Undergraduate admissions statement

This statement should be read in conjunction with the Universitys admissions principles and
procedures.
Year of admissions cycle: 2014
Courses covered:
MBChB Medicine (A100 standard entry, 5 years)
MBChB Medicine (A101 graduate entry, 4 years)

Admissions process
1. Admissions team
Applications assessed by centralised team in close co-operation with Admissions Tutor/s.
2. Application assessment methods
The following procedure applies to all applicants who meet the UCAS application deadline of
15th October. We cannot consider any applications submitted after this date.
Each application is considered independently by the Medical Admissions Team.
All applications are considered on an equal basis. Applications are not segregated by the
type of educational institution attended. All applications are acknowledged by email on
receipt (starting in mid-September), to establish contact and inform the applicant of the
process to be followed. Applications that are received on time (in accordance with the
deadlines of the UCAS application cycle) are guaranteed equal consideration.
Applications are scored on a range of academic and qualitative criteria (see section 2 -
Criteria for Assessing Applicants). Applications are then sorted into 3 categories: i)
Automatic Interview ii) Hold or iii) Unsuccessful, according to agreed thresholds.
Applicants in category i) are invited for interview.
Applications in category ii) not selected for automatic interview are put on hold until
later in the application cycle when a review of the thresholds and the number of
interviewees might result in some of these applicants being invited for interview.
Applicants in category iii) are notified through UCAS that their application has been
unsuccessful. For questions regarding feedback, please see the Universitys
Applicant Feedback and Complaint Procedures:
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/university/governance/policies/app-comp-proc.html
UCAS applications from applicants who are deemed to have experienced educational
disadvantage, as defined in section 7.5 of the Admissions principles and Procedures, may
also be passed to a member of our Widening Participation Group for second reading.
Applicants are not discriminated against on grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender,
sexuality, religion, disability (other than the nationally-set requirements of fitness to
practise) or age (although it is unlikely that applicants who will be under 17 on entry would
be able to demonstrate sufficient life experience to fulfil the selection criteria).
All applications are allocated scores on the academic record and the personal
statement/reference; the combined score determines which applicants will be invited to
attend an interview. The weighting is as follows:
Academic score: 20%
Personal Statement/Reference score: 80%
Applicants for A101 (graduate entry, 4 years) who have been unsuccessful cannot transfer
their application to the A100 (standard entry, 5 years) programme, and will not be
considered for the 5-year programme instead by default. Applicants may apply for both
programmes, but if successful, would only be made an offer for one.
Applicants are not discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality,
gender, sexuality, religion, disability, or age.
3. Interview or visit day
No offers for Medicine are made without the applicant first attending an interview. This does
not mean that we interview all applicants (see Section 6).
4. Correspondence with applicants
The University sends all applicants an e-mail to acknowledge receipt of their UCAS form. If a
disability has been declared, a questionnaire is also sent.
Applicants will be contacted by email to inform them of any of the following changes to their
application status:
Application is unsuccessful before interview stage
Application is on hold and may be invited to an interview at a later date
Applicant is being invited to attend an interview
Applicant has received an offer post-interview
Applicant is on hold after interview
Applicant has been unsuccessful at interview
The email inviting applicants to interview will direct applicants to an online booking facility
allowing them to register themselves for an available date.
5. Deferred applications
Applicants can apply for deferred entry for the 5 year (A100) course, but in fairness to the
following cycle of applicants we can only make a limited number of deferred offers in each
cycle. We do not consider deferred applications for the 4 year graduate entry (A101) course.
It will not be possible to defer an application once it has been submitted, either before or
after a decision has been made.

