Three Counties Medical School Entry Requirements 2027

Three Counties Medical School is the University of Worcester's medical school, and it trains doctors through a 4-year graduate-entry MBChB, UCAS code A101, listed for a September 2027 start. Worcester's 2027-entry course page asks for a 1st or 2:1 degree in any subject (or a 2:2 plus a Masters or Doctoral degree), GCSE Maths and English at grade C/4, and a UCAT, GAMSAT or MCAT result, and says shortlisted applicants will sit Casper and attend two panel interviews.

Who is eligible for the A101 graduate-entry MBChB at Three Counties?

Eligibility comes first at Three Counties, because the course is for people who already hold, or are finishing, a degree. Worcester's 2027-entry course page says "The MBChB course at Worcester is a graduate-entry programme" and asks applicants to "hold, or be expected to achieve in the year of application, a 1st or 2:1 undergraduate honours degree in any subject (or 2:2 plus Masters or Doctoral degree)". It also asks for GCSEs at grade C/4 or above in Maths and English. If the degree is in a non-science subject, two science GCSEs at C/4 are needed as well, and "maths is not included as a science subject". Anyone who has already "commenced a medical degree in the UK or overseas" is excluded.

Worcester's MBChB programme specification, a document that "applies to Academic Year 2026/27 onwards", adds detail. It accepts "a merit or distinction (equivalent to 2.1 or first) in an integrated undergraduate Master's degree", says overseas degrees "can be accepted if they are confirmed to be equivalent to awards in the UK system", and considers "the result from the most recent degree" where an applicant holds more than one. It rules out transfers from other medical programmes, and "No recognition of prior learning (RPL) will be considered on this basis."

Two more rules in that 2026/27 specification affect planning, and the 2027 course page, as read on 31 October 2026, does not repeat them. Students "must be a minimum of 18 years of age by 1 November, in the year their course starts". And "Deferred entry will not normally be offered to applicants": anyone wanting to defer is advised to re-apply in full the following year, including being "re-interviewed" if the application gets that far. Because these rules come from the specification rather than the course page, anyone they affect should confirm them with Worcester's Admissions Office for 2027 entry.

Source: University of Worcester, Medicine (Graduate Entry) MBChB course page and MBChB programme specification (2026/27 onwards). The course page was read on 17 October 2026 and the specification on 31 October 2026.

UCAT, GAMSAT or MCAT: how does Worcester rank test scores?

Worcester's 2027 course page names three admissions tests. It says: "You will be required to pass UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test), GAMSAT (Graduate Medical Schools Admission Test) or MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) to a requisite level." Worcester's page for Canadian applicants, read on 17 October 2026, adds: "If you already have a valid MCAT, UCAT or GAMSAT result, you do not need to take a different test specifically to apply to Worcester."

Asked "What score do I need on the aptitude test?", Worcester's MBChB application FAQs (an undated page, read on 17 October 2026) answer: "We don't have hard cut off score, it depends on the shape of the curve of all applicants."

The 2026/27 programme specification describes a threshold. Stage 1 screens applications against the standard academic criteria, and those that fall short "will not be progressed to the next stage". At Stage 2, applicants "will be ranked according to their aptitude test scores. A threshold will be set depending on the number of interviews to be held." The threshold "may differ from year to year as it is dependent on the scores achieved by those who apply in each admissions cycle". On that description, no score is safe in advance: a score that reached interview in one cycle is no guarantee in the next.

Two practical points come from the course page and FAQ. An applicant who has already sat the UCAT or GAMSAT should put the result in the 'Qualifications' section of the UCAS form, which Worcester says "will help avoid delays in processing your application and shortlisting for interview". And applications go through UCAS only: "You need to apply through UCAS in the usual way." For 2027 entry the FAQ, read on 17 October 2026, gives 15 October 2026 as the deadline for home applicants, a date that has now passed. The FAQ still says "We are open to applications from home and international students for 2027 entry", and the 2026/27 specification adds that Worcester will "remain open to receive applications after this date as published on our website", so check Worcester's website before assuming the route is closed. The specification also says "The personal statement and academic reference are used to check for predicted grades or clarification of qualifications studied."

How long a score stays usable is one of the points where Worcester's documents differ. The FAQ answers a reapplicant's question with "It depends; GAMSAT is valid for two years and UCAT for one year"; the 2026/27 specification says "Test scores can only be used to support an application in the relevant cycle". The comparison table below sets out both.

Applicants preparing for 2028 entry can read more about our UCAT tuition, our guide to the GAMSAT in the UK (the 2026 edition) and our guide to writing a medicine personal statement (written for 2027 entry).

Who is given priority: Three Counties links, NHS work and widening participation

Three Counties does not limit applications to local people. The FAQ asks "I have heard you only accept people who live in the Three Counties, is that true?" and answers: "No. You can apply to study with us wherever you live." Local and widening-participation factors do carry weight, though. The 2027 course page says "Preference will be given in our overall holistic assessment for those applicants who fulfil one or more of these criteria", and lists six:

• substantial geographical links to the area, for example a childhood parental address or a current address in Three Counties postcodes;
• being a Worcester graduate;
• being the first in your family to go to university;
• living in a POLAR quintile 1 or 2 area;
• working in, or having significant knowledge of, the NHS;
• refugee status.

