How to Apply to Life Sciences and Medicine at Queen Mary University of London: Direct Entry to Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience, Pharmacology and More, the Five-Year MBBS in Medicine, and Requirements for UK, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

Queen Mary University of London’s biology-related degrees are taught in the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, while medicine and dentistry sit in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry; the main campus is Mile End in east London. UK undergraduate applications are made directly to a course through UCAS, and Queen Mary’s institution code is Q50. This guide, based on Queen Mary’s official pages, covers September 2027 entry for UK applicants, international applicants (including students at high schools in China, and A-level and IB candidates) and students who want to transfer into second year. Psychology, biomedical engineering and other subjects listed separately on the website are only mentioned where they overlap.

1. Degrees

For 2027 entry, the school’s course pages give these UCAS codes (BSc (Hons), three years unless stated, with four-year year abroad versions):

• Biology (C100, with Year Abroad C10Y). The biology page says students can transfer onto a Year in Industry version after a satisfactory year 1, with the placement in the penultimate year; this version has no separate 2027 UCAS code on the page.
• Biochemistry (C700, with Year Abroad C70Y, and with Year in Industry/Research 3W45 over four years) and Biochemistry MSci (C701, four years; with Year Abroad C71Y, five years).
• Biomedical Sciences (B990, with Year Abroad B99Y).
• Medical Genetics (C431, with Year Abroad C43Y).
• Neuroscience (B140, with Year Abroad B14Y).
• Pharmacology (B215, with Year Abroad B22Y, and with Year in Industry B2Y2 over four years).
• Zoology (C300, with Year Abroad C30Y).
• Biological Sciences with Foundation (CCX2, four years): a shared foundation entry route to the degrees above; you complete a foundation year and then must meet the progression requirements.

• You apply for a specific course: Queen Mary warns that a wrong UCAS code may not be changeable later.
• After enrolling: the biology page allows a transfer onto the year in industry version after a good year 1; conditions for switching between other courses are not given on the pages used for this guide, so ask the school.
• Teaching: the biology page describes lectures, tutorials, classroom activities and laboratory work, with 20 to 25 hours of preparation, writing up and reading outside class each week, and a final-year research or investigative project assessed by a written report. Compulsory fieldwork costs nothing extra; optional fieldwork requires you to pay your own flight and contribute to accommodation and food (examples are South Africa and Croatia).
• Biomedical engineering and other subjects are only mentioned here and were not read in detail; psychology has its own course page.

2. Entry requirements (course pages, 2027 entry)

• Biology C100, Zoology C300, Medical Genetics C431: A-level ABB including Biology; IB 32 points with 6,5,5 at HL, including HL Biology.
• Biochemistry C700: A-level ABB including Chemistry; IB 32 points (HL 655) including HL Chemistry. The 3W45 year in industry/research version and the MSci C701, C71Y ask for A-level AAB including Chemistry and IB 34 points with 6,6,5 at HL including HL Chemistry.
• Biomedical Sciences B990, B99Y: A-level AAB including Biology plus a second science (Chemistry, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics or Psychology); IB 34 points with 6,6,5 at HL, including HL Biology and a second HL science.
• Neuroscience B140, Pharmacology B215: A-level ABB including Biology or Chemistry plus a second science (Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics). The IB entry reads 32 points with 6,5,5 at HL including HL Biology and Chemistry. The pages differ: the A-level wording is “Biology or Chemistry” while the IB wording is “Biology and Chemistry”, so ask the school.
• With Foundation CCX2: A-level CCC including Biology or Chemistry plus a second science (Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics or Psychology); IB 26 points with 4,4,4 at HL, including HL Biology or Chemistry and a second HL science.
• GCSE English and Mathematics at grade C or 4. Access to HE science diplomas can be considered with 60 credits (45 at Level 3; 18 at Distinction and 27 at Merit or higher, or 9 and 36 for the foundation entry); Queen Mary may ask for an interview, and does not make offers purely on grades. For BTEC see Queen Mary’s BTEC page; alternative offers may be made to applicants taking the EPQ.
• Admissions tests and interviews: the course pages do not mention admissions tests; the only interview reference is that Access applicants may be asked to attend one.
• Contextual offers: Biology, Zoology and Medical Genetics standard BBC (B in Biology); Biochemistry BSc standard BBC (B in Chemistry), with the industry-year and MSci versions BBB (including Chemistry); Biomedical Sciences standard BBB (including Biology and a second science); Neuroscience and Pharmacology standard BBC (BB in Biology or Chemistry plus a second science).

