Medicine - MBChB

Medicine at Keele delivers an innovative curriculum underpinned by the three core themes identified by the General Medical Council: Professional Values and Behaviours, Professional Skills, and Professional Knowledge (GMC, 2018). Ranked 2nd in England (Guardian University League Table, 2024). Studying Medicine MBChB at Keele you will develop the necessary knowledge and clinical skills to become a doctor who practises with competence and compassion.

Year of entry

Course type

  • Single Honours

UCAS code

  • A100

Duration of study

  • 5 years

Why study Medicine at Keele University?

5th in England for Medicine (Guardian University Guide, 2025)
Over 100 weeks spent on clinical placement in primary care and hospital settings across Staffordshire, Shropshire and other adjoining counties
Years 4 and 5 each spent at distinct bases: large teaching hospital, associated district general hospital and smaller specialist centres (Staffordshire*), and two district general hospitals and smaller specialist centres (Shropshire*). *Training is not confined to a single hospital within each county.
Benefit from diverse teaching methods including problem-based learning (PBL), other small- and large-group learning activities, and dissection
Strong student engagement opportunities through our Student Voice Committee
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Teaching Excellence Framework GOLD

Keele TEF Gold 2023

Keele University has been awarded the highest rating of gold in the teaching excellence framework (TEF), 2023. The TEF assessment identifies excellence in the educational experience and outcomes of our students, focusing on all undergraduate courses and students.

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"I felt Keele prepared me well for life after graduation and really helped me to fit the knowledge, communication, and clinical skills required together and build on this each year. I found the balance of going through necessary placements but also allowing for some student selected components, including the final year elective, meant I was able to gain the knowledge needed but also explore areas of interest to help me later select a speciality (and gave me something to talk about later on at specialty interviews). Keele has smaller numbers of students than many other universities in each year group which meant it was often easier to connect with tutors and I didn’t feel lost in the crowd."

Karen, Medicine, Locum Consultant Psychiatrist

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Additional opportunities

There are a range of additional opportunities available when studying this course.
Please note, undertaking one may impact upon the availability of another.

Entry requirements

The following section details our typical entry requirements for this course for a range of UK and international qualifications. If you don’t see your qualifications listed, please contact us to find out if we can accept your qualifications. If you don't think you'll meet the entry requirements specified, you may be able to gain entry to this course via a Foundation Year.

Additional information

Students must be 18 years old by 1 October.

English language requirements

All of our courses require an English language qualification or test. For most students, this requirement can be met with a 4 or C in GCSE English. Please see our English Language guidance pages for further details, including English language test information for international students. For those students who require an English language test, this course requires a test from .

Alternative and contextual offers

We're committed to ensuring equality of opportunity to all our applicants with the potential and motivation to succeed, regardless of background. That's why we operate a range of alternative offer schemes with clear eligibility criteria, including contextual offers, offers for those studying within the Keele region, and recognising a range of additional qualifications in your offer.

General information

The entry grades outlined in this section indicate the typical offer which would be made to candidates, along with any subject specific requirements. This is for general information only. Keele University reserves the right to vary offer conditions depending upon a candidate's application.

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"I particularly found PBL and case-based learning (CBL) sessions useful in helping develop my problem-solving, team work, and leadership skills. Keele also helped me to confidently use evidence-based research to do self-directed learning, which I still regularly use when keeping my medical knowledge and skills up-to-date. The introduction of hospital placements early on in the degree was also very beneficial in getting me familiar with the everyday running of the ward/emergency department. This helped me during my early days of working as a foundation doctor because I did not find the transition so daunting."

Debbie, Medicine, GP and Product Designer

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Foundation year

Our Foundation Year provides an excellent alternative route to Keele, providing a unique opportunity to better prepare for your chosen degree, and with guaranteed entry onto your undergraduate course once you successfully complete your Foundation Year.

This extra year of study can improve your academic skills, expand your subject knowledge, give you a better understanding of higher education and, perhaps most importantly of all, build your confidence.

Keele University is consistently ranked among the top universities for student satisfaction, and we have over 70 years' experience of teaching a foundation year to students. On the Keele Foundation Year, you'll study on campus, joining our undergraduate community from the outset, with access to all the facilities and support that you'd get as an undergraduate student at Keele.

The information in this Foundation Year section is for UK/Home applicants. Where an international Foundation Year is available, please see the 'Information for international students' tab.

Foundation year overview

We are now offering 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).