The 2026/27 programme specification separately says, straight after its Stage 2 ranking: "The threshold may be extended for candidates who meet specific widening participation criteria as advertised on our website." It then lists seven entries under "Priority for interview will be considered for those applicants who have": a Three Counties (Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire) address, a University of Worcester degree, work in the NHS, an address in an under-represented area, parents without a higher education qualification, time in local authority care, and refugee status. The care-leaver criterion appears in the specification but not on the 2027 course page.

Worcester's Medical School Admissions page gives the reasoning. It says the school will aim to recruit mainly from groups under-represented in medicine, in particular students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, who in Worcester's words "still account for only around 10 per cent of all admissions nationally". It also says its strategy includes offering places to people from disciplines such as behavioural and social sciences, humanities and psychology, citing evidence from Swansea University Medical School on how such students perform after the first year.

The specification says the threshold "may be extended", not that it will be, and none of the documents read on 17 October 2026 says by how much, so no applicant should treat the extension as a guarantee.

What happens after the shortlist: Casper and the interview stage

The 2027 course page says: "If shortlisted you will be invited to sit the Casper situational judgment test AND attend two panel interviews." Worcester's Casper test page states that "All shortlisted applicants for the Three Counties Medical School are required to complete a Casper online situational judgment test", and the FAQ says Worcester will tell applicants whether they are eligible to take it "after you have applied through UCAS".

The Casper page gives the format. Casper "is comprised of 2 main sections (video responses and typed responses) and 11 scenarios", each with two open-ended questions. There is one minute to record each video response, and 3.5 minutes in total to type the answers to both questions. Worcester says it "typically takes 65-85 minutes to complete", with an optional 10-minute break after the video section and a 5-minute break halfway through the typed section.

Worcester's Casper page also sets out the booking rules. Applicants register through Acuity Insights for the "CSP – 20501 – UK Graduate Professional Health Sciences version of Casper", at least three days before their chosen test date, and requests for testing accommodations are due "3 weeks in advance of your desired test date". Candidates need a laptop or desktop computer with a webcam and microphone, and Worcester is blunt: "No exceptions will be provided for applicants who are unable to take Casper during one of the available test dates." The FAQ adds that a result from "an England-specific test in the same cycle" might be reusable, and that once a Casper date is set Worcester has "no control over when it runs".

On the interviews, the 2027 course page specifies two panel interviews. The 2026/27 programme specification describes Stage 3 as an interview that "will assess an applicant's enthusiasm for medicine and ability to problem solve", taken alongside a situational judgement test: "Performance in both the SJT and interview will be combined." Applicants are ranked on the combined score, and offers go to the highest scorers, subject to occupational health and Disclosure and Barring Service checks.

Our medical school interview preparation covers the panel format and motivation for medicine, and our medicine admissions preparation page sets out the wider programme.

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Where do Worcester's own documents disagree?

Worcester publishes its admissions rules and course details in several places, and they do not all match. The course page carries 2027/28 fees and a September 2027 start date. The FAQ page carries no publication date, though its first answer refers to 2027 entry. The programme specification says it "applies to Academic Year 2026/27 onwards". On the points in the table, none of the three, as read on 17 October 2026 (the specification on 31 October 2026), states which takes precedence. The specification does point to Worcester's website in two places that touch the table: its aptitude-test paragraph names "UCAT. MCAT or GAMSAT", says "The aptitude tests that will be considered can be found here" and links to Worcester's course page, and it extends the Stage 2 threshold for widening participation criteria "as advertised on our website". The table records each version without choosing between them.

Source: University of Worcester 2027-entry MBChB course page, MBChB application FAQs, Canadian applicants page and MBChB programme specification (2026/27 onwards). The specification was read on 31 October 2026 and the other documents on 17 October 2026.

If your plans depend on any row of that table, ask Worcester's Admissions Office (admissions@worc.ac.uk) and get the answer in writing. One case where this matters is a reapplicant hoping to reuse a GAMSAT score from an earlier sitting.

Not a graduate yet? The Worcester BSc routes with a guaranteed interview

Two Worcester degrees carry a conditional guarantee of an MBChB interview. The Biomedical Science BSc (Hons) (UCAS B900) and Medical Sciences BSc (Hons) (UCAS B190) pages use almost identical wording: final-year students "are guaranteed an interview for our graduate entry Medicine MBChB, provided they are predicted a 2:1 or better and are able to meet all other course entry requirements, which include passing either the UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test) or the GAMSAT (Graduate Medical Schools Admission Test) to a requisite level."

The Medical Sciences page adds that "Preparation for medical school entry tests like UCAT and GAMSAT is built into the course". On 17 October 2026 the Biomedical Science page carried a "Subject to re-approval" label beside its UCAS code. The guarantee covers one stage only: under the 2026/27 specification, offers go to the highest combined interview and situational judgement scores, so the interview still has to be won. For four-year medicine courses more widely, see our guide to graduate-entry medicine in the UK.

