Entry Requirements 2023 - Kent and Medway Medical School
  1. Kent and Medway Medical School
  2. Entry Requirements 2023

Entry Requirements 2023

KMMS welcomes applicants from all backgrounds who have the potential to become good doctors, and serve the National Health Service. KMMS has pioneered ideas in selection, and our policies and procedures are different to most UK medical schools.

Summary of 2023 Entry Requirements

  • KMMS only accepts applications through UCAS. All applications should be complete, and true. Incomplete or untrue applications, for example, with omitted or incorrect examination results, will be disqualified. Complete applications should have all education history from secondary upwards and any work experience in the experience section of the UCAS form
  • Applicants must be at least 18 years old by the date of the first clinical placement (usually early November of the first term)
  • KMMS has separate policies for pre-A level, post A level, pre-graduate, and post-graduate applicants
  • KMMS strictly applies minimum criteria (including English language requirements) to selection
  • KMMS requires all applicants to sit the UCAT, and uses (generous) UCAT thresholds
  • KMMS does not use predicted grades at all
  • KMMS does not assess academic qualifications (except degrees) which are not current. As a guide, these should be within the last 3 years before application
  • KMMS contextualises the academic results of all pre-A level, post-A level and pre-graduate applicants who studied at a school in England against their school’s average performance. Relative attainment is used for shortlisting rather than absolute attainment
  • Postgraduate applicants are not contextualised, but scored. This also applies to other applicants with no reliable school performance data. Applicants in these groups may be required to sit additional online assessments
  • There is an extenuating circumstances process which applicants can use to raise issues affecting academic performance, and should be used to explain non-standard pathways taken in applicants’ education

Which group are you?

Applicants will be divided into five groups, which have different procedures applicable

Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E
Pre A level/IB student, GCSEs achieved from English school with data Post A level/IB OR Pre-graduate student in final year of Bachelor’s degree Others, including no school data; Scottish and international qualification; no GCSE Post Bachelor’s degree, relevant subject International applicants with overseas fee status

Please view this table on PC, or pdf.

Application Stages

All applications then go through several stages before selection.

Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E
Stage 1 Minimum GCSE requirements Minimum GCSE & A level requirements Minimum entry requirements as appropriate Minimum degree requirements Minimum entry requirements as appropriate
Stage 2a UCAT threshold UCAT threshold (may differ from group A) UCAT threshold UCAT threshold (may differ from group A) UCAT threshold
Stage 2b Contextualisation to school average Contextualisation to school average Scoring (may require extra online assessment) Scoring (may require extra online assessment) Scoring (may require extra online assessment)
Stage 3 Multi-station Mini Interviews Multi-station Mini Interviews Multi-station Mini Interviews Multi-station Mini Interviews Multi-station Mini Interviews
Stage 4 Decision Decision Decision Decision Decision

Please view this table on PC, or pdf.

Click on the Group that is relevant to you below

Stage 1:Applicants must be at school, sitting A levels/IB for the first time. Applicants should normally be completing their course of A level/IB study in 2 years. If there is a reason for a longer period of study, an extenuating circumstances application (see below) will be needed. KMMS does not accept A level re-sits (except through extenuating circumstances policy, see below). KMMS does not accept applicants presenting with A levels or other level 3 qualifications who are currently enrolled, or have completed, degree level study at level 4 or above.

KMMS does not use predicted grades at all in selection. Achieved GCSE grades will therefore be used in the contextualisation process (see below). KMMS is happy to accept GCSE resits towards our minimum requirements.  Please note that any GCSE resits used towards our entry requirements must be completed and the final results obtained prior to applying. 

GCSE (Group A)
5 subjects at Grade 9-6 (or A*-B under the old grading system)
Must include English Language, Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics (or Double Science and one other subject)

Group A applicants must be taking A levels or IB or equivalent as per group B requirements

Please view this table on PC or pdf.

Stage 2a: All applicants will need to have sat the UCAT examination in the year of application.

KMMS operated a selection threshold of total UCAT score 2470 or above (corresponding to the 44th centile) and UCAT SJT band 3 or above, in 2021-2.

KMMS does not necessarily commit to the same, or similar threshold for selection for 2023 entry.

Please note that because there is a stage 2b after the UCAT selection, high UCAT scorers will not necessarily be selected over lower scorers who still pass the threshold.