For more information about the medicine MBChB with Health Foundation Year course, including entry requirements and progression, please visit the Medicine with Health Foundation Year page.

Foundation year course content

The medicine MBChB with Health Foundation Year course will provide you with the requisite science knowledge, enhance your study skills and give you an introduction to the employability skills required by health professionals. The foundation year is a well established and successful programme that offers progression onto the full range of health degrees at Keele.

The foundation year for medicine is a gateway route into medicine for students from some under-represented groups. Students entering the foundation year will undertake a range of modules to bring your academic level up to an equivalent standard to that of direct entrants to year 1 of the MBChB programme. Progression requirements are currently 40% (45 credits) in all semester 1 modules and 70% (75 credits) in semester 2.

Students who gain entry to the health foundation year for medicine after interview, and complete the foundation year successfully, will automatically progress to Year 1 of the regular MBChB programme as long as they meet all occupational health and fitness-to-practise requirements. Progression to the MBChB programme from any of the other Keele foundation years is not possible.

Essential criteria 

Please note that alongside the academic entry requirements, applicants must also meet essential criteria indicating that they belong to particular under-represented groups. These criteria are specified on the Medicine with Health Foundation Year page.

Extenuating circumstances

All requests to consider extenuating circumstances should be sent to medicine@keele.ac.uk at the time of application submission and no later than 31 October 2024.

Please note that if you wish extenuating circumstances to be considered, you must notify us in this way. We won't act on details of extenuating circumstances in the UCAS personal statement. We will take account of extenuating circumstances mentioned in the relevant section of the UCAS reference but we may need to request additional information and this should be done as early as possible in the cycle, so you should alert us to any need for extenuating circumstances to be considered by e-mailing before the 31 October deadline. We cannot take supplementary requests for consideration by your school/college, etc., into account unless you have submitted a request by the deadline.

Module summary

The module details given below are indicative, they are intended to provide you with an idea of the range of subjects that are taught to our current students. The modules that will be available for you to study in future years are prone to change as we regularly review our teaching to ensure that it is up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods. The information presented is therefore not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules available in any given year.

First semester

FYO-00237 Foundations of Human Biology for Health 15 credits
FYO-00241 Foundations of Chemistry - Health 15 credits
FYO-00213 Foundations of Numerical and Quantitative Methods for Health Students 15 credits

Second semester

FYO-00239 Advancing Human Biology for Health 30 credits
FYO-00243 Advancing Chemistry for Health 15 credits

Year-long modules (across semester one and semester two)

FYO-00181 Academic and Professional Development 30 credits

How to apply for the Medicine MBChB with Health Foundation Year

Applications must be made through UCAS by the deadline of 15 October.

Medicine MBChB with Health Foundation Year UCAS course code: A104

The information in this Foundation Year section is for UK/Home applicants. Where an international Foundation Year is available, please see the 'Information for international students' tab.

We also offer a January start for some of our Foundation Year courses. Adopting a blended learning approach, the January start is particularly useful for students wishing to return to education following time out of studying, or who are seeking a flexible approach to their Foundation Year studies. Our January start is available across most of our Science, Humanities, Social Science, Health and Business courses.

Whilst still being a full-time course, our blended delivery model combines live teaching sessions - both online and on-campus - with self-directed study, enabling you to predominantly study at a time that suits your lifestyle. You will benefit from weekly online taught sessions which encourage you to engage with your teachers and peers.

In addition to online study there will be a series of full study days that you will be required to attend throughout each semester. These sessions may include lab-based activities, group work, review of course and assessment materials studied online. They will emphasise opportunities for you to deepen your knowledge and understanding of your chosen route.

Please refer to the September start tab for more information about the entry requirements and what you will study. The modules that you will take on a January start Foundation Year will be similar to those for the September start, but on a compressed timescale and tailored to a blended learning approach (with the majority of learning taking place online).

For more information, including fees, the UCAS code for this course, how to apply, and how you will be taught, please visit our January Start Foundation Year webpage.

Our International Foundation Year is delivered on campus through Keele University International College (KUIC). Find out more about the International Foundation Year options on the KUIC website.

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Discover the Keele difference

Everything’s on your doorstep at Keele, and you’ll soon feel at home and make friends wherever you go.

We help students manage their money and ensure that they receive any funding for which they may be eligible.

Make yourself more employable after graduation by taking advantage of the whole host of additional opportunities.