3. Medicine (MBBS)

• The five-year MBBS in Medicine (UCAS code A100) is run by the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry; the course page gives £56,650 a year for overseas students and £10,050 for UK students.
• Entry requirements on the course page: UCAT in the fourth decile or above with SJT bands 1 to 3; A-level A*AA (achieved in one sitting over no more than two years) including Biology or Chemistry plus a second science (Chemistry, Biology, Physics or Mathematics); IB 37 points with 666 at HL including Chemistry or Biology plus another science; BTEC not considered; graduates need a 2:1 or above with supporting Biology and Chemistry; six GCSEs at 777666/AAABBB including Biology, Chemistry, English and Mathematics, which are not expected of international students who do not take GCSEs. The standard contextual offer is AAA. Applicants must be 18 by mid-September. The page does not describe interviews; ask the faculty.
• In the UCAS application you can choose only four medicine and dentistry courses, and there is an earlier deadline (see above). Queen Mary also offers a Malta-based medicine programme (applied for directly), a four-year graduate-entry medicine programme (shown as open only to those who qualify for home fees) and intercalated degrees for students of other medical schools; these are not covered further here.
• The MBBS is not eligible for the Global Talent Scholarship, and transfers are not possible: the transfer page says programmes in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry accept entry to the first year only, and repeat study is not allowed. English: Queen Mary’s English page puts the undergraduate programmes of the Blizard Institute and the Institute of Health Sciences Education in Band 5 (IELTS 7.0 with 6.0 in each part); which band applies to the MBBS is not stated on the course page, so check.

How to apply, deadlines and fees

• Apply through UCAS with institution code Q50. A UCAS application has up to five choices; to apply for more than one course at Queen Mary, make a separate entry for each. Queen Mary warns that you should use the correct course code because it may not be possible to change it later. Check UCAS for the process and the application fee, which are not given on the Queen Mary pages used for this guide.
• Deadline: Queen Mary’s apply page says the equal consideration deadline for most courses is 13 January 2027 and encourages early applications; there are more flexible deadlines for international applicants, though early applications are recommended for popular courses, and applications after the deadline are still considered for most courses. Its “Key dates and deadlines” page still shows 2026-entry dates (such as 14 January 2026), which does not match the apply page, so rely on the apply page and UCAS. Medicine and dentistry have an earlier UCAS deadline (the older key dates page gives mid-October); the exact date for 2027 entry is not given on the pages used for this guide.
• Queen Mary aims to process a complete application within four weeks, longer at peak times. Do not post original certificates or transcripts. It does not take extenuating circumstances into account when assessing academic qualifications (they should be raised with your school or exam board), which is separate from its contextual admissions.
• Personal statement and reference requirements are not given on the Queen Mary pages used for this guide; check UCAS and the course page. Applicants from Crimea/Sevastopol, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria are asked to contact the admissions team to register their interest first.

UK applicants: qualifications, fees and funding

• The course pages list A-level, IB, BTEC and Access to HE Diploma requirements; they do not set out Scottish Highers or Advanced Highers separately, so ask the admissions office. GCSE English and Mathematics at grade C or 4 are generally required.
• Contextual admissions: each course page gives a standard and an enhanced contextual offer (see the entry requirements above); the eligibility criteria are on Queen Mary’s contextual admissions page.
• Tuition: the course pages give a UK fee of £10,050 for September 2027 entry, while the university fees page says £9,790 from September 2026; the figures differ, so rely on the course page and Queen Mary’s latest announcement. How fees differ between England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland is not set out on the pages used for this guide; check the fees page and your regional funding body.
• Funding: UK students accepted on the course can apply for tuition fee and maintenance loans from Student Finance England or other government bodies; Queen Mary says its scholarships and bursaries benefit around half of its undergraduates, with additional funding for students from the local area. The scholarship page lists a Queen Mary University of London Bursary assessed automatically from the information given to Student Finance England; the amount was not read.

International applicants (including Chinese applicants): English, qualifications and scholarships

• English language: Undergraduate programmes in the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences are in English Band 3: IELTS Academic 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each of writing, listening, reading and speaking. (Medicine-related departments are in Band 5; see the medicine section above.) Equivalent scores for other accepted tests are on Queen Mary’s English requirements page; a summer pre-sessional English course may help if you fall short. Jointly run degrees follow the English band of the “home” department.
• International qualifications: Queen Mary accepts a wide range of European and international qualifications besides A-levels, the IB and BTEC; country-by-country requirements are on its international admissions country pages and are not listed on the course pages used for this guide.
• International Foundation Year: a one-year programme whose science and engineering pathways lead to degrees in subjects such as mathematics, physics, biological sciences and chemical sciences; if you meet the progression requirements, progression to Queen Mary degrees is guaranteed. Queen Mary’s fees page gives £25,500 for 2026-27 for an international student starting the one-year International Foundation Year; see the foundation pages for pathways and entry requirements.
• Automatic scholarship: the Global Talent Scholarship is for international-fee-status, self-funded students holding an offer for September 2027 entry, worth up to £20,000 (£5,000 a year over a standard four-year degree), awarded automatically with no application and notified at the point of offer. You must exceed the standard offer by one step: courses with a standard offer of ABB (such as Biology, Zoology, Medical Genetics, Biochemistry, Neuroscience and Pharmacology) need AAB (IB 34, HL 665), and courses with a standard offer of AAB (such as Biomedical Sciences and the Biochemistry industry-year and MSci versions) need AAA (IB 36, HL 666). It is renewable each year with an average of 65% or above. It is not available for second-year entry or transfer students and cannot be combined with other Queen Mary scholarships or fee discounts. Ineligible programmes include accountancy, dentistry and medicine (full list on the scholarship page). The scholarship page also links to an overseas equivalences PDF, which was not read for this guide.

