When do Medical Schools Start Interviewing?
Now that your UCAS application has been submitted, it’s time to turn your attention to your interviews. At the MSAG, we highly encourage preparing for your interviews early. Developing your technique and knowing your personal statement inside out are crucial to your interview success.
We’ve written this blog to give you a good idea of when your interview may happen. We’ve got in touch with all the medical school admissions committees in the UK. We’ve asked them when they’re likely to start interviewing.
We have also listed when all the medical schools send interview invites on our blog to help you prepare.
When do Medical Schools send invites?
**Disclaimer: The source of the information and the date is listed below. In the majority of cases, it applies to Undergraduate medical school interviews. However, we have indicated where it may differ for Graduates and International students. Please note that these dates are subject to change.*
| University name | Interview dates | Source of information |
| University of Aberdeen |
Interviews start on 14th December and run through to February 2019. After Christmas, the next interview dates are 21st - 23rd January 2019. If you were travelling around Christmas, you would be able to pick an alternative date and time. |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| Aston University |
Interviews start in mid-December 2018, most likely on 13th December.They continue after New Years and throughout January. The last dates are in February 2019. |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry |
Between January and February 2019 |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| University of Birmingham |
26th November to 14th December 2018. 11th January to 15th February 2019 |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| Brighton and Sussex |
MMIs are held during admission days, which BSMS aim to hold in December and January |
Medical school website on 05/11/2018 |
| University of Bristol |
Tuesday 27 November 2018 |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| University of Cambridge |
Varies based on the college that you apply for. Advised to contact the college directly. |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| Cardiff University |
4th December - 18th December; 10th January - 24th January |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| University of Dundee |
In the weeks commencing 3rd December, 10th December 2018 and 14th January 2019. |
Via email with the admission office on 31/10/2018 |
| The University of Edinburgh |
Not applicable as they don’t do interviews! |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| University of Exeter |
End of November to February 2019. There are fewer interview dates before Christmas than after. Confirmed dates include December 14th 2018 & 9th January 2019. |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| University of Glasgow |
Week commencing 10th December 2018 7th, 8th & 11th February 2019 International (non-EU) applicants may be invited to the Malaysia Interview Hub. They will be emailed details of the location in January or February 2019. |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| Hull York |
To be confirmed |
|
| Imperial College London |
Interviews are held between the beginning of December 2018 until the end of March 2019 |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| Keele University |
Interviews are held between December 2018 through to March 2019. There are planned dates up until 20th December and then they will restart again from 11th January.
If you are given a date and cannot make it, you are allowed to make one change to your interview date. This has to be for a valid reason e.g. you're out of the country. |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| King's College London |
The admissions team are still working out how many interview dates will be required based on application pool via UCAS. Normally the interviews run between November and April. Due to the high level of demand, the university would not be able to offer an alternative interview date. |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| Lancaster University |
The interviews will commence from the second half of January 2019 into last week of February. They normally run 1 or 2 interview days per week. |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| University of Leeds |
14th - 18th January 2019 21st and 22nd January 2019 28th - 31st January 2019 1st February 2019 |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| University of Leicester |
Week commencing 10th December, 17th December, 31st December, 7th Jan, 11th February.
Last year, the interview dates were given to candidates in advance. They could then select when they could attend. As a result, they cannot guarantee a change if you’re unable to make your interview date. Changes are only made under exceptional circumstances. You are recommended to contact the school immediately if you cannot make the dates. |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| University of Liverpool |
28th January 2019 4th February 2019 11th February 2019 |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| University of Manchester |
The interviews will be held either side of Christmas from the mid-end of December 2018 and early January 2019. They may run into February 2019. The university is usually able to offer interviews for international applicants in Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai and Mauritius. |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| Newcastle University |
There is a week of interviewing between Monday 17th - 21st December 2018. The majority of interviews will be conducted between 14th January - 30th January 2019. |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| Norwich |
Interviews start at end of November and continue until February 2019. You can ask for an alternative date if you cannot make the date that you have been given. |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| University of Nottingham |
The interview dates are not set as yet. Interviews tend to occur between December and January. Last year, interviews ran between the beginning of December to beginning January. Specifically, the week commencing 18th and 19th December 2017 and the 4th and 5th January 2018. |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| University of Oxford |
Interviews are held over two sets of days. 9th to 10th December - includes a one stay night 10 to 11th December - includes a one stay night |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| Plymouth University |
Undergraduate program: January 14th to 16th and January 23rd to 24th 2019 |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| Queen's University Belfast |
There are 4 interview dates: 16th, 17th and 18th January 2019 13th March 2019 |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| University of Sheffield |
Interviews are held throughout November and December 26th - 30th November 2018 3rd - 7th December 2019 12 - 14th December 2019 |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| University of Southampton |
Undergraduates: Thursday 6th December 2018 Friday 7th December 2018 Tuesday 5th February 2019 Wednesday 6th February 2019 (plus International applicants) Monday 11th February 2019 Tuesday 12th February 2019 (plus International applicants) Thursday 28th February 2019
Graduates: Wednesday 30th January 2019 Thursday 31st January 2019 Monday 25th February 2019
Widening Access: Monday 25th February 2019 Monday 4 March 2019 |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| University of St Andrews |
Interviews held between the end of November & the beginning of December. There are two dates in this time frame before Christmas 2018. Interviews restart at the beginning of January and run through to March 2019.
Swaps of dates are only offered on a case by case and you would have to contact the school directly. |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| St George's, University of London |
Interviews are held between December and April |
University website on 05/11/2018 |
| University of Sunderland |
Mid December until February |
By email with the admissions office on 5/11/2018 |
| Swansea University |
For Graduate entry program: Interviews are held during the last week of February and right through to March 2019. |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| University College London |
Interviews run between December and March 2019. The upcoming interview dates are 12, 13th and 18th December 2018. Next date after Christmas is 9th January. Then, interviews run on a rolling basis till the end of March 2019.
During January, UCL usually interview graduate applicants, overseas students and those on a gap year. UK school-leavers are normally interviewed in February and March. Candidates are given two weeks notice before their interview. |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
| University of Warwick |
17th December (afternoon only), 18th December & 19th December 2018 |
On the phone with the university 3rd week of October 2018 |
So, now that you know when your interview is likely to be, what next?
Start preparing for those interviews. You’ll be amazed how quickly they come around once you get your invitations to interview.
We hope that the information in this blog post has been helpful. Now you can spend less time checking your email inbox and more time preparing for your interviews. Good luck!