Stage 2b: KMMS introduced the concept of contextualising all applicants in groups A and B in our first admissions cycle. The underlying concept is to consider academic attainment relative to the average for the applicant’s school, at both GCSE and A level.

The “contextualising everyone” policy compares the applicant’s attainment relative to the school’s average. We therefore replace absolute grade attainments with relative attainment based on schooling. There is strong research evidence that this is a more fair metric, in terms of later performance at medical school; and we have shown that this policy makes a considerable impact on widening participation.

State schools in England report their GCSE attainment accurately and are audited for this; but many independent schools do not, for obscure reasons. Therefore, applicants from independent schools are contextualised against the GCSE/A level achievements publicised by their school, if possible for the relevant year, but if not, for any year for which information is available. State schools in Wales and Northern Ireland report their results variably and in a different format to English schools, and KMMS may make direct enquiries to those schools, or consider those applicants in group C.

Stage 1:

Students who have achieved A Levels/IB Diploma (from an English school with data for contextualisation) but are on a gap year, and students enrolled in the final year of an acceptable, relevant Bachelor degree, are considered in Group B. Applicants should normally have completed their course of A level/IB study in 2 years. If there is a reason for a longer period of study, an extenuating circumstances application (see below) will be needed. KMMS will not accept applicants who present with A level or other Level 3 qualifications who have already completed Level 4 or higher qualifications, such as a Foundation course, or degree-level study. These applicants will need to present with an Access to HE (Medicine) qualification (see group C). 

KMMS does not accept applications from students enrolled on a Bachelor’s level degree course at any other university who are not in the final year of their degree. Final year degree students must be taking accepted degree subjects (see Group D). KMMS does not accept transfer students from other medical universities.  

KMMS does not use predicted grades at all in selection. Including degree predictions. Only achieved grades are considered, which will be GCSEs and A levels for this group 

KMMS is happy to accept GCSE resits towards our minimum requirements.  Please note that any GCSE resits used towards our entry requirements must be completed and the final results obtained prior to applying. KMMS does not accept A level resits, with the exception of consideration through the extenuating circumstances process if there were issues affecting the first A level sits.  

GCSE A Level IB Diploma
5 subjects at Grade 9-6 (or A*-B under the old grading system) minimum AAB minimum 34 minimum
Must include English Language, Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics (or Double Science and one other subject) Must include Chemistry and/or Biology. If both chemistry and biology are not offered there must be one other from Physics, Maths, Psychology or Computer Science. Critical Thinking and/or General Studies are not accepted. A pass in the practical endorsement is required for any science A level taken. Must include Chemistry and/or Biology at Higher Level. If both are not offered at Higher Level, there should be a second science offered which must be one from Physics, Maths, or Psychology. A minimum score of 6 in both Higher level science subjects should be achieved.

Please view this table on PC, or pdf.

For the 2021 Covid-affected year, we accept autumn sit results as first sits, but summer 2022 sits are not accepted to improve centre-assessed grades from summer 2021.

Stage 2a: All applicants will need to have sat the UCAT examination in the year of application.

KMMS operated a selection threshold of total UCAT score 2470 or above (corresponding to the 44th centile) and UCAT SJT band 3 or above, in 2021-2.

KMMS does not necessarily commit to the same, or similar threshold for selection for 2023 entry.

Please note that because there is a stage 2b after the UCAT selection, high UCAT scorers will not necessarily be selected over lower scorers who still pass the threshold

Stage 2b: KMMS introduced the concept of contextualising all applicants in groups A and B in our first admissions cycle. The underlying concept is to consider academic attainment relative to the average for the applicant’s school, at A level/IB, which is the senior achieved qualification for group B applicants.

The “contextualising everybody” policy compares the applicant’s attainment relative to the school’s average. We therefore replace absolute grade attainments with relative attainment based on schooling. There is strong research evidence that this is a more fair metric, in terms of later performance at medical school; and we have shown that this policy makes a considerable impact on widening participation.

State schools in England report their A level attainment accurately and are audited for this; in general, independent schools also do this, but are not subject to checks. Therefore, applicants from independent schools will also be checked against the A level achievements publicised by their school, if possible for the relevant year, but if not, for any year for which information is available. If this is consistent with the publicly available data, then the public data will be used. If not, KMMS will estimate the average A level achievement from the school’s advertised results.  State schools in Wales and Northern Ireland report their results variably and in a different format to English schools, and KMMS may make direct enquiries to those schools, or consider those applicants in group C. Applicants from schools with inadequate IB data will also be considered in group C.

