Admissions Policy for Clinical and Practice Courses in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences 2027-28

Admissions Policy for Clinical and Practice Courses in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences 2027-28 Entry requirements

Academic requirements

The Faculty of Health and Life Sciences recognises that some applicants may have studied a more flexible curriculum, where they have been able to progress through their educational development at an appropriate rate according to their ability.

For transparency, applicants must include their full academic history in their application including, for example, incomplete qualifications and previous grades when resitting.

Acceptance of online qualifications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis for their suitability.

In the School of Dentistry and School of Medicine it is expected that an applicant will have completed three A-levels, or equivalent, in a single sitting. To ensure academic rigour where a Level 2 (for example, GCSE) or Level 3 (for example, A-level) qualification has been taken ‘early’ the academic reference should include the reasons for this so that it can be taken into consideration by the Admissions team.

Where an applicant has extended study beyond the usual two years, the academic reference should include the reasons for this so that it can be taken into consideration by the Admissions team.

For the following courses, all Level 2 qualifications, as detailed on , must have been achieved by the time of application in order for the application to be considered:

Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy BSc (A900)
Dental Surgery BChD (A200)
Gateway Year to Medicine MBChB (A101)
Medicine and Surgery MBChB (A100)

For the School of Dentistry and School of Medicine, if the Level 2 English qualification is not integrated into the applicant’s Level 3 qualification, then the English language requirements for the chosen course must be met at the point of application. Please see for the entry requirements of our courses.

The Faculty of Health and Life Sciences will typically only consider undergraduate applications from those who have been in education within the past five years. Consideration will be given to the course, duration of study, level of study and method of assessment to ensure that the applicant has demonstrated that they have the capacity to study a clinical or practice course in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. Individual requests to consider applications from those who have been out of education longer than this length of time will be at the discretion of the Admissions team.

Any applicant who has been permanently excluded (expelled) from their degree course (whether for disciplinary reasons, for unsatisfactory attendance and engagement, or for reasons of academic misconduct, fitness to study or fitness to train or practise in a professionally regulated discipline or failure to academically progress) is not permitted to apply.

Admissions tests and other assessment methods

UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test)

Applicants for the following courses are required to sit the UCAT (between 13 July and 24 September 2026) if they are intending to apply for entry in 2027 (or deferred entry in 2028):

Dental Surgery BChD (A200)
Gateway Year to Medicine MBChB (A101)
Medicine and Surgery MBChB (A100)

The UCAT is a computer-based admissions test used by a consortium of UK and international universities to help select applications for medical and dental degree courses. We strongly recommend that applicants prepare for the test. There are many materials to help test takers on the .

Please be advised UCAT results will be obtained directly from UCAT; we do not accept UCAT scores from previous years or documentation submitted directly to us.

For more information about UCAT, please visit the .

Casper

Applicants for Dental Hygiene & Dental Therapy (A900) are required to sit the Casper test in the same cycle as their application.

Casper is an open-response situational judgement test that measures aspects of social intelligence and professionalism. There are materials to help applicants prepare on the .

Please be advised Casper results will be obtained directly from Casper; we do not accept Casper scores from previous years, or documentation submitted directly to us.

Other assessment methods

As part of our approach to values-based recruitment and to help shortlist applicants for invitation to interview, applicants are required to complete the following additional assessments, for the courses detailed below:

Social Work BA (L500) - applicants will be asked to complete a written assessment.
Diagnostic Radiography BSc (B821) - those applicants who meet the academic criteria of the selection process may be asked to complete an additional assessment. An example of this additional assessment includes, but is not limited to, an additional assignment question or online questionnaire.

More information about any further assessment is detailed on and where any further assessment is required the Admissions team will send instructions to applicants.

Fitness to practise, good character and professionalism

The primary duty of care of a healthcare professional is to patients. Students on the courses listed in this policy also have this responsibility to the patients with whom they will come into contact. For offers to study clinical or practice courses in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, additional requirements apply with respect to fitness to practise responsibilities, the Medical Licensing Assessment and/or the sharing of information with professional bodies. Please see the and select the course to view the relevant information.

We will not accept an application from someone, under current or previous names, who has been removed or has conditions of practice from any professional regulatory body register or who is awaiting investigation for an issue that could lead to removal from a register.

Where significant reservations have been raised about an application or an applicant’s conduct during the application process for the current or previous admissions cycles, the applicant will not be shortlisted for interview.

As values-based recruitment forms an important part of our selection processes, the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences reserves the right to reject any applicant who does not display the values, skills and attributes required by future healthcare professionals.

In line with the 嘟嘟AV and the standards expected by the Professional and Regulatory Body for the course the applicant wishes to study, the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences reserves the right to not consider applications where the applicant has shown a lack of professionalism towards 嘟嘟AV staff, students or other applicants, the admissions process or any decisions made regarding their application.

We also reserve the right to reject an application if the Faculty or School believes there has been a use of privilege in an attempt to gain an advantage over their cohort.

Dress code

Applicants should be aware that there is a strict dress code for staff and students when working on clinical placement and in the clinical areas of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences and in our outreach clinics. Clothing and personal appearance must accord with the reasonable expectations of a member of the public for a professional person.

