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Chances for an international applicant for medicine at Oxbridge?

Hey guys, this is my first post in this entire website so I'm not well versed on topics like these (though I intend to be).

I'm currently in my AS year having finished my IGCSE's with the following results:

5A*'s in Biology, Chemistry, Math,English and Classical Arabic

2A's in Math and ICT

I've heard IGCSE's don't matter at all when it comes to Oxbridge but it's rather hard to believe (there must be at least a bit of recognition?)

To get to my point precisely what range of results do I need to score in my A-levels (studying Biology, Chemistry, Math and Arabic) to stand a chance of making it to either university?

Any insight would be really appreciated, especially from those who made it under similar circumstances.
EU residents are treated more or less like Brits who apply, i.e. exceptionally competitive, only moreso. "Overseas" applicants, i.e. non-EU residents, face restrictive quotas that make it practically impossible. That is what I have seen in my research. I's sorry it is not more optimistic.

See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_XTNBOukaw
Original post by The Blind Punk
Hey guys, this is my first post in this entire website so I'm not well versed on topics like these (though I intend to be).

I'm currently in my AS year having finished my IGCSE's with the following results:

5A*'s in Biology, Chemistry, Math,English and Classical Arabic

2A's in Math and ICT

I've heard IGCSE's don't matter at all when it comes to Oxbridge but it's rather hard to believe (there must be at least a bit of recognition?)

To get to my point precisely what range of results do I need to score in my A-levels (studying Biology, Chemistry, Math and Arabic) to stand a chance of making it to either university?

Any insight would be really appreciated, especially from those who made it under similar circumstances.


IGCSEs definitely matter for Oxford at least. It forms part of the ranking score alongside BMAT, which is used to select applicants. http://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/a100statistics

Unfortunately, shortlisted applicants typically have 10.3 A*s and the mean proportion of A*s is 0.94. You're below average with 5 and 0.71 respectively. While it isn't impossible to get shortlisted, I would say you're very unlikely to be called for an interview.

Cambridge on the other hand focuses more on AS UMS, although GCSEs are still relevant.Offers are typically conditional on A*A*A (I would guess that they would be more interested in Biology, Chemistry and Math since Arabic is less relevant), and I believe they look at your three most relevant subjects in calculating UMS. http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/publications/docs/requirements.pdf suggests that if you average less than 85%, you're unlikely to be called for interview barring extenuating circumstances. The average Cambridge applicant is around 90%, and the average successful Cambridge applicant is around 95%. Be forewarned that since Medicine has an international quota, it would probably be more difficult for you to gain admission compared to a UK applicant.

Also, check out TSR's Medicine resources, which are pretty comprehensive.
(edited 9 years ago)

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