Ranked 5th in the QS World University Rankings 2025 for Medicine, it’s no surprise that so many students hope to study medicine in Cambridge.

Studying medicine here combines academic depth, scientific research, and early clinical practice. It’s a blend that shapes a truly exceptional learning journey.

If you want to experience university-style medical learning early, our Medicine Summer School in Cambridge offers that first step with confidence.

Let’s explore what this path involves and how you can prepare with certainty.

Understanding the Cambridge Medicine Programme

The Cambridge Medicine programme is designed to help you grow from strong scientific foundations into confident clinical practice. You’ll learn through a blend of lectures, lab work, and small-group supervisions that build clear thinking and collaborative skills. 

Here are the different phases of the Cambridge Medicine programme.

The Preclinical Course – Years 1 and 2

Years 1 and 2 form the pre-clinical stage of the Cambridge Medicine programme, where you build the scientific foundation that supports every part of your future medical career. This phase blends core medical sciences with early clinical exposure, helping you understand both how the body works and how medicine is practised.

Year 1 (MedST Part IA)

Your first year focuses on the structure and function of the human body, supported by practical classes and early patient contact.

Key areas include:

  • Functional Architecture of the Body: Anatomy through cadaveric dissection, living anatomy, and modern imaging.
  • Histology: Microscopic structure of cells and tissues, and how structure relates to function.
  • Homeostasis: Physiological systems that regulate the body’s internal environment and respond to external threats.
  • Molecules in Medical Science: Biochemistry and Medical Genetics.
  • Foundations of Evidence-Based Practice: Introduction to epidemiology and its application in medicine.
  • Social and Ethical Context of Health and Illness: Cultural and societal aspects of healthcare in Britain.
  • Preparing for Patients: Early clinical exposure through visits to GP surgeries, hospitals, community agencies, and meetings with a pregnant woman and her family.

Year 2 (MedST Part IB)

Your second year deepens your understanding of disease, human biology, and brain function.

The main areas of study include:

  • Biology of Disease: The causes, effects, and mechanisms of disease processes.
  • Head and Neck Anatomy: Structure and organisation of the head and neck, with emphasis on the link between form and function.
  • Human Reproduction: The biology of reproduction, its social context, and demographic influence.
  • Mechanisms of Drug Action: Drug–receptor interactions and effects on body systems.
  • Neurobiology and Human Behaviour: The senses, central nervous system, drug effects on brain function, and psychological aspects.
  • Preparing for Patients: Continued experiences in GP practices, hospitals, and community health agencies.

These two years give you a strong scientific and clinical grounding, preparing you for the academic specialisation and increased clinical responsibility that follow.

The Part II – Year 3

Year 3 gives you the chance to specialise and explore a subject in depth, a defining feature of how students study medicine in Cambridge through independent research and academic choice.

Unlike the structured scientific focus of the first two years, this phase offers greater academic freedom and encourages you to think independently, research deeply, and follow your intellectual interests. 

It’s also known as an intercalated year, as completing it allows you to qualify for the BA degree alongside your medical studies.

You’ll choose one subject to study for the full year, and options fall into several pathways:

Academic Pathways

NST Part II (Single Subject): Continue in a subject related to your first two years. Options typically include:

  • Biochemistry
  • Genetics
  • Pathology
  • Pharmacology
  • Physiology, Development & Neuroscience
  • Plant Sciences
  • Psychology (including Cognitive Neuroscience)
  • Zoology
  • History and Philosophy of Science

NST Part II Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS)

  • Choose a Major and Minor subject from a wide range of biological and biomedical areas.
  • Complete a dissertation (up to 6,000 words) instead of a lab project.
  • Ideal if you want breadth as well as depth.
  • This pathway appears in the Year 3 Biological and Biomedical Sciences options listed by the Faculty of Biology.

Other Tripos Options: Explore subjects beyond the sciences if you’re suitably qualified. Popular choices include:

  • Anthropology
  • Management Studies
  • Philosophy
  • History of Medicine
  • Archaeology
  • Geography
  • Other Arts, Humanities, or Social Sciences subjects

Your Director of Studies will support you throughout the selection process, and the annual Part II Subjects Fair helps you compare courses and meet staff from different departments. Cambridge emphasises consulting your Director of Studies before committing to a subject, especially because entry requirements and availability differ between Triposes.

Preparing for Patients

Alongside academic study, you’ll continue the clinical strand of your training:

  • Preparing for Patients C (PfPC): A non-clinical community experience completed over the Year 2/3 Long Vacation, with a debrief in the Michaelmas term.
  • Preparing for Patients D (PfPD): A year-long continuity-of-care study that helps you understand patients’ experiences over time.

