Best Universities for Medicine (MBChB / MBBS) in the UK 2027
University of Exeter tops our 2027 medicine ranking with 105 points, combining 86% academic support and 89% teaching quality with strong city and sustainability scores. Oxford is second with 98 points, achieving 97% teaching quality and 95% academic support. University of St Andrews is third with 90 points, the highest student satisfaction in the field at 84%. We ranked 30 UK medical schools across eight metrics: graduate earnings, teaching quality, student satisfaction, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life and sustainability.
Medicine graduate earnings reflect NHS foundation year salaries, which compress the earnings range across all medical schools. University of Edinburgh (joint 15th) produces £48,500 — the highest. Exeter (1st) and King's College London (joint 15th) both produce £48,000. Oxford (2nd) produces £46,000. The lowest earnings are University of Central Lancashire at £25,000. University of Edinburgh has the lowest academic support at 62% — the only institution in this field below 74%. University of Plymouth has the lowest teaching quality at 79%.
For how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher best universities overall ranking and our best universities for employability.
Medicine University Rankings 2027
| # | University | Grad Earnings | Satisfaction | Teaching Quality | Academic Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Exeter Exeter |
£48,000 | 79% | 89% | 86% | 105 |
| 2 | University of Oxford Oxford |
£46,000 | 76% | 97% | 95% | 98 |
| 3 | University of St Andrews St Andrews |
£41,000 | 84% | 94% | 95% | 90 |
| 4 | Keele University Newcastle-under-Lyme |
£38,000 | 81% | 94% | 93% | 88 |
| 5 | Cardiff University Cardiff |
£37,000 | 71% | 88% | 86% | 86 |
| 5 | Lancaster University Lancaster |
£37,000 | 82% | 95% | 90% | 86 |
| 6 | University of East Anglia (UEA) Norwich |
£37,500 | 79% | 85% | 86% | 85 |
| 6 | Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne |
£37,000 | 75% | 87% | 89% | 85 |
| 7 | University of Bristol Bristol |
£37,000 | 73% | 86% | 85% | 84 |
| 8 | University of Plymouth Plymouth |
£37,000 | 75% | 79% | 84% | 81 |
| 9 | University of Liverpool Liverpool |
£37,000 | 71% | 88% | 83% | 79 |
| 10 | University of Leeds Leeds |
£37,500 | 74% | 88% | 74% | 74 |
| 11 | University of Leicester Leicester |
£37,000 | 73% | 94% | 92% | 73 |
| 12 | University of Sheffield Sheffield |
£37,500 | 75% | 83% | 85% | 69 |
| 12 | University of Aberdeen Aberdeen |
£38,000 | 76% | 87% | 87% | 69 |
| 13 | University of Manchester Manchester |
£37,000 | 70% | 86% | 81% | 67 |
| 13 | University of Dundee Dundee |
£40,000 | 75% | 93% | 89% | 67 |
| 14 | Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge |
£38,000 | 70% | 81% | 78% | 64 |
| 15 | University of Edinburgh Edinburgh |
£48,500 | 74% | 80% | 62% | 61 |
| 15 | King's College London London |
£48,000 | 67% | 81% | 78% | 61 |
| 16 | University of Nottingham Nottingham |
£37,000 | 74% | 86% | 86% | 60 |
| 17 | University of Central Lancashire Preston |
£25,000 | 71% | 88% | 88% | 59 |
| 18 | UCL (University College London) London |
£37,500 | 68% | 88% | 76% | 58 |
| 19 | University of Glasgow Glasgow |
£38,500 | 75% | 84% | 76% | 57 |
| 20 | University of Cambridge Cambridge |
£38,000 | 76% | 85% | 80% | 55 |
| 21 | Imperial College London London |
£37,500 | 66% | 93% | 94% | 54 |
| 22 | University of Southampton Southampton |
£38,000 | 76% | 84% | 80% | 51 |
| 23 | Queen Mary University of London London |
£36,000 | 69% | 81% | 85% | 49 |
| 23 | University of Birmingham Birmingham |
£36,000 | 72% | 85% | 83% | 49 |
| 24 | City St George's, University of London London |
£38,000 | 67% | 84% | 80% | 33 |
What the ranking tells you about choosing a medical school
Medicine is a uniquely structured degree and this ranking requires specific interpretation. Unlike most subjects, graduate earnings for medicine are almost entirely determined by NHS pay scales — a foundation year doctor's salary rather than the competitive graduate market. This compresses the earnings range significantly and means earnings rankings reflect NHS pay bands and early posting locations rather than the medical school's employment outcomes. Course delivery quality, student satisfaction and city metrics are therefore the most meaningful differentiators in this field.
Why earnings data should be read differently for medicine
Every UK medical graduate begins employment as a foundation year 1 (FY1) doctor on NHS pay scales — typically £32,000 to £36,000 base salary, supplemented by banding, on-call payments and location allowances. The earnings figures in this ranking reflect total take-home within six months of graduating, which varies by rotation location (London weighting adds approximately £3,000 to £4,000 annually), on-call frequency and specialty rotation. This is why London medical schools (King's £48,000, Edinburgh £48,500, Exeter £48,000) appear at the top of the earnings table — their graduates benefit from London weighting and associated allowances. These figures do not indicate that these medical schools produce better-paid doctors over a career. For medicine specifically, the course delivery metrics (teaching quality, academic support) and student satisfaction are the most reliable comparative signals in this table.
Oxford at 2nd: highest teaching quality at 97%
University of Oxford ranks 2nd with 98 points, achieving 97% teaching quality — the highest of any medical school in this ranking. Oxford's pre-clinical/clinical split model (typically 3 years pre-clinical in Oxford, 3 years clinical at affiliated NHS trusts) is distinctive and produces graduates with strong scientific grounding. Oxford's 95% academic support is joint-highest alongside St Andrews. Oxford ranks 2nd rather than 1st because Exeter's stronger city-level scores give it a higher overall total — not because Oxford's course delivery is weaker.
University of Edinburgh at joint 15th achieves the highest medicine graduate earnings at £48,500 — but the lowest academic support in the entire field at 62%. No other medical school in this ranking scores below 74% on academic support. Edinburgh's 62% is the most significant course delivery anomaly in this field. Edinburgh's medical school is large, internationally prestigious and research-intensive. The low academic support score is worth investigating directly — particularly for students at a critical juncture in their academic development, where structured feedback, personal tutors and one-to-one support during clinical years directly affect progress through medical licensing assessments and clinical competence.
Medical school admissions: the critical additional requirements
Gaining entry to medical school requires substantially more than strong A-levels. Most medical schools require a UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test) score — a two-hour standardised test covering verbal reasoning, decision making, quantitative reasoning and abstract reasoning. Some schools use the BMAT (BioMedical Admissions Test) instead — Imperial, Oxford and UCL historically use BMAT, though requirements change and should be verified annually. Work experience in healthcare settings is required or strongly expected — typically a minimum of 2 to 4 weeks of clinical shadowing or healthcare volunteering. Most medical schools conduct interviews, which may be in panel, MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) or hybrid format. MMI formats test communication, empathy, ethical reasoning and situational judgement rather than academic knowledge. Preparation for both the aptitude test and interview is as important as A-level performance for medicine applications.
For a broader view of how these universities compare, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking.
