UCAT for Canadian Students: The Complete 2026-27 UK Medicine Application Guide

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Canadian students applying to a UCAT Consortium university’s medicine course for 2027 entry must sit the UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test) — the same computer-based admissions test used by University College London, King’s College London, Imperial and the other UK and partner universities in the UCAT Consortium, sat once per cycle on a 900–2,700 point scale. Unlike a UK school-leaver, a Canadian applicant has two extra points to check: how each school’s published A-level or IB requirements apply to a Canadian qualification, which is best confirmed with each school’s admissions team; and where they can test, because Pearson cannot deliver online proctored OnVUE exams to candidates with a registered address in Quebec. This guide covers where Canadian students can sit the UCAT, what UK medical schools publish about entry requirements and routes for Canadian students, what UCAT scores were reported in 2025, and what a UK-trained doctor should check before registering to practise back in Canada.

Which UK Medical Schools Use the UCAT, and Do Canadian Applicants Need It?

For 2027 entry, the UCAT is required for the relevant courses at University College London, King’s College London and Imperial College London, alongside the other UK and partner universities that ucat.ac.uk lists as UCAT Consortium members. According to the official UCAT Consortium test format page, the UCAT assesses a range of mental abilities identified by university medical and dental schools as important, in four separately timed multiple-choice subtests. Candidates sit the test in Pearson test centres, scored on a combined 900–2,700 scale (three cognitive subtests scored 300–900 each, plus a Situational Judgement Test reported separately as Band 1 to Band 4). You may only sit the UCAT once in any test cycle, and UCAT delivers your result directly to the UK universities among your UCAS choices that require it, so you do not need to submit it yourself.

Our UCAT hub page covers the full national picture of which universities require the test; this page focuses specifically on what changes for Canada-based applicants.

Where Can Canadian Students Sit the UCAT? Test Centres, Fees and the Quebec Exception

The UCAT is delivered in Pearson test centres across the UK and in 130+ countries worldwide, and ucat.ac.uk points candidates to the Pearson Test Centre Locator to find their nearest test centre. Booking for the UCAT 2026 closed with the 16 September 2026 deadline, and the last test day was 24 September 2026; ucat.ac.uk says instructions on how to register and book for the UCAT 2027 will be published in March 2027.

UCAT also offers online proctored testing (OnVUE), sat at home or in another private location using the Pearson OnVUE platform, for candidates unable to test at a test centre who meet certain criteria, including living in a country where the nearest test centre is a significant distance or travel time away. However, according to the UCAT Consortium’s own OnVUE eligibility page, Pearson cannot deliver online proctored exams to candidates with a registered address in China (including Macau), Cuba, Iran, North Korea, the province of Quebec (Canada), Syria, Russia, Belarus and some regions of Ukraine. Quebec is the only Canadian province named on that list, so candidates with a registered address in Quebec cannot take the UCAT online at home and need to test at a Pearson test centre. OnVUE UCAT testing for 2026 took place between 13 July and 20 September 2026, and applications to sit it have closed.

Sitting outside the UK also means a higher fee: ucat.ac.uk’s FAQs list £70 for tests taken in the UK and £115 for tests taken outside the UK. The UCAT bursary scheme is open to UK candidates who meet the UCAT eligibility and bursary criteria, so applicants testing from Canada should check those criteria on ucat.ac.uk.

UCAT Format 2026: Sections, Timing and Scoring Explained

Abstract Reasoning was removed from the UCAT in 2025, so the test now has four separately timed subtests and a maximum total score of 2,700. The standard test runs to just under two hours in total, with no negative marking — every question is worth attempting, since a wrong answer costs nothing.

If you test in a Pearson VUE test centre, you receive your UCAT score report before you leave; UCAT then delivers your result directly to your chosen UK universities in early November, and you do not need to submit it yourself or include it on your UCAS application.

Can Canadian Students Apply to UK Medical School Without A-Levels?

Check each school’s requirements before assuming a Canadian provincial high school diploma will be accepted on its own: King’s College London, Manchester, Bristol and Glasgow publish their requirements as A-level or IB grades, and Manchester asks applicants to contact its admissions team to check specific requirements for their country before applying. King’s College London lists required A-levels of A*AA, while Manchester and Bristol list a typical offer of AAA including specific subjects. On the International Baccalaureate route, Bristol lists 36 points overall with 18 at Higher Level, including Higher Level Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics, while Glasgow lists 38 points (6,6,6 at Higher Level) with Higher Level Chemistry and Biology. Because the requirements above are stated in A-level or IB grades, a Canadian applicant should ask each school early how their provincial qualifications are assessed.

In practice, what a Canadian applicant needs depends on the school and on the qualifications they hold: some schools publish IB requirements, as above, and St Andrews runs a separate programme for Canadian students (see below). For any other qualification, including AP scores or a provincial average, the school’s admissions team is the place to ask. Because the qualifications you study are settled well before you apply, Canadian families benefit from mapping out the qualification route at the same time as UCAT preparation, not afterwards.