Can international, EU and Canadian applicants apply?

Yes. The course page lists the MBChB as "International students welcome", and the FAQ says Worcester is open to home and international applicants for 2027 entry. The 2027/28 fee for international and EU students is £49,300 a year, and Worcester notes that "Tuition fees are reviewed annually and may increase during the course."

EU applicants should check their fee status. Worcester's course fees page says EU students starting in 2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29 will pay home fees, but lists "Medicine MBChB students" among the exceptions. Irish nationals, EU students with settled or pre-settled status, and those covered by the citizens' rights agreements remain eligible for the home rate. The course page also places a responsibility on international applicants: it says it is "your responsibility to ensure that the University of Worcester MBChB, which will be your Primary Medical Qualification (PMQ) upon graduation, satisfies the requirements of the country in which you wish to work".

Canadian applicants have their own page, read on 17 October 2026. It gives a Canadian degree with a CGPA of 3.3 (B+, 75%), or a CGPA of 2.5 (C+, 62%) plus a Master's degree, as the normal equivalent, and accepts high-school Maths at 60% for GCSE Maths. A Canadian national whose full education has been in English "won't need to take an additional English test". For applicants planning to practise in Canada, Worcester says they will need to meet the Medical Council of Canada requirements, which "usually includes completing the UK Foundation Programme and sitting the MCCQE exams".

What does the MBChB cost for 2027 entry, and what support applies?

Worcester's course page sets the home tuition fee at £10,050 in 2027/28, adding that "Tuition fees generally increase each year with inflation", and the international and EU fee at £49,300 a year. It also says the amounts of student support for 2027/28 "have not yet been confirmed", so the support figures it publishes, and those in the table below, are the 2026/27 rates. The Year 1 tuition split in the table (£3,665 and £6,125) is a 2026/27 figure, so it is not a breakdown of the 2027/28 fee of £10,050.

Source: University of Worcester, Medicine (Graduate Entry) MBChB course page, fees and funding tabs, and course fees page, read 17 October 2026.

In its 2026/27 funding for Years 2 to 4, Worcester's course page says "Tuition fees are partially paid by the NHS", with a Student Finance loan available for the balance. Two smaller points: Worcester's course fees page says its alumni discount "does not apply to our graduate entry Medicine MBChB course", and the course page says students "will be expected to own their own stethoscope and ophthalmoscope, particularly for clinical placements".

Is the Worcester MBChB accredited by the GMC?

Worcester answers on its course page: "Like all new medical schools this programme is undergoing the process of accreditation by the UK General Medical Council (GMC). This process will not be finalised until our first cohort is about to graduate. At any stage, including before admission of the first group, the GMC approval process can be halted."

The same section says that "the GMC require new medical schools to have a contingency plan", and that Worcester's plan "is in place to allow those students who have been enrolled and started as students on the Worcester course to complete their studies and receive a UK Primary Medical Qualification from an alternative awarding body". It adds: "Worcester's contingency school is Swansea University Medical School." The 2026/27 programme specification records that the programme "has been developed in association with the Swansea University Medicine School (SUMS) but has a distinct philosophy of its own."

Two other Worcester documents also refer to GMC status. Table 1 of the 2026/27 programme specification has the entry "Programme accredited by General Medical Council (GMC)", and Worcester's page for Canadian applicants, read on 17 October 2026, says "Our degree leads to a Primary Medical Qualification that is recognised by the GMC in the UK." For the current position, ask Worcester's Admissions Office (admissions@worc.ac.uk).

What do the four years look like across the three counties?

The 2026/27 programme specification describes "4 years, full-time, 45-week timetabled year (42 weeks in year 4)". Worcester's 2027 course page says that in Phase 1, Years 1 and 2, "the majority of the time will be spent on campus" in a problem-based learning group, and that "a total of 15 weeks is spent on placement in secondary care (hospitals)", with one day every three weeks in general practice that "amounts to a total of four weeks". The specification gives the hospital placements differently: "4 weeks in Year 1 and a total of 9 weeks in Year 2", which is 4 + 9 = 13 weeks. On the course page, Phase 2 is described this way: "Year 3 will consist entirely of long-term placements in primary and secondary care environments in the community", which Worcester's Medical School page calls "a unique third year", and in Year 4 students act "as an Assistant in both medical and surgical wards in one of the acute hospitals in the region".

Both the course page and the specification say teaching time "is up to 24 hours a week", with 4-8 hours of self-directed study timetabled and "around a further 10 hours" of personal study. The course page adds that placements "could be anywhere in the Three Counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, and can involve extensive travel around the region." Worcester's facilities page describes a £16 million Three Counties Centre for Health and Wellbeing, the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Building, where simulation and visualisation mean "there is no need for laboratories for cadaveric dissection".

Shortlisted applicants can book a free consultation to plan Casper and panel interview preparation with one of our medicine tutors. For other UK schools, see our UK medical school entry requirements directory.

Three Counties Medical School entry requirements: applicants' questions