For hygiene and infection prevention reasons, staff and students must comply with NHS Trust Regulations and must be bare below the elbows in clinics. For further details about the dress code for each course please see the . Information will also be provided to successful applicants when they register for study.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and criminal activity check

Applicants to clinical courses in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences will be asked to declare any spent or unspent criminal convictions or past criminal activity at the point of application that would appear on an enhanced DBS check. Where applicants are applying for a Foundation Year and intend to progress to a clinical programme within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, additional processes may apply, which applicants will be made aware of during the application process. Further information on the process can be found in the University’s Applicants and students with criminal records policy and supporting declaration webpage.

As part of the student offer for our clinical courses, an Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) certificate is required for students to undertake clinical placements as part of their studies within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. The certification process is undertaken on entry to the course and repeated once every three years whilst students are still undertaking the same course of study.

The Enhanced DBS certificate can only include background checks for time in the UK. If an applicant has been resident in the UK for less than three years, a criminal record check from their home country is required. This may be referred to as an 嘟嘟AV Criminality check.

The 嘟嘟AV is obliged to refuse admission to applicants for certain courses, which are regulated by national or statutory bodies, where an Enhanced DBS certificate or 嘟嘟AV Criminality check reveals prior criminal behaviour giving rise to concern for the protection of the public. Clinical placements cannot be attended by those who fail to comply with the clearance processes.

Occupational health check

Due to the nature of the courses and professions, and to meet statutory and professional requirements, all applicants who are offered a place on a clinical course in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences will be required to complete an occupational health pre-registration questionnaire and, where necessary, assessment and screening for serious communicable disease (hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, tuberculosis (TB)) and a review of immunisation status and needs will also be required before beginning your studies. Offers made are conditional upon a satisfactory occupational health assessment and clearance.

Additional information can be found at .

Fitness and competence standard

Applicants are also required to meet the competence standards of the course for which they applied. For guidance on students’ fitness to engage in a clinical or practice course in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, please refer to the following links on fitness standard produced by (HEOPS) or, where there is no specific HEOPS guidance, the Health and Care Professions Council.

(includes Ultrasound)
(covers Audiology and Cardiac Physiology)

Applicants with a disability or health-related issue should contact the school they applied to as soon as possible if their health is likely to impact on their ability to engage with the admissions process or meet the competence standards or fitness standards for their subsequent course. This allows the Occupational Health team at the University to support applicants to meet their true potential on the course despite any pre-existing health concerns they may have. Contact details for the schools in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences can be found at the end of this policy.

Documentation and references

The reference section of the application is carefully considered by the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. The reference provided must be supportive of the applicant. It helps to assess the nature of the applicant’s interest in and aptitude for the academic subject and is an important part of the selection process. Applications should include a reference from the applicant’s current (or most recent) educational provider. Where we need confirmation of your predicted grades your reference needs to be able to provide them. If your reference is not from a current (or most recent) educational provider, this will be judged on a case-by-case basis. References provided separately to an application will only be considered in exceptional circumstances and on a case-by-case basis, with acceptance being at the discretion of the Admissions team.

Details of any extenuating circumstances the applicant wishes to be considered should be highlighted in the reference. If the applicant wishes to submit any additional documentation regarding extenuating circumstances, this must be done at the time of application. Failure to do this may result in this information not being taken into account.

The School of Dentistry and School of Medicine are unable to accept any amendments to undergraduate applications, including incorrectly submitted and/or missing grades or changes to a personal statement, once the application has been submitted. Applicants must include all Level 2, Level 3 and undergraduate degree qualifications they hold or are taking, including incomplete qualifications, resits and predicted grades, in their application; failure to do so may result in the application being rejected.

Advanced entry

Advanced entry for clinical and practice courses in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences is only permitted in specific circumstances, as follows:

Medicine and Surgery MBChB (A100) – year 3 entry for qualified dentists

The School of Medicine will accept applications from qualified dentists who wish to train as maxillo-facial surgeons. Entry to the third year of the course may be possible for dentists who meet the following criteria:

have gained a registered qualification with the General Dental Council.
have obtained Part 1 of the Membership of the Joint Dental Faculties (MJDF) or Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery (MFDS).
have been in an approved hospital post for at least one year.

Places may not be available in any given year - please contact the Admissions team for details. Applicants will be required to complete the UCAT test and an interview.

Decisions on such applications are made by the Academic Admissions Tutor (or other academic lead).

Transfers

A transfer is defined as a request from a current student at the 嘟嘟AV or elsewhere to move to a course within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences.

Where a transfer is not allowed applicants must apply through the standard route; for example, via UCAS.

School of Dentistry

The School of Dentistry will not consider applications to transfer or for a change of course into Year 1 from any other courses at the 嘟嘟AV or elsewhere.

School of Healthcare

The School of Healthcare will consider applications from those who wish to transfer into Year 1 internally from other undergraduate courses at the 嘟嘟AV. Applicants are expected to meet the standard academic entry requirements, provide a personal statement and academic reference and successfully complete the interview process. For Social Work, the transfer application process includes a written assessment.

Requests are made via a change of course form to be submitted in line with standard UCAS submission dates.

School of Medicine

The School of Medicine will not consider applications to transfer or for a change of course into Year 1 from any other courses at the 嘟嘟AV or elsewhere.

Applicants who are currently registered on another degree programme, either at the 嘟嘟AV or elsewhere, must meet the standard entry requirements and apply via UCAS by the standard deadline. Applicants who are current or former students of a Medicine programme, either in the UK or overseas, are not eligible to apply.

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