Schools, colleges and community

AccessLeicester: Medicine

Two students working with a medical dummy.Are you thinking about studying medicine at the University of Leicester when you finish school or college?

Want to receive lots of support with your application, a lower offer and guaranteed interview*?

Are you from Leicestershire?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, then AccessLeicester: Medicine is the programme for you. Through this 18-month programme you will have the opportunity to:

  • Attend a variety of medicine related conferences
  • Attend a medicine residential summer school
  • Get support with your UCAT admission test
  • Attend a mock medical school interview
  • Learn about different disciplines within Medicine
  • Experience other Allied Health Professions

*dependent on the minimum required UCAT score being attained.

Applications for AccessLeicester: Medicine 2023/24 have now closed. If you are in Year 11 and interested in joining the programme in Year 12, please complete the form to register your interest.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for AccessLeicester: Medicine, you must meet all of the essential criteria and two or more of the priority criteria. Please also read the section below regarding Medicine (A100) and Medicine with a Foundation Year (A199).

Medicine (A100) and Medicine with a Foundation Year (A199)

At the University of Leicester we run both a 5-year Medicine degree (A100) and a 6-year Medicine with a Foundation Year degree (A199). These 2 degrees have different entry requirements, including required GCSE grades. Students wishing to apply to AccessLeicester: Medicine must meet the entry requirements for the A100 5 year Medicine course.

Essential criteria

You must meet all of these essential criteria:

  • You must be a Year 12 or equivalent (lower sixth) student at the point of application and must be studying at least three A-Levels studying either Biology or Chemistry and one of the following; Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Psychology or studying a BTEC National Extended Diploma in Applied Science
  • You must currently attend a non-selective state school/college/sixth-form (i.e. you do not pay for your education)
  • You must have attended a non-selective state school for your secondary education (11-16)
  • You must be living permanently in the UK and within a one hour drive of the University of Leicester
  • You must have achieved a minimum of grade 6 (B) at GCSE in English Language, Maths and two Sciences (Biology and Chemistry or Double Science).

Priority criteria

  • You are currently living in or have experienced local authority care for a period of at least three months in the last ten years
  • You are a Young Adult Carer
  • You have a disability/long term health condition and are in receipt of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
  • You are living independently of your parents (for at least the last 6 months) due to situations of family breakdown or 'estrangement'
  • You are in receipt of, or entitled to Pupil Premium and/or discretionary payments/16-19 bursary at school or college
  • You received free school meals during secondary school
  • You would define yourself as being one of the priority engagement groups which include students from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, refugees and children of military families
  • You live in a ’low participation’ neighbourhood or an area of high financial, social or economic deprivation. This is defined by your home postcode
  • You come from a home where neither parent/carer attended university in the UK or abroad
  • You have attended a secondary school where the Key Stage 4 (GCSE) performance is lower than the national average (based on Attainment 8).

For each priority criteria you match, we will need you to provide supporting documentary evidence. For a full list of the evidence required for each criteria please see the 'priority criteria - supporting evidence' section below. Evidence will be submitted as part of the application process, so please be ready to provide copies of these documents upon request.

Priority criteria – supporting evidence

For each of the priority criteria you match, you will need to provide supporting documentary evidence as part of the application process. Please be ready to submit these upon request.

  1. You are currently living in or have experienced local authority care for a period of at least three months in the last ten years.
    Please provide supporting documentary evidence from one of the following (on headed paper):
    • Social Services/Local Authority
    • A statement from your care worker
    • A statement from your school/college.

  2. You are a Young Adult Carer.
    Please provide supporting documentary evidence from one of the following (on headed paper):
    • Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Carer’s Allowance statement/letter
    • Carer’s support group
    • Social Services/Local Authority
    • Your relatives NHS or Private Support Worker
    • A letter from your GP.

  3. You have a disability/long term health condition and are in receipt of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
    Please provide supporting documentary evidence from one of the following:
    • Confirmation of your receipt of the ‘enhanced’ rate in either the ‘daily living’ and ‘mobility’ components, OR the ‘standard’ rate in both components
    • A statement from your school/college.

  4. You are living independently of your parents (for at least the last 6 months) due to situations of family breakdown or 'estrangement'.
    Please provide supporting documentary evidence from one of the following (on headed paper):
    • Estranged student support group/network, such as StandAlone or the Unite Foundation
    • Social Services/Local Authority
    • A letter from your GP
    • A statement from your school/college.

  5. You are in receipt of, or entitled to Pupil Premium and/or discretionary payments/16-19 bursary at school or college.
    Please provide supporting documentary evidence by a statement from your school/college.

  6. You received free school meals during secondary school.
    Please provide supporting documentary evidence by a statement from your school/college.

  7. You would define yourself as being one of the priority engagement groups which include students from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, refugees and children of military families.
    Please provide supporting documentary evidence by a statement from your school/college.

  8. You live in a ’low participation’ neighbourhood or an area of high financial, social or economic deprivation. This is defined by your home postcode.
    You can check to see if you live in an eligible postcode by using the postcode checker on the Office for Students website. An eligible postcode will return "quintile 1" or "quintile 2" for ‘POLAR4' in the 'Measure - quintile' table (just to the left of the map).

  9. You come from a home where neither parent/carer attended university in the UK or abroad.
    If one or more parent is currently studying their first degree, or graduated from their first degree within the last five years, an application will still be considered);
    • Higher Degree (eg MA, MSc, PhD, PGCE)
    • First Degree (eg BA, BSc, BEng)
    Please provide supporting documentary evidence to confirm this by downloading the 'parent/carer confirmation form (PDF, 625kb)' and asking your parents to complete it.

  10. You have attended a secondary school where the Key Stage 4 (GCSE) performance is lower than the national average (based on Attainment 8).
    We will assess this on your application using school performance data available on the Gov.uk school performance website. You do not need to submit any evidence for this item.

Back to top
MENU