choosing a right medical school
Medical Schools Rankings
Aspiring medics often will often use rankings to give them knowledge and insight on which medical schools to apply to. This may suit some courses, but narrowing down your 4 choices for medicine is a different process.
Medical school rankings are published annually by organisations such as The Guardian, QS World and Times Higher Education. Each one uses a different criterion to rank universities. Factors looked at include student satisfaction with the course, entry requirements and staff-to-student ratio, amongst other qualities.
In 2025, Guardian University Guide ranked the University of Aberdeen as a top medical school in the UK, which was the second consecutive year Aberdeen had achieved this. This might be surprising to many applicants. The guardian places a strong emphasis on student experience and satisfaction, with less emphasis on career prospects. For the same year, the University of Oxford was ranked the top medical school in the UK by QS, which considers academic reputation as well as research.
Should you choose based on rankings?
Rankings vary year to year, and fluctuations such as in staff ratios can change their position. In addition, it doesn’t tell you if the medical school’s teaching style matches how you learn, and so it does not always provide personalised information.
Medicine is a very competitive process. In 2025, there were 23,350 applicants for medicine in the UK, with 7500 places for home applicants. This means that the offer rate is around one in three. With such odds, you need to be strategic in where you apply and not solely rely on rankings.
Medical schools will look at factors such as UCAT score, predicted grades, and GCSE requirements to decide who to shortlist for interview. These must be looked at over the rankings when applying. Otherwise, you may waste your 4 choices by applying to medical schools where you don’t meet the entry requirements and selection criteria.