Preparing for Patients continues in Year 3 regardless of which subject you choose, and you’ll visit community-based agencies as part of this strand. You must complete all four Preparing for Patients strands before entering Clinical School.

Assessment

After Part II, you receive an overall class for the year.

  • Some Triposes base this class solely on your Part II mark.
  • Others may combine results from earlier years.
    Your College and Course Organisers will guide you through these expectations during your subject selection process.

This year is designed to broaden your academic horizons, develop stronger research skills, and prepare you for clinical training ahead.

The Clinical Course – Years 4 to 6

Years 4 to 6 mark your transition from pre-clinical learning into real clinical environments. This stage builds on the scientific foundations of the first three years and helps you develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to practise clinical medicine. 

Your time is divided across the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and a network of regional hospitals and GP practices across the East of England.

Throughout your clinical studies, the course is shaped by key themes that appear in every placement:

  • communication skills, patient investigation and practical procedures
  • therapeutics and patient management
  • core clinical science, pathology and diagnostic reasoning
  • evaluation and research
  • professionalism and patient safety
  • improving health

You also have weekly small-group clinical supervisions with junior doctors to monitor your progress and build confidence in real clinical settings.

Year 4: Core Clinical Practice

Year 4 begins with an introductory period, including mandatory safeguarding eLearning and induction activities. 

You’ll gain access to MedEd, the Clinical School’s virtual learning environment, which contains teaching materials, placement information and academic resources. This year focuses on developing essential clinical skills, from taking histories and examining patients to understanding investigations and joining ward teams.

Year 5: Specialist Clinical Practice

In Year 5, you explore specialist areas of medicine and surgery through focused rotations. These placements help you understand how different specialities approach patient care and deepen your diagnostic reasoning. 

You’ll continue building practical skills, applying therapeutic principles and learning to work effectively within multidisciplinary teams.

Year 6: Applied Clinical Practice

The final year prepares you for the responsibilities of a junior doctor. You take on more independent tasks under supervision, follow patients across their care journey and refine your communication, teamwork and decision-making. 

This year strengthens your readiness for the Foundation Programme and brings together everything you’ve learned, from biomedical science to hands-on clinical experience.

Changing Course at Cambridge

Choosing the right course from the beginning is important, and Cambridge encourages you to think carefully before applying. 

In rare cases, it may be possible to change course once you’ve joined the University, but approval is never guaranteed. You’ll usually need agreement from both your College and the relevant academic departments, and several conditions may apply.

If you want to change course, you may be asked to:

  • attend an interview
  • complete an admissions test
  • submit written work
  • achieve a particular grade in your current studies
  • complete catch-up work
  • restart your new course from the beginning

You can also apply to transfer into Management Studies at the Judge Business School, although you can only apply once you’re already studying at Cambridge and have completed at least one year of your original course.

If you’re considering a course change, it’s essential to contact your College’s Admissions Office. They will explain the process and help you understand what’s required for your specific situation.

If you want early insight into university-style learning, Immerse Education’s Cambridge Summer School offers a helpful first step into the academic rhythm of medical study.

Admissions and Academic Expectations

Cambridge looks for applicants who combine outstanding academic performance with curiosity, resilience and a genuine commitment to the study of medicine. Understanding what the University expects helps you prepare with clarity and confidence.

To be considered, you’ll need high grades in science subjects. The minimum offer level is usually:

  • A level: AAA
  • IB: 41–42 points, with 776 at Higher Level

Most successful applicants go beyond this, with many achieving AAA* or 44+ IB points. All applicants must have Chemistry, along with at least one (and for many Colleges, two) of the following:

  • Biology or Human Biology
  • Mathematics
  • Further Mathematics
  • Physics

Some Colleges set higher requirements or ask for an A* in a specific subject. Requirements vary, so checking individual College expectations is essential.

You’ll also need to take the UCAT, registering in advance. Cambridge will consider your overall cognitive subtest score, using it alongside your academic record and interviews, as part of assessing your readiness to study medicine in Cambridge. There’s no minimum UCAT threshold, but competitive performance is expected.

Interviews are a significant part of the process. Cambridge interviewers assess how you think, not just what you know. You’ll discuss scientific ideas, analyse unfamiliar problems and demonstrate your ability to stay calm, structured and reflective. Strong communication skills and clear scientific reasoning will help you stand out.

