Medicine Clearing 2027: Can You Get Into Medicine Through Clearing?

Medicine places in Clearing are rare. A few medical schools have offered them, such as Birmingham in 2026, but others, such as Leeds, say they don't usually enter Clearing at all. When places do appear, expect to need strong grades and an interview. Clearing 2027 opens on 2 July 2027, and A-level results come out on 12 August 2027.

If medicine didn't go to plan, take a breath. Missing out this August doesn't end your chances. Swansea's medical school tells the story of a student who joined a science degree through Clearing and later won a place on its graduate entry medicine course. Below is what medical schools say about Clearing in their own words, then the routes that work if it doesn't.

Can you get into medicine through Clearing?

Occasionally, yes, but don't build your plan around it. Swansea University's medicine Clearing guide puts it plainly: "it is rare for spaces to become available through Clearing".

When places do come up, schools still select carefully. In Clearing 2026, the University of Birmingham listed medicine, phoned shortlisted applicants from 11:30 on results day and held online interviews on Thursday 13 and Friday 14 August 2026. It has since closed medicine for Clearing 2026 "due to unprecedented demand".

A few other things tend to stand in the way:

• Near misses. Brighton and Sussex Medical School says it "will not accept near misses" and that conditional offers must be met in full.
• The UCAT. BSMS also says the UCAT is only valid for one admissions cycle. If a school has Clearing places, ask if your score counts.
• Being turned down already. Portsmouth's dental school considers an application only once per admissions year, so it won't reconsider a main-cycle rejection through Extra or Clearing. Ask each school about this.

Which medical schools are in Clearing?

There's no fixed list. Here's what schools say on their own websites, and which year it applies to.

Queen Mary pointed students towards related science degrees and its medicine programme in Malta instead. Treat the table as a picture of how schools behave, not a 2027 list. From 2 July 2027, UCAS shows Clearing vacancies in its search tool, and that's where any real medicine places will appear.

When is medicine Clearing 2027?

Medicine follows the same Clearing calendar as other subjects. The Clearing dates are from UCAS. The results days come from JCQ and Qualifications Scotland.

For medicine, results day itself matters most: Birmingham's 2026 interviews ran that day and the next. Our UCAS Clearing 2027 guide walks through every step, and our A-level results day 2027 guide covers the day itself.

Can you get into medicine with A*A*B?

It depends on the school, and the 2027 rules differ:

• Leeds (2027 entry) asks for AAA including Chemistry and Biology. It says "an A* cannot compensate for a B in another subject, so we will not accept A*A*B instead of AAA".
• Edge Hill (2027 entry) accepts A*A*B or A*AB, as long as Biology and Chemistry are at grade A or above and your other subject is at least a B.
• Brighton and Sussex will consider resit applicants who dropped one grade in one subject, and gives A*A*B as an example. It still won't accept a near miss on results day.

So why don't the extra points help? An A* is worth 56 UCAS points and an A is worth 48, so on paper A*A*B can look stronger than AAA. But Leeds's rule shows how medical schools think: each grade is checked against the offer, not added up. See our medicine entry requirements guide for every UK school's rules, or our Leeds medicine entry requirements guide for Leeds.

Does UCL go into Clearing for medicine?

There's no sign that it does. None of the UCL medicine admissions pages we read mention Clearing, and UCL's general Clearing page says Clearing for 2026 has closed. A few more UCL rules leave little room for a late route:

• A high offer. The standard 2027 offer is A*AA, including A*A in Chemistry and Biology.
• No resits. UCL says it does not accept qualification re-sits, including re-starting Year 12.
• No transfers. Its admissions FAQs say it can't accept students wanting to transfer onto the MBBS from other courses.
• No waitlist. UCL's results day FAQs say that, due to high demand, it does not offer a waitlist for places that open up.

For scale, UCL's 2025/26 application data shows 2,092 applications for 337 places at UCL Medical School, excluding Clearing. Our UCL medicine entry requirements guide has the full picture.

What should you do if you miss your medicine offer?