Stage 1: If you hold GCSE and/or A level but we do not have school data to enable contextualisation (Scotland, Wales, and some Northern Irish schools) you will be in this group.  We will treat you as far as possible in a similar way to groups A or B; using the same stage 1 minimum requirements.

KMMS will consider applicants with international secondary school qualifications according to their UK equivalencies (to AAB at A level, if possible) as per the University of Kent policies. Please see relevant country pages on the University of Kent website.

BTEC and International Baccalaureate Career Pathway– We do not accept BTEC or IBCP qualifications in lieu of A levels or the IB Diploma.

Access to HE Diploma – Applicants who have completed, or are due to complete within the current academic year, an Access to Higher Education (Medicine) course will be considered for entry. Please note that we only accept applicants from courses that correspond to the QAA descriptor for Access to Higher Education (Medicine) subject descriptor 2021 (https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/about-us/access-to-he-diploma-subject-descriptor-medicine.pdf). Historically there are many Access courses that have medicine in their title, but do not correspond to the recent subject descriptor, and these are no longer accepted by KMMS.

We will not approve particular providers or courses before application. We will not consider applicants from Access to Medicine courses who have sat A level or degree level examinations within the previous 3 years, in order to equalise opportunities with the graduate pathway applicants.  We will consider candidates with a minimum of 45 credits at Level 3 with 30 credits at Distinction and 15 at Merit. Applicants should achieve 15 credits in Chemistry or Biology with at least 12 graded level 3 credits at Distinction. All Access to HE (Medicine) applicants are required to have GCSE English Language at grade C/4 or above. 

 

Stage 2a: All applicants will need to have sat the UCAT examination in the year of application.

The UCAT threshold for group C applicants will accord with their status as school leavers or graduates: for example, where an applicant has previously completed a degree but is now taking an Access course, KMMS will apply the graduate (group D) threshold.

KMMS does not necessarily commit to the same, or similar threshold for selection for 2023 entry.

Please note that because there is a stage 2b after the UCAT selection, high UCAT scorers will not necessarily be selected over lower scorers who still pass the threshold.

Stage 2b: Selection will be subjective, as no other reliable information is available. Your reference and personal statement will therefore be important in this process. Please ensure that these include all information you want to be considered in your application.  KMMS reserves the right to specify an additional assessment for this group. This will be an online assessment, at no cost to the applicant, which was the CASPer test (Altus Assessments) in 2021-2.

Stage 1

Degree (Group D)
2:1 Honours or above, or equivalent
Acceptable Degree subject/major.

Please see list of degrees accepted/not accepted below

Please view this table on PC, or pdf.

We will consider applicants who have a UK upper second class honours (or equivalent) degree in relevant subjects. We do not accept degrees in osteopathy, chiropractic, naturopathy, or other alternative/complementary medical practices. Accepted and non-accepted degree subjects in the previous cycles are detailed, but an exhaustive list is not possible, and degree specifications can change quite quickly. Therefore, this list is indicative only, and does not guarantee that KMMS will accept or not accept particular degree courses. KMMS will NOT check or approve degree transcripts prior to receipt of a formal application via UCAS.  Degree transcripts will be requested as part of the selection process. 

Graduates of universities outside the UK will require full degree transcripts and equivalency to 2:1 Hons established according to University of Kent criteria. Please see relevant country pages on the University of Kent website. They may also have to pass English language requirements. Please see information in group E for more details. 

Acceptable Degree subjects Accepted previously, depending on transcript Not accepted previously, depending on transcript
Biology Biochemistry Chemistry
Biomedical sciences Zoology Medicinal Chemistry
Physiological Sciences Neuroscience Chemistry with Biomedicine
Psychology Pharmacology Biomedical Engineering
Clinical Studies Forensic Science Chemical Engineering
Medical Science Global Health Mechanical Engineering
Nursing Speech Therapy
Physiotherapy Occupational Therapy
Pharmacy Orthoptics
Operating Department Practice Therapeutic Radiology
Clinical Psychology Podiatry
Dentistry
Radiography
Paramedic Science
Optometry

Please view this table on PC or pdf.