What Do UK Medical Schools Publish for Canadian and International Applicants?

Medical schools publish their own entry requirements for international applicants. The table below sets out what a selection of schools state on their own pages; always confirm the requirements directly with each university’s admissions office, since each school publishes its requirements for a specific entry year.

Budgeting matters here too: international tuition fees differ by school, so check each school’s fees page; St Andrews, for example, says that fees for the A990 programme are yet to be set. English language requirements are set school by school: Manchester asks for an IELTS average of 7.0 with not less than 6.5 in any one component, Bristol for 7.5 overall with 7.0 in all skills if English is not your first language, Glasgow for 7.0 with no sub-test under 7.0, and Queen’s Belfast for 7.5 overall with a minimum of 7.0 in Speaking and Listening and 6.5 in Reading and Writing.

St Andrews’ A990 Programme: A Different Route Into UK Medicine

Alongside its standard A100 medicine route, the University of St Andrews runs a separate six-year programme, course code A990 (Medicine BSc (Hons) A990), designed for Canadian students; its A100 page points overseas applicants who are Canadian resident, or who have Canadian residency rights, to that route. Students spend three years at St Andrews studying for a BSc (Hons) in Medicine, then progress to the University of Edinburgh to complete their medical training over three years, graduating with an MBChB. St Andrews describes a partnership with the University of Alberta that offers mentoring, residency guidance and opportunities to gain experience of the Canadian healthcare system, and says graduates are supported in applying for residency positions in Canada.

This route sits alongside, not instead of, the standard A100 route; St Andrews lists an application deadline of Thursday 15 October 2026 for both A100 and A990, and the minimum UCAT scores selected for interview for 2026 entry differed between them, so Canadian families should check with St Andrews admissions which route fits their circumstances. See our St Andrews medical school guide and Queen’s Belfast medical school guide for more on these two schools.

What UCAT Score Do Canadian Applicants Need? Score Benchmarks by Medical School

UCAT results are used differently by each school: ucat.ac.uk says some universities set a threshold score, while others weight the UCAT alongside factors such as academic achievement, and St Andrews says it cannot predict the cutoff scores for the upcoming year. The published figures below give a planning reference, not a cut-off.

Our UCAT score requirements guide covers benchmarks across the full range of UK medical schools if you are weighing up a wider list of universities.

From UK Medical School Back to Canada: GMC Registration and Canadian Licensing

A UK medical degree is the start of the registration process rather than the end of it, and this is one of the most important planning points for Canadian families considering a UK medicine route with an eventual return home. After graduating from a UK medical school, doctors can apply to the General Medical Council (GMC) for provisional registration. Provisionally registered doctors can only practise in approved Foundation Year 1 (F1) posts, and on completing F1 they become eligible to apply for full registration, which is needed for unsupervised practice in the UK.

For a UK-trained doctor who later wants to practise in Canada, the requirements should be confirmed directly with the medical regulator of the province or territory concerned, rather than assumed from UK registration. Check the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) requirements for internationally trained graduates before choosing a route. Canadian residency applications run through the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS), which describes itself as a national, independent, not-for-profit organization providing the application and matching service for medical training throughout Canada. St Andrews says graduates of its A990 programme are supported in applying for residency positions in Canada; anyone considering a different UK route should confirm the Canadian requirements before choosing a school.

A Step-by-Step UCAT Preparation Timeline for Canadian Students

UCAT registration for the 2026 cycle opened on 20 May 2026 at 14:00 UK time, booking opened on 23 June 2026 and the last test day was 24 September 2026, so the 2026 window has passed. The steps below show how to structure preparation for the next cycle, once ucat.ac.uk publishes its dates.

Start of preparation: Sit a full past UCAT paper cold to establish a baseline and identify your weakest subtest. Register your UCAT account as soon as registration opens for the cycle you are sitting.

Early preparation: Book your Pearson VUE test centre appointment as soon as booking opens; if you struggle to find one, ucat.ac.uk suggests looking at alternative dates, times and test centres, and checking the booking system at a later date. Begin targeted work on your weakest subtests, using the official UCAT preparation resources.

Middle of preparation: Timed full mock tests under real exam conditions, alternating all four subtests, with error analysis after each sitting.

Final weeks before your test date: Light, targeted review of remaining weak areas plus a final full mock under strict timing.

Key UCAT Dates, Fees and Registration Steps for Canadian Students (2026 Cycle)

For a wider view of test-centre logistics by country, see our UCAT test centres guide for international students, and if you are also weighing a law application alongside medicine, our UCAT and LNAT guide for Canadian students covers both tests together. Our international students admissions tests hub and UCAT preparation guide give further general context.

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Reviewed September 2026: dates, figures and rules checked against the UCAT Consortium (ucat.ac.uk) test dates, booking, test format, statistics, fees and OnVUE pages, St Andrews' medicine entry requirements, A100 and A990 pages, and the King's College London, Manchester, Bristol, Glasgow and Queen's Belfast medicine pages.

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