First, check your UCAS application, because your firm or insurance choice may still confirm your place. If it hasn't, ring the medical school and politely ask if it will consider your grades. Some decide on the day: Plymouth's dental school says its panel advises on results day whether reduced grades will be considered, with no guarantee. Others, like BSMS, have already said no.

Next, open your Clearing Plus matches: UCAS shows your top 50 courses, and you can register interest. Our Clearing Plus guide explains how they work, and our page on what to do if you missed your grades covers the wider plan.

What are the best alternatives to medicine Clearing?

A foundation or gateway year

The Medical Schools Council lists "medicine with a gateway year" and "one-year progression to medicine" as course types for autumn 2027. Check each course's eligibility rules on its own page before you plan around it. Our medicine foundation year guide covers the 2027 courses and who can apply. For other subjects, see our guide to foundation years.

A related degree, then graduate entry

This is the route Swansea's student took, and several schools build a bridge into it:

• Birmingham says it runs a medicine-transfer programme from its Biomedical Sciences degrees, and pointed Clearing applicants to it in 2026.
• Swansea says students on its Pathways to Medicine degrees are guaranteed an interview for graduate entry medicine if they meet the minimum entry requirements.
• BSMS offers guaranteed interviews to eligible students on some life science courses at Brighton and Sussex. That's an interview, not a place.

The Medical Schools Council lists four-year graduate entry courses for 2027. Liverpool's (A101), starting August 2027, asks for a 2:1 in any subject (or a 2:2 plus a master's or PhD) and the GAMSAT, with about 12 home applicants per place. Not every school offers one: UCL says it has no four-year graduate programme. See UCAS points for biomedical science if that route appeals.

A gap year and a stronger application

Reapplying is a normal route, and the schools we checked welcome it. UCL accepts reapplicants but says taking more than one gap year would be a disadvantage, as would declining a medicine offer elsewhere to apply to UCL. BSMS welcomes reapplicants and says you must retake the UCAT.

Resit rules vary, so check before you plan a retake. From 2026 entry onwards, Leeds accepts one resit attempt per A-level without mitigating circumstances. UCL doesn't accept resits at all, and BSMS ordinarily considers resitters only if they dropped one grade in one subject. Our guide to retaking A-levels covers the practical side.

Is pharmacy in Clearing?

Pharmacy is a different story. In Clearing 2026, universities including Brighton and Greenwich advertised MPharm places. Greenwich describes its MPharm as a four-year degree that lets you apply for the training that can lead to registration as a pharmacist.

Don't assume Clearing means lower grades, though. Brighton's pharmacy Clearing page says:

• its entry requirements are approved by the General Pharmaceutical Council, "so we cannot reduce them for Clearing"
• MPharm applicants need an interview and a maths test
• you need GCSE English language and maths at grade 5 or B
• it doesn't accept foundation years completed at other universities.

Pharmacy can also keep medicine in view. Brighton says eligible pharmacy students earn a guaranteed interview with Brighton and Sussex Medical School. Our UCAS points for pharmacy page helps if a course states its offer in points.

Can you get into dentistry through Clearing?

Dentistry Clearing looks a lot like medicine:

• Newcastle's Dental Surgery BDS page says "This course is not available in Clearing 2026."
• Plymouth says it "very rarely" has dentistry places in Clearing, but you're welcome to call from early August. Its page doesn't give a year.
• Queen Mary's London dentistry wasn't in Clearing 2026.
• Portsmouth (September 2027 page) won't reconsider anyone unsuccessful in the main cycle for its BDS through Extra or Clearing.

Plymouth also runs a stage-one transfer into dentistry from its Biomedical Science or Medical Sciences degrees. See our pages on UCAS points for dentistry and what A-levels you need for dentistry.

How should you prepare for results day 2027?

A bit of planning now makes August calmer:

• Know your UCAS Personal ID. In Clearing, universities ask for it with your Clearing number.
• Shortlist backups now, such as pharmacy, biomedical science or a degree with a medicine pathway.
• Check UCAS search from 2 July 2027 for real vacancies.
• Only add a Clearing choice once the university has said yes, because adding it counts as accepting the offer.

Work out your UCAS points before results day