Intending applicants with non-accepted degree subjects are advised that their only pathway to KMMS is through the Access route (see group C). KMMS will not accept graduates presenting with A levels or other level 3 qualifications, even in subjects that they have not previously studied.

Stage 2a: All applicants will need to have sat the UCAT examination in the year of application.

KMMS operated a selection threshold of total UCAT score 2500 or above (corresponding to the 47th centile of 2021 UCAT candidates) and UCAT SJT band 2 or above, for graduate applicants in 2021-2.

KMMS does not necessarily commit to the same, or similar threshold for selection for 2023 entry.

Please note that because there is a stage 2b after the UCAT selection, high UCAT scorers will not necessarily be selected over lower scorers who still pass the threshold.

Stage 2b: Applicants in group D are scored according to criteria relating to UCAT score, including SJT score, degree classification, as well as evidence that favours NHS service in the Kent region.  KMMS reserves the right to specify an additional assessment for this group. This will be an online assessment, at no cost to the applicant, which was the CASPer test (Altus Assessments) in 2021-2.

KMMS does not necessarily commit to the same, or similar scoring system for selection for 2023 entry. 

KMMS will consider applicants with international secondary school qualifications according to their UK equivalencies (to AAB at A level, if possible) as per the University of Kent policies. Graduate international applicants will require the equivalent of a UK Bachelor’s Honours degree at 2:1. Please see relevant country pages on the University of Kent website. International applicants will also have to meet equivalencies to GCSE requirements (as per groups A and B).

English Language (for international students with qualifications obtained outside the UK)

The qualifications and grades we accept are listed below. Your qualification must have been taken no more than two years before your course start date, and have been taken at a UKVI-approved centre. If you have taken an in-country qualification or A level, IGCSE or IB English, this may not be required. This is assessed on an individual basis for applicants requiring a Student Visa.  For the IB we accept Higher Level English A Language or Language and Literature at grade 4, and Standard Level English A Language or Language and Literature at grade 5.

KMMS strongly advises potential applicants to have these requirements (or the English tests below) before application, as this will be required to satisfy conditions of an offer, if you are successful in the selection process.

The English language test results acceptable to KMMS are:

Accepted English Language Qualification KMMS Required Scores
IELTS Academic 7.0 overall and a minimum of 7.0 in each component (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening)
Cambridge English (including CAE and CPE) 191 overall with a minimum of 184 in Writing, Reading, Speaking and Listening
TOEFL iBT 104 overall including at least 26 in all components
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) 70 overall with 70 in each component

Please view this table on PC, or pdf.

Stage 2a: All applicants will need to have sat the UCAT examination in the year of application.

The UCAT threshold for international students with overseas fee status will accord with their status as school leaver (groups A, B) or graduates (group D).

KMMS does not necessarily commit to the same, or similar threshold for selection for 2023 entry.

Please note that because there is a stage 2b after the UCAT selection, high UCAT scorers will not necessarily be selected over lower scorers who still pass the threshold.

Stage 2b: Selection will be subjective, as no other reliable information is available. Your reference and personal statement will therefore be important in this process. Please ensure that these include all information you want to be considered in your application.  KMMS reserves the right to specify an additional assessment for this group. This will be an online assessment, at no cost to the applicant, which was the CASPer test (Altus Assessments) in 2021-2.

Stage 1

We will review your application to determine whether you meet our minimum academic entry criteria. Please see table above, as well as your relevant applicant group for more details. KMMS operate minimum admission requirements at stage 1 which are interpreted strictly. We don’t accept any variances from these, except through the extenuating circumstances process (see below).

Stage 2

Stage 2 requirements and procedures can vary, dependant on applicant group – please see details summarised in the Group sections.

Stage 3 (All Groups)

Shortlisted applicants are invited via their KentVision account to book into an available appointment for Multi-station Mini Interviews (MMI).

KMMS Multi-station Mini Interviews are considerably different to the majority of UK medical schools, so interview preparation courses might be less useful; previous applicants have commented that some of these preparation courses organised at school or commercially were positively disadvantageous for the KMMS process. We do not recommend any particular preparation, but advise applicants to be alert, organised, and in good form to show us the best version of yourself. We communicate extensively with our applicants to prepare them for the process, please see MMI section on our website.