Criteria for assessing applicants
1. Academic entry requirements
Academic entry requirements for standard qualifications (A-level, SQA, IB, Access, BTEC,
Welsh Baccalaureate, EB and GCSEs) can be found in the online Undergraduate
Prospectus: www.bris.ac.uk/prospectus/undergraduate/2014
Other qualifications, including international qualifications, will be considered on their
individual merits; further information is available at: www.bristol.ac.uk/international/study-at-
bristol/how-to-apply/country-specific
2. Additional academic criteria
Credit is given for 3 full A-levels taken within a two-year period; a fourth A-level will not
confer an advantage, but applicants are expected to have studied 4 distinct subjects to AS-
level.
Please note the Medical School does not accept General Studies and Critical Thinking.
Credit is also given for the best 8 GCSE subjects at A*/A. Applicants who did not achieve the
minimum required GCSE results in their first sitting can apply with resits achieved or
pending.
Applicants who do not fulfil the entry criteria, or who are re-sitting their A-levels, are unlikely
to be invited for interview.
A101 (graduate entry, 4 years) onl y
A101 students at the University of Bristol are exempt from the following two A100 modules:
Molecular Basis of Medicine MCBoM UniT:
www.bris.ac.uk/esu/unitprogcat/UnitDetails.jsa?ayrCode=13%2F14&unitCode=M
EDI11120
Student Selected Component SSC 1 & 2:
www.bris.ac.uk/esu/unitprogcat/UnitDetails.jsa?ayrCode=13%2F14&unitCode=M
EDI22130
We therefore need to assess A101 applicants undergraduate degree content to ensure they
have already covered equivalent subject matter. Applicants who have not studied this
content within their undergraduate degree will not be eligible for the 4-year programme, but
may apply for the 5-year A100 programme. We do not consider degrees taken outside the
UK or applications from international fee-payers.
Applicants for A101 (graduate entry, 4 years) will be expected to supply their degree module
results in full, either within their UCAS application or sent directly to the Admissions Office at
the time of submitting their application. The Selection team will then assess whether their
grades to date and degree content are suitable. We aim to select a diverse range of suitable
degree subjects and previous experiences. Applicants are expected to reach 2.1 standard in
all relevant modules.
3. Personal statement criteria
Has the applicant demonstrated:
a realistic interest in Medicine?
life skills?
a wide range of interests?
acts of altruism and voluntary work?
communication and interaction skills?
Each of these is scored on 0-4 scale.
For detailed information on what each criterion includes and how it can be evidenced in your
personal statement, see the course profile on the UCAS website (via course search).
4. Reference criteria
References are read in conjunction with the personal statement and used as supporting
information.
Applicants with an adverse comment from their referee are unlikely to be successful.
5. Additional Tests
We do not require applicants applying to our Medical programmes in the 2014 cycle to take
any additional admissions test (e.g. UKCAT, BMAT, GAMSAT) and scores from these tests
are not used in our selection processes.
6. Interview
The purpose of the interview is to provide the applicant with an opportunity to demonstrate
evidence of skills and attributes that are appropriate to a career in Medicine and to display
insight into a range of topics related to a career in medicine. Applicants are invited to attend
a multiple mini interview (MMI) assessment, and in addition usually a tour of the Medical
School and the University Precinct and Halls of Residence.
The assessment will use MMIs. Applicants will move around a series of 10 MMI stations,
each taking 5 minutes, and will be assessed on a particular criterion at each. Each station
will be directed by one or two interviewers as appropriate. Interviews are undertaken in
accordance with the University's policy on equal opportunities. At least one member of the
interviewing staff is trained in fair and effective recruitment, and at least one interviewer is a
member of the Medical Admissions Committee.
Applicants to whom an offer of a place will be made are selected from the top-rated
interviewees.
All interviews in the 2014 cycle will take place at the University of Bristol.
7. Mature applicants
Mature applicants who are not applying straight from formal education would be expected to
demonstrate recent academic study (ie. within 5 years of applying).
8. International applicants
All interviews in the 2014 cycle will take place at the University of Bristol.
Currently, 19 places (7.5% of the total intake) are available for applicants liable to pay
Overseas fees. Only the highest rated applicants are selected for interview. Overseas
fee-payers and/or holders of non-UK degrees are not eligible to apply for A101 (the
Graduate Entry programme).
International applicants will be subject to the criteria as detailed here:
www.bristol.ac.uk/international/countries
We also consider applications through the Common Application system, and the same
criteria and assessment used for UCAS applicants are applied.
9. English Language requirements for non-nati ve speakers
All applicants are required to demonstrate that they have sufficient ability to understand and
express themselves in both spoken and written English in order to benefit fully from their
degree course.
English Language requirements can be found in the Undergraduate Prospectus and
at: www.bristol.ac.uk/ug-language-requirements
The specific IELTS standard required for this programme can be found in our online
prospectus:
www.bristol.ac.uk/prospectus/undergraduate/2014/sections/MDYF/dept_intro
10. Contextual information
We take a holistic approach to all applications, ensuring that the educational and social
context in which an applicant applies is taken into consideration, where supported by clear
evidence that this may have adversely affected academic achievement. This may include
time spent in Local Authority care, information about which is provided in the UCAS
application. Such applications will have one grade lifted for their academic score: e.g. an
AAB applicant will be awarded the same academic score as an AAA applicant. Applicants
still need to satisfy specific subject requirements.
We also consider evidence of clear motivation to study. This may include attendance at a
University summer school, a targeted Access Scheme (such as Access to Bristol or
Realising Opportunities), or participation in other higher education outreach activities.
We do not take the following into consideration when making admissions decisions: the
school type attended by an applicant, or whether an applicants parent has any experience
of higher education.