Applicants from China

• Queen Mary’s China page says students who complete A-levels or the IB can apply directly for undergraduate degrees, and recognised foundation results are also accepted; students with the Chinese senior high school graduation certificate can apply for Queen Mary’s undergraduate foundation programmes (the International Foundation Year).
• Gaokao: Queen Mary’s China page lists the schools that accept the Gaokao as the School of Physical and Chemical Sciences (all programmes), the School of Mathematical Sciences (all programmes), the School of Engineering and Materials Science (Materials Science only) and the School of Economics and Finance. The School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences is not on the list, so whether the biological science degrees can be applied for directly with the Gaokao is not given on the pages used for this guide; email admissions@qmul.ac.uk to confirm.
• Foundation routes: the course page says international students with Year 12 or a completed international high school certificate qualify for the one-year foundation programme (called the ISEFP) or can apply for the four-year “with Foundation” degree; at the end you must meet the progression requirements for the degree. The International Foundation Year is applied for directly to Queen Mary, while integrated foundation degrees are applied for through UCAS (see Queen Mary’s apply page).
• Transcripts, huikao materials, credential-evaluation bodies and interviews are not given on the pages used for this guide; check Queen Mary’s international country pages or contact the admissions office.

Transfer and second-year entry

• Queen Mary’s transfer page says that, depending on the course, it may be possible to join the start of Year 2 (RQF Level 5) of a standard three-year degree, but it is not possible to transfer into the final year. Apply through UCAS and choose the point of entry (for example, point of entry 2 for second-year entry); direct applications are not accepted.
• Normally expected: a 2.1 (60% UK grading) achieved or on track in your current degree; the subject requirements of the course you want (met by A-level or other Level 3 qualifications, or by modules in your current degree); and a current syllabus similar to Queen Mary’s, as judged by academic selectors reviewing your modules. You provide evidence of your studies (an interim transcript if unfinished) and module descriptors or a course handbook. Offers also depend on places and suitability and on each School’s policy; a transfer can affect funding, visa and accommodation.
• If you do not meet the Year 2 requirements you could consider repeating Year 1, but academic regulations do not allow the same modules or content to be repeated, so it may not be possible to redo the same programme.
• The School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences’ own transfer policy is not set out on the course pages used for this guide; ask the admissions office. Medicine and dentistry do not accept transfers (see the medicine section above).
• For international students: the Global Talent Scholarship is not available to applicants for advanced (second-year) entry or transfer students (see the scholarship section above).

Fees

• International (overseas fee status): the course pages give £34,750 a year for Biology, Biochemistry (including industry year and MSci), Biomedical Sciences, Medical Genetics, Neuroscience, Pharmacology and Zoology, £26,750 a year for Biological Sciences with Foundation (CCX2) and £56,650 a year for the five-year MBBS.
• UK students: £10,050 a year on the course pages (see the note above on the different figure on the university fees page).
• The fees page also says Queen Mary may raise international fees by a standard amount each year (no more than 10% for 2026-27), that overseas students taking a Year in Industry pay £4,300 (no year is labelled; check it), and that home students pay lower amounts for placement or year-abroad years. A few courses have compulsory field trips with a separate fee.

Checklist

UK applicants:

• A-level: most biology degrees ABB (Biology or Chemistry as required), Biomedical Sciences AAB; GCSE English and Mathematics C/4
• Apply through UCAS by 13 January 2027 (earlier for medicine) with the correct course code; ask about Highers

International applicants (including China):

• IB mostly 32 points (HL Biology or Chemistry as required for the course), Biomedical Sciences 34; Medicine 37 (HL 666) plus the UCAT
• Gaokao: the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences is not on Queen Mary’s Gaokao list, so confirm with admissions or use the International Foundation Year (which has a biological sciences pathway) or CCX2
• IELTS 6.0 (5.5 in each part); the Global Talent Scholarship may be awarded automatically (not for Medicine)

Transfer students:

• Apply through UCAS with point of entry 2; 2.1 (60%) and a similar syllabus; no entry to the final year; medicine first year only

Sources: Queen Mary University of London, Biology course page (2027 entry); Biochemistry; Biomedical Sciences; Medical Genetics; Neuroscience; Pharmacology; Zoology; Medicine (5 year MBBS); How to apply; Key dates and deadlines; Transfer and advanced entry; English language requirements; Entry requirements for China; International Foundation Year; Undergraduate tuition fees; Global Talent Scholarship, undergraduate (September 2027); Find a scholarship. Course information is for September 2027 entry; check Queen Mary and UCAS for the latest details, especially dates and amounts that are not labelled with a year.