MEDICINE 2023 entry-waiting list

None that I know of, it's a handful each year at most.

But your alternatives are accept a fifth non-med course, or take a gap year

I wanted to ask, is having your offer put on hold the same as a waiting list or are they two different things

There are different definitions of "on hold". Some med schools use it before decisions have been made. But I think you are talking about post decision? Again, some med shools just put everyone on a waiting list, but this year, some have used a "hold" category for those who are very close to an offer and who they are hopeful they will be able to make an offer to, when numbers become clearer. If you are talking about this situation, these people scored more highly than those sent a waiting list response immediately, so have more chance of an offer

thank you very much for this response, it's made things a lot clearer! do you mind having a look at this email that Birmingham sent me earlier this week as I'm now wondering which category I'd come under. I've just copied and pasted part of the email I received below:


" Thank you again for attending an interview to study Medicine at the University of Birmingham. Medicine and Surgery is a popular course and as such we are only able to accept a small number of students onto our programme at the University of Birmingham for September 2023.

As such, you have not been successful in being selected for our initial round of offers, though we have put your application on hold in case we find ourselves in a position to make further offers before the final UCAS deadline in May.

Should a place become available we may be able to make you a conditional offer, the details of which will be sent to you at a later stage. Final notification of the outcome of your application will be communicated to you by mid-May, although we hope to be in contact sooner. I understand this is a potentially frustrating situation, but we want to enable as many students as possible to benefit from an offer with us. "

Is there also a straight waiting list email that has been sent out to some people? If so, I would say you rank abouve those people. If not, Birmingham may simply be using this email to cover all the near-misses, and will either offer or waitlist later in the cycle.

This is a way of trying to keep people on the hook waiting for Birmingham (or wherever) rather than them just moving on somewhere else. It may result in a place, but the problem is, a lot of med schools are doing this, so people are holding off making decisions and hence nowhere can move their waiting list along anyway, so it is counter-productive, to an extent, for applicants as a whole. But for the individual who may specifically want that med school, it is sensible to leave decision making until they get an answer.
Good luck

- a straight waiting list I'm not sure about, however I know that straight post interview rejections were sent out a few days before the initial offers and the 'on hold' emails. They may send a waiting list after the UCAS deadline which is what I'm thinking they'll do though. I'm really hoping that they give offers to the people on hold as Birmingham was my top choice so hoping for the best. It's annoying though because it keeps us all on edge now wondering what will happen! One thing I am glad about is that they said we would be informed of the outcome by mid May or even before that so hopefully we hear something positive. Are you aware of what other unis are doing the same to their applicants, I believe ARU and HYMS are but I don't recall any others?

Also thank you!!

Is this waitlist thread only for undergraduate medicine or GEM as well? Thanks

Does anyone have any idea what the average percentage of waitlisted applicants get an offer in GEM unis? Perhaps 10-20% for popular unis ? And maybe 30-40% not so popular unis?

And will Waitlist acceptance rate increase due to the government instructing unis not to over offer? TIA

We would honestly just be guessing. It could be no waitlisted candidates one year and then 5 the next.

It's a nice bonus if it happens but otherwise you should be planning for a gap year or whatever your plan B option is.

does this apply to standard entry for school leavers who are waitlisted too?

I think there may be some movement this year because of the insistence by the government that A Level results (grading) go back to 2019 levels (i.e. reducing the TAG inflation in 2020 and 2021). This year's cohort of school leavers received TAGs for GCSEs (and arguably, many will have done better than they otherwise would have) which may have influenced predicted grades. Formal A levels in 2023 will be "back to normal" and I think its likley therefore that there will be a fair number of students missing their grades and unis working down their waitlist for students who got the grades.

I think there may be some movement this year because of the insistence by the government that A Level results (grading) go back to 2019 levels (i.e. reducing the TAG inflation in 2020 and 2021). This year's cohort of school leavers received TAGs for GCSEs (and arguably, many will have done better than they otherwise would have) which may have influenced predicted grades. Formal A levels in 2023 will be "back to normal" and I think its likley therefore that there will be a fair number of students missing their grades and unis working down their waitlist for students who got the grades.