Offers
Typical offers for A-levels and other UK qualifications can be found in the entry data in the
online Undergraduate Prospectus. Offers to applicants with non-standard qualifications will
be made equivalent to the published A-level offer.
We may make lower offers based on whether an applicant is deemed to have experienced
educational disadvantage, as defined in section 7.5 of the Universitys admissions principles
and procedures.

Other
1. Transfers
It is not possible to transfer to Medicine from another course or other university.
It is not possible to enter year 2 of a Medicine programme.
2. Additional information
Criminal Records Check
All medical students are required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check,
in line with most applicants for health-related programmes in the United Kingdom.
Occupational Health Clearance
All offers are made subject to satisfactory occupational health clearance, and a form is
issued in May with a specific deadline in early J une. If this is not returned by the deadline, an
applicants place may be at risk.
It is the responsibility of the Medical School to ensure that students accepted on the course
are able to complete the training and achieve the competencies required by the General
Medical Council (GMC) for full registration after the first year of the foundation programme.
The Medical School must consult the GMC if there is doubt and if it proposes a modification
of experience to achieve the competencies. A clear plan to enable a disabled student to
achieve competency must be agreed before the student enters the course. Not all disabilities
limit the experience of doctors in training in this way, but applicants should disclose any
disability on their UCAS application forms and be prepared to release their medical details,
in order for us to assess the situation. Failure to disclose a disability which might impinge
upon an applicants capacity to ultimately carry out their required duties in full will be
considered unprofessional. This could put at risk their fitness to practise and might
jeopardise their place on the medicine programme.
Applicants with a disability
The sequence of events during the assessment process is as follows:
i) All applications are acknowledged
ii) Applicants with a declared disability who have been selected for interview should
contact the universitys Disability Services to discuss any support requirements they
may need at interview. Disability Services can also offer appropriate and accessible
support, plus advice about funding available for disabled students. Please note that
during the admissions interview, the applicants disability will not be considered or
discussed.
iii) If following the interview, it is agreed that the applicant should be offered a place on
the programme, the applicant will be made an offer subject to satisfactory
occupational health clearance.
iv) If the applicant has declared a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia, dyspraxia
or AD(H)D, the applicant will be advised to contact Disability Services, who may
request additional information (e.g. post-16 educational psychologist report). Any
concerns identified by Disability Services in relation to student support and
alternative arrangements and/or any fitness to practise concerns for an individual
student will be referred to the Faculty Disability and Health Panel via the Faculty
Disability Officer.
v) For all other disabilities, a Pre-course health questionnaire will need to be
completed and returned to the Occupational Health Service. The Occupational
Health Service will be responsible for assessing the health questionnaire according
to recognised clinical and professional standards. The Occupational Health Adviser
or Physician will forward their report to the Faculty Disability Officer who will present
it, if necessary, to the Disability and Health Panel for the consideration of any health
issues which could impact on fitness to practice.
vi) The Panel membership may include the Faculty Education Manager, Director of
Student Affairs, Pre-Clinical Programme Director, Chairman of the Medical
Admissions Committee, Occupational Health representative, Disability Services
representative, Clinical Dean, Equality and Diversity Manager, Faculty Disability
Office, Psychiatrist, GP and Medical Admissions Co-ordinator.
vii) If the Panel is satisfied that the applicant is capable of undergoing standard
Foundation training, correspondence confirming any support, requirements or
conditions will be sent.
viii) If the Panel is not satisfied that the applicant is capable of undergoing standard
Foundation training, correspondence explaining the reasons will be sent, and the
offer will be withdrawn.
However, if appropriate, an application would be submitted to the General Medical Council
on the applicants behalf, to request approval of an alternative pattern of training. If this
request were to be turned down, the applicants application to the medical course would also
have to be turned down.
For further information on the available support arrangements, please see
http://www.brisol.ac.uk/disabilityservices

Contacts for enquiries
Any enquiries should be addressed to the Undergraduate Admissions Office: med-
admissions@bristol.ac.uk or +44 (0)117 928 7679.