Graduate entry to medicine: widening academic and socio‐demographic access

Objective  This study aimed to examine whether a graduate entry course widens access to medicine. Methods  We carried out a retrospective study at the University of Nottingham Medical School of socio‐demographic and academic data collected by the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS). Study participants comprised all applicants to the 5‐year (mainly school‐leavers) and 4‐year (graduates only) medical courses for admission in October 2003. Results  In 2002–03, there were 2392 applicants for the 5‐year course and 1235 applicants for the 4‐year course. Significantly, applicants for the 4‐year course comprised more males, were more socio‐economically deprived and had lower UCAS tariff point scores compared with applicants for the 5‐year course. These differences were preserved in those students who eventually started on either of the 2 courses in October 2003 (254 and 94 students for the 5‐ and 4‐year courses, respectively). Comparing entrants with non‐entrants (mainly rejected students), those joining the 5‐year course were younger, were less socio‐economically deprived, were more likely to be White and had higher UCAS tariff point scores than non‐entrants, but there were no significant gender differences. Those joining the 4‐year course were more likely to be White and had higher UCAS tariff point scores than non‐entrants. By contrast with entrants to the 5‐year course, entrants to the 4‐year course were significantly older than non‐entrants. Conclusions  Graduate entrants to medicine widen academic and socio‐demographic diversity in the medical school student population.