RGS

Health Foundation Year for Medicine

Our Health Foundation Year for Medicine is an exciting gateway route into medicine for students from some under-represented groups. This course offers standard medical training with the addition of a Foundation Year (a total of six years).

Students entering the Foundation Year will undertake a range of modules to bring their academic level up to an equivalent standard to that of direct entrants to year 1 of the Medicine A100 course.

This programme is intended for school-leavers, i.e. applicants who are currently studying A-Level or equivalent qualifications. It is not open to graduates, students who have already commenced or completed another HE programme, or applicants with international fees status.  The reduced academic requirements apply only to applicants who are currently in their second year of A-level or equivalent study (i.e. year 13) or the year immediately following this.

Essential criteria

Applicants must meet the following Essential Criteria from Group 1 and 2 to be considered for this route. Applicants must provide evidence of meeting the essential criteria at the point of application. We will send you an email to request this information.

Group 1

Applicants must meet all the following -

  • Ordinarily resident in the UK
  • Attended a non-selective maintained school for GCSEs and a maintained school for A-Levels (we recognise that generally non-selective schools and sixth-form colleges may use some form of selection for students wishing to undertake A-Levels) 
  • Attended a school for GCSEs with an attainment 8 score below national average (level set on an annual basis: for 2025 entry the 2022-23 school performance measure is used).

For schools without an attainment 8 score only, we will consider schools where the % of students on free school meals is above the national average OR if this is not available, we will consider POLAR 4 data, quintile 1 of the school.

For home-schooled applicants who are therefore without an Attainment 8 Score, we will use the POLAR4 quintile of your home postcode rather than of the examination centre where you sat the exams.

Group 2

Applicants must also meet one of the following -  

  • Parent(s) or guardian in receipt of means-tested benefit(s) for a minimum of three months within your last five years of schooling
    (i.e. in Years 9–13)
  • Time spent in local authority care (more than three months) within the last five years (i.e. in Years 9–13)
  • Eligibility for free school meals at any point in Years 9–13
  • Receipt of 16–19 bursary for purpose other than meals
  • Receipt of UCAT bursary. Bursaries are available to cover the test fee for applicants from less well-off families. We strongly advise applicants to apply for the UCAT Bursary if they are eligible. Please check the UCAT web site for details.

Students on the Keele Steps2Medicine scheme or those currently in local authority care will be eligible for consideration for this route and should include this information in their UCAS application. 

Applicants from military families will be considered if they have attended a non-selective schools for GCSE and A Level (or equivalents) and meet the academic criteria.