There were six short stations were labelled as data handling, problem analysis, situational judgement, roleplay, task, and values-based stations. The six short stations were 7 minutes each, with 2 minute intervals, followed by a 42 minute group station, in which applicants were individually assessed. These ran in person in 2020 and 2022. In 2021, and for international applicants (group E) in 2022, KMMS ran remote interviews, with 3 short stations and a group station KMMS does not commit to the same number or type of stations for 2023 entry, although we will likely retain the same time formats.

All applicants invited to MMIs will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Disclosure of the content of MMI stations will likely disadvantage the discloser, as subsequent interviewees will gain an advantage in competition with the discloser.

Through the MMI process we are attempting to identify applicants with some or all of these qualities;

  • A resilient all-rounder
  • A realistic and committed attitude to medical training
  • A commitment to quality of care, compassion and improving lives
  • Ability to communicate effectively and to work well in a team for the benefit of others
  • Ability to treat others with dignity and respect
  • An empathetic ability to appreciate and regard other points of view
  • A willingness to accept responsibility
  • Academic ability and potential

Stage 4 (All Groups)

KMMS will send offer decisions in batches, depending on the response to the early batches. We therefore ask you to accept or reject offers from KMMS as soon as you have decided, in order to free up the system to offer to the next batch of applicants. The first offers should be posted in January, through Kent Vision and UCAS, with subsequent offers up to May.

We also send rejection decisions out in stages, corresponding to stage 1 and stage 2a rejections. We are open to holding further MMIs in Feb/March depending on the response to our first batches of offers, so we retain applicants not initially invited in stage 2b for this purpose.

Our standard conditional offer for pre A level students is AAB in any order in three A Levels.  This must include Chemistry and/or Biology. If both chemistry and biology are not offered there must be one other from Physics, Maths, Psychology or Computer Science. Critical Thinking and/or General Studies are not accepted. For final year undergraduates our standard conditional offer is 2:1. Our standard A level offer is the same as the “contextual” reduced offer from many other UK medical schools. We only consider reduced offers of ABB to applicants from partner schools of the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University, or from the Kent and Medway Progression Federation, and for no other applicants. We do not use postcodes or family data to determine lower offers for applicants.

All applicants must be 18 years of age by the date of the first clinical placement in term 1 (usually early November). There are health and disclosure conditions in our offer. These include mandatory vaccinations, including against Covid, and enhanced disclosure/barring service check for previous criminal convictions. There is a separate procedure if the DBS check is positive. If health or disclosure conditions are not satisfied, KMMS may withdraw your offer to study.

References on the UCAS application are mandatory. KMMS never agrees to waive references, so if this statement is made in the UCAS application, it will be automatically rejected. References must be from a relevant academic referee if within 3 years of the most recent course of study. If the applicant has been more than 3 years from their most recent course, an employment reference is acceptable. References from friends, family, or professionals with a therapeutic relationship to the applicant are not accepted by KMMS.

Extenuating circumstances

If an applicant had extenuating circumstances which have affected their studies or application, then it is possible to flag these issues through the Extenuating Circumstances process. It is mandatory to use this process if the application does not meet minimum requirements, otherwise the application will be automatically rejected.

KMMS will not consider any applicant who has previous incomplete degree-level study, including where studies were discontinued voluntarily, unless extenuating circumstances are submitted – a written supporting statement from the previous university and transcript of studies to date will need to be submitted as supporting evidence. 

Extenuating Circumstances include:

  1. Significant caring responsibilities, or recent bereavement or serious illness within immediate family
  2. Being estranged from family or key family members
  3. Serious disruption to the provision of education at School or College
  4. Other serious disruption where the school/college/doctor or social worker feels that this information should be considered.

In these cases, an Extenuating Circumstances Form should be completed through Kent Vision as soon as possible, and returned by the extenuating circumstances deadline, which is typically only one week later than the application deadline. Supporting evidence must be provided, including a statement by a teacher, doctor, or social worker, as appropriate. The deadline is tight after the October application deadline, normally just one week after the UCAS application deadline. Please start this process and obtain relevant documents from relevant people if you think you will need it, well in advance of October.

This information will be considered by the Recruitment and Admissions Board during the selection process. If an applicant’s circumstances change after submission of this form, then the Admissions Operations Manager should be informed. The KMMS Admissions Committee will have overall responsibility for assessing the Extenuating Circumstances evidence for individual applicants. No circumstances can be considered outside of this process.