The Student Room Group

Oxbridge med

Hey everyone,
Just wondering if I even have a shot at Oxbridge (mainly Oxford) or any top London unis like kcl,ucl,imperial,etc with my GCSEs. I got 9988888888 (9s in Chemistry and RE). I’m currently doing Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Psychology at A-level in Year 12.
I’m hoping to study medicine at uni, but I’m a bit worried my GCSEs might hold me back. I know the GMC sees all medical schools as basically the same, but I’d like to get into a top uni more for personal satisfaction and the experience.
Let’s say I have good predicted grades and a strong UCAT (eg like A*A*A*A), how much would my GCSEs honestly affect my application? Would it be worth resitting Maths and Biology GCSE to try for a grade 9?(or is it better to do a medical related undergrad course like biomedical science and then postgrad medicine?)
Any thoughts would be super helpful

(Btw I’m from a very poor borough, from ethnic minority, I received free school meal, I’m eligible for 16-19 bursary, ill be the first in my family to attend uni, my secoundary school gcse grade average was about 6.8 and mine is 8.2)

Reply 1

Hey there, thanks for posting a question in the Medicine forum.

The Medicine forum gets a high volume of questions being posted, and some of these are already answered by the resources and Megathreads that members of the community and volunteers have created. This is an automatic post which is designed to highlight these resources. Below is a list of threads and articles that could answer your question (you should be looking in the original post of the megathreads). If one of the below threads is a more relevant place to ask your question, please post a reply in that thread to ask your question. If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked below, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.


Megathreads (Please read the first post before posting any further questions you have within that thread.)
The "Which Medical School Should I Apply To?" Uberthread
The Ultimate 'Am I Good Enough For Medicine?' Angst Thread
Medicine A-Level subjects queries
Work Experience and Voluntary Work
GANFYD's "Which medical schools accept retake A-Levels" list

2026 Applicants :
Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2026 entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2026 Entry
Medicine 2026 entry for resit/retake/gap year applicants
International Students for Medicine 2026 Entry (overseas students applying to the UK)
UCAT 2026 Entry Discussions Megathread
GAMSAT Megathread 2026/2027 entry
GAMSAT Megathread 2025/2026 entry
2026 entry A100/ A101 Medicine fastest and slowest offer senders
Medical Schools Index 2026 entry
Medical Schools Index 2025 entry

UCAS Extra and Clearing:
Medicine UCAS Extra for 2025
Medicine UCAS Clearing for 2025

Other application years:
Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2027 entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2027 Entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2028 Entry

Current Medical Students and Doctors:
Guidance on posting in this subforum
So, you're going to medical school.... MKII
OSCE Tips and Advice
Increase in the NHS Bursary and expenses for placement
The postgraduate exams thread

Useful Articles:
Work Experience as a Graduate or Mature student
Medicine Personal Statement Advice
Medicine Personal Statement Advice (Graduate Entry)
Interview Frequently Asked Questions
MMI Medicine Interview Tips
What to do after an unsuccessful first application
Funding medicine as a second degree

Our Community:
Medicine Community Feedback and Suggestions
Medicine Gap Year Stories
Project: Minimum UCAT Score Trends

If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked above, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.

Reply 2

Original post
by L4m1sa
Hey everyone,
Just wondering if I even have a shot at Oxbridge (mainly Oxford) or any top London unis like kcl,ucl,imperial,etc with my GCSEs. I got 9988888888 (9s in Chemistry and RE). I’m currently doing Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Psychology at A-level in Year 12.
I’m hoping to study medicine at uni, but I’m a bit worried my GCSEs might hold me back. I know the GMC sees all medical schools as basically the same, but I’d like to get into a top uni more for personal satisfaction and the experience.
Let’s say I have good predicted grades and a strong UCAT (eg like A*A*A*A), how much would my GCSEs honestly affect my application? Would it be worth resitting Maths and Biology GCSE to try for a grade 9?(or is it better to do a medical related undergrad course like biomedical science and then postgrad medicine?)
Any thoughts would be super helpful
(Btw I’m from a very poor borough, from ethnic minority, I received free school meal, I’m eligible for 16-19 bursary, ill be the first in my family to attend uni, my secoundary school gcse grade average was about 6.8 and mine is 8.2)

10 A* GCSEs is okay but average for oxford. aim for a ucat score of at least 2200, though the average for shortlisted candidates this year was 2400-ish. good predicted grades only really matter post interview when they're deciding who to waitlist/offer places to/reject in january so they aren't as relevant in terms of just getting an interview (the most important part). i say this because oxford only interview 30-ish percent of their medicine applicants versus cambridge who often interview around double that (~70).

hope this helps!

Reply 3

Original post
by hermita
10 A* GCSEs is okay but average for oxford. aim for a ucat score of at least 2200, though the average for shortlisted candidates this year was 2400-ish. good predicted grades only really matter post interview when they're deciding who to waitlist/offer places to/reject in january so they aren't as relevant in terms of just getting an interview (the most important part). i say this because oxford only interview 30-ish percent of their medicine applicants versus cambridge who often interview around double that (~70).
hope this helps!


Thank you sm!

Quick Reply

How The Student Room is moderated

To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.