions Process’.
How Old is Chester Medical School?
Chester Medical School is part of a new government initiative to enrol more medical students across the UK and is accepting its first-ever cohort in September of 2024.
How Long is Medicine at Chester?
Chester’s medical programme is a graduate entry accelerated course lasting four years.
School Details