Before applying, Cambridge strongly recommends gaining work experience in health or social care settings. This can be paid or voluntary. Exploring online resources, including the Medical Schools Council’s guides, can also deepen your understanding of the profession.

To support your preparation, begin developing your core academic abilities early. Skills that will help include:

  • scientific writing, such as summarising research or analysing data
  • critical reading, especially of scientific articles
  • problem-solving, through practice questions and applied scenarios

Throughout admissions, Cambridge expects you to meet professional standards. All successful applicants complete additional checks, including DBS or overseas criminal record screening, immunisations, blood tests where required and an occupational health assessment. These ensure you can train safely in clinical environments.

If you’re applying as a second-degree student, you’ll need at least a 2:1 in your first degree plus the required A-level subjects. You’ll apply to Lucy Cavendish, St Edmund’s or Wolfson and may be eligible for the accelerated five-year route.

For those wanting early exposure to the Cambridge way of learning, our Medicine Summer School in Cambridge offers a confidence-building introduction to university-style medical study, helping you strengthen scientific thinking and interview readiness long before you apply.

Medicine

In-person

Explore cutting-edge medical science in Cambridge, home to...

Academic Insights
Provides a thorough introduction to diverse academic fields. Ideal for students beginning to contemplate their future academic paths and eager to explore various disciplines.
Ages: 16-18

Medicine

In-person

Explore cutting-edge medical science in Cambridge, home to...

Academic Insights
Provides a thorough introduction to diverse academic fields. Ideal for students beginning to contemplate their future academic paths and eager to explore various disciplines.
Student performing heart autopsy in a biology summer programme
Ages: 13-15

Skills to Build Before Applying

Before you apply to study medicine in Cambridge, it helps to strengthen the core skills that shape your success both in the admissions process and throughout the degree. 

These skills support scientific thinking, communication and collaboration, all of which become essential once you begin clinical reasoning and patient interaction in later years.

Here are the key areas to focus on:

  • Analytical thinking: Develop this by breaking down scientific problems, practising data interpretation and exploring case-based questions.
  • Scientific literacy: Read research summaries, articles or trusted science resources to build confidence in understanding evidence.
  • Research awareness: Try simple research tasks, such as writing short critiques or exploring how scientific findings are generated.
  • Teamwork: Join group projects or collaborative activities that help you listen, contribute and communicate clearly.
  • Communication: Practise explaining scientific ideas simply, whether through presentations, discussions or reflective writing.

If you want to strengthen your foundation in the life sciences, participating in our Biology Summer School can be a supportive way to explore core topics early. Building these skills now helps you approach future clinical reasoning, teamwork and patient interactions with confidence.

Join the Immerse Education 2025 
Essay Competition

Follow the instructions to write and submit your best essay for a chance to be awarded a 100% scholarship.

Join competition

Life as a Medical Student at Cambridge

Mornings

Many days begin early, often with a lecture at the New Museums or Downing Site. Students cycle through the morning mist, grab a quick coffee and settle in for sessions covering everything from anatomy to physiology. Practical classes follow, held in the PDN or Biochemistry labs, or in the Anatomy Dissection Room, where cadaveric dissection and hands-on experiments help bring complex ideas to life. 

In the clinical years, mornings often shift to hospital ward rounds, shadowing junior doctors or finding patients willing to talk so you can practise histories and examinations.

Afternoons

Afternoons usually centre around supervisions, the small-group sessions that define Cambridge teaching. Tutors ask questions, challenge your thinking and help you process the morning’s content. Afterwards, many students head to one of Cambridge’s many libraries to write essays, revise notes or prepare for the next supervision. 

In the clinical years, afternoons vary by placement: you might be in the clinic, observing rapid patient appointments, or in the theatre, scrubbing in and assisting with procedures when the opportunity arises.

Evenings

Evenings offer space to reset. Some students head to the pool, join a society meeting or attend a formal College dinner in gowns. Others prefer a relaxed cafeteria meal and a call home before tackling tomorrow’s reading. 

Clinical students often enjoy more flexibility in the evenings and weekends, using the time to review cases, rest or join the many activities available at the Clinical School.

Taking the First Step Toward Medicine

Studying medicine in Cambridge takes curiosity, resilience and a willingness to learn deeply. You’ve seen how the programme builds strong scientific foundations and real clinical understanding.

Success begins long before you apply, shaped by early preparation and a genuine interest in people and healthcare.

If you want a confident start, explore our Medicine Summer School in Cambridge, Cambridge Summer School or Biology Summer School to gain the insight and skills that help you grow.

Let this be the beginning of the path you choose with purpose and ambition.