Medicine at Cambridge
The key to being a great clinician is combining practical skills with an excellent grounding in the science underlying practice. This course gives you just that.
The course lasts 6 years:
- for the first 3 years you focus on scientific principles underlying medicine, alongside a clinical strand. You’ll also get to conduct a full-body dissection, which very few medical schools offer
- the last 3 years you apply that knowledge to medical practice as a clinical student, spending much of your time learning directly from patients in GP surgeries and hospitals
You’ll also have opportunities to pursue research and project work throughout the course.
This course is for you if:
- it’s your first undergraduate degree
- it’s your second degree – you’ll complete the first half of the course in 2 years instead of 3. You can also apply to study the Medicine course for graduates.
If this is your first degree and you successfully complete the first 3 years of the course, you’ll graduate with a BA (Hons) degree.
If you successfully complete the full course, you will graduate with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB, BChir).
Teaching and facilities
Teaching
Clinical teaching is delivered on the wards and in general practice. There are also additional opportunities to attend general and specialist outpatient clinics.
The course is based in Cambridge. Some of the course is also delivered in regional hospitals or practices, to take advantage of the different educational opportunities they offer.
Facilities
This Cambridge Medical course embodies teaching from world experts, progressive technology and modern facilities.
Along with all other students at Cambridge, you'll also have access to:
- our impressive Cambridge University Library, one of the world’s oldest university libraries
Watch the video to find out what a day in the life of a Cambridge Medicine student is like:
Course costs
When you go to university, you’ll need to consider two main costs – your tuition fees and your living costs (sometimes referred to as maintenance costs).
Your living costs will include costs related to your studies that are not covered by your tuition fees. There are some general study costs that will apply for all students – you can find details of these costs here.
Other additional course costs for Medicine are detailed below. If you have any queries these costs, please contact the Department.
Equipment
To buy and maintain essential equipment for the course, the estimated cost is £60. Equipment includes:
- University approved scientific calculator
- Lab coat
- Safety glasses
- Dissecting instruments
- Gloves
You will also need:
- Theatre clogs – estimated contribution £10
- Stethoscope – estimated cost £60 to £100. This is only required for the clinical part of the course (years 4 to 6)
Placements – years 1 to 3
Costs for the Preparing for Patients modules vary and are detailed below. You are expected to cover the costs detailed below, plus basic subsistence costs.
- Preparing for Patients A (year 1) – travel costs, approximately £25
- Preparing for Patients B (year 2) – one week of College accommodation, approximately £130
- Preparing for Patients D (year 3) – travel costs, approximately £25
Clinical placements – years 4 to 6
Clinical placements start from year 4 of your course and will vary from student to student. You will be on placement at hospitals across the East Anglia Region.
The types of cost you will be expected to cover and those covered by the School of Clinical Medicine are detailed below.
- The School will pay the cost of one return journey for each clinical placement.
- Costs of accommodation near the clinical placement hospitals are covered by the School.
- You are expected to cover basic subsistence costs during your placements.
Optional study abroad – year 5
In year 5 there is an opportunity to go abroad for 7 weeks. If you do, the estimated cost is around £3,000. College and national grants may be available to help you cover these costs.
Course funding
You may be able to get funding from the NHS to help pay for your studies. Find out more about the NHS Bursary.
Disabled students
The University respects and adheres to the GMC's guidance on supporting disabled learners. You can view the guidance on the GMC's Welcomed and valued website.
In your first 3 years, your College and the Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre (ADRC) will arrange most of your support.
During your clinical studies, the School of Clinical Medicine can arrange support. The School has a Student Academic Support Lead. They are a member of academic staff and they facilitate learning for disabled students.
Becoming a doctor
As a graduate you’ll be able to get provisional registration with the General Medical Council (GMC). The GMC has certain expectations about attitudes, behaviour and performance of medical students.
Read about registering as a doctor on the General Medical Council website.
You can then go anywhere in the country to complete two years as a junior doctor. These are known as Foundation Years. At the end of these two years you can register with the GMC as a doctor.
Read about the foundation programme on the UK Foundation Programme website.
If you’re graduating from 2025 onwards, you’ll need to take the Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA).
This is a test introduced by the General Medical Council to test the core knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to practise safely in the UK.
Read about the medical licensing assessment on the General Medical Council website.
Your future career
We enable students to develop the excellent communication, clinical, interpersonal and professional skills required for good medical practice.
As a graduate you’ll be ready for a range of careers across:
- general practice
- medicine
- psychiatry
- other specialities
If you’re interested in an academic research career, our MB/PhD Programme leads to the MB, BChir and PhD degrees. Read about the MB/PhD on the School of Clinical Medicine website.