How to Apply to Life Sciences and Medicine Degrees at Bangor University: Biology, Marine Biology, Zoology, Biomedical Science, Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Medicine, With the Medicine and Pharmacy FAQ Accepting Only Permanent UK Residents — Admission and Entry Requirements for Home, International (Including Chinese) and Year 2 Transfer Applicants

Bangor University is in Bangor, North Wales. Its life sciences and medicine degrees sit in biological sciences, ocean sciences, medical sciences and the North Wales Medical School. This guide covers September 2027 entry for home applicants, international applicants (including students from China) and students who want to join Year 2. Biomedical engineering and nursing course details are not covered here.

1. Which courses there are, and how you are admitted

• Biology and biotechnology (biology subject page): Biology BSc (Hons) C100 (3 years), Biology MBiol C101 (4-year integrated masters), Biology with Foundation Year C10F (4 years); Biology with Biotechnology BSc C511 (3 years) and MBiol C510 (4 years).
• Marine biology: Marine Biology MSci C167 (4 years); Marine Biology and Zoology BSc CC13 (3 years) and MSci C169 (4 years); Marine Vertebrate Conservation BSc C355 (3 years) and MSci C356 (4 years).
• Zoology: Zoology with Conservation BSc C3L2 (3 years) and MZool CD34 (4 years); Zoology with Primatology BSc C329 and MZool C333; Zoology with Animal Management MZool C336; Zoology with Herpetology MZool C303; Zoology with Ornithology MZool C334 (MZool courses are 4 years). All are listed as full-time or part-time.
• Biomedical science and medical sciences (medical sciences page): Biomedical Science BSc B102 (3 years) and with Foundation Year B112 (4 years); Medical Sciences BMedSci B100 (3 years) and with Foundation Year B110 (4 years). Bangor states that the Biomedical Science BSc is accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) and includes an accredited NHS placement; the Medical Sciences BMedSci is a recognised feeder stream into Graduate Entry Medicine at Bangor; all students share a common first year and can switch between pathways. Additional entry requirements apply for Graduate Entry Medicine; see the course page.
• Pharmacology: Pharmacology BSc (Hons) B200 (3 years) and with Foundation Year B20F (4 years). Bangor places it in the North Wales Medical School; teaching combines laboratory classes, lectures, workshops and tutorials, assessed by exams, coursework and practical evaluation.
• Pharmacy: Pharmacy MPharm B230 (4-year integrated masters) and Pharmacy with Preparatory Year MPharm B231 (5 years). Bangor states that to become a pharmacist you need an MPharm, then foundation-year training and the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) registration exam; the course includes placements in real pharmacy settings and simulated environments.
• You apply to a specific course on UCAS. Bangor’s institution code is B06.

2. Medicine (BMBS): the international policy

• Courses: the medicine subject page lists Medicine BMBS A100 (5 years); Medicine (Graduate entry) BMBS A101 (4 years); and Gateway to Medicine (6 year) BMBS A103 (for Wales-domiciled students). The FAQ page says there will be approximately 90 places for 2027.
• International students: to the question “Do you accept international students?”, the Medicine and Pharmacy FAQ answers that Bangor currently only accepts applications from those with permanent UK residency on the date of application. Applicants born outside the UK or Ireland, living outside the UK or Ireland, or holding a nationality other than UK or Irish must provide proof of permanent UK residency and will be issued a fee status form. Whether a student in school in China without permanent UK residency can apply should be confirmed with admissions. The FAQ covers medicine and pharmacy together and the pharmacy subject page does not state its own international policy, so ask admissions about pharmacy.
• Dates: the UCAS deadline for medicine (2027 entry) was 15 October 2026 and has passed; applications after the deadline cannot be considered. The UCAT had to be booked before 16 September 2026, with the last test date 24 September 2026. Shortlisted applicants are invited in late November; interviews are 7-11 December 2026, in person in Bangor, as Multiple Mini Interviews; offers are issued in March 2027 and confirmed on A-Level results day in August.
• Selection: applicants meeting the entry requirements are ranked by UCAT score and the highest are invited to interview until slots are full; there is no fixed UCAT cut-off, and situational judgement scores are currently not considered. After interviews a threshold on interview score determines offers. GAMSAT is not considered; BTEC and Access qualifications are not considered; Level 3 (such as A-Level) resits are not accepted. Healthcare work experience is not required. Successful applicants need a DBS check and a health check.
• Contextual offers: the FAQ says eligible applicants may receive a contextual offer of AAB with compulsory sciences at A grade, and applicants with a Welsh First or Second Language GCSE may too. The standard A-Level requirement for medicine is not given as a number on the pages used here; see the course page.
• Accreditation: the FAQ says the North Wales Medical School is progressing through the General Medical Council approval process; GMC accreditation is completed only when the first intake is due to graduate; the contingency partner is Cardiff University School of Medicine.

3. Prerequisites

• Subjects and grades in biology, chemistry, maths or physics (A-Level, IB points, Scottish Highers and so on): the subject pages and the application page give no numbers, and the entry-requirements area of each course page is loaded by script and is not given on the pages used for this guide. Check each course page.
• Foundation or preparatory versions: the biology page describes this version as suited to those not quite meeting the three-year entry requirements; the medical sciences page says the Foundation Year provides basic but essential understanding of biological and chemical principles. Whether international students can apply is not stated.
• Admissions tests and interviews: apart from medicine (UCAT and MMI), the subject pages do not mention an admissions test or interview.

4. Timeline and process (2027 entry)

• UCAS deadline: for courses other than medicine the initial deadline for 2027 entry is 13 January 2027, and later applications are still welcomed; applications received between 25 February and 30 June continue to be forwarded by UCAS and are considered where places remain. UCAS Extra runs from 25 February to 1 July 2027 (not for medicine). Bangor advises applying early.
• Choices and statement: up to five choices and one personal statement of up to 4,000 characters; a reference from someone who knows you academically is needed. Check the UCAS application fee on the UCAS website.
• Other route for international applicants: Bangor says international students can apply through its online application portal as well as UCAS. Neither was used for this guide; check both.

5. Home applicants

• Fees: for full-time undergraduate Home students starting in September 2026 the fee is £9,790; the fee for September 2027 is not yet set and will be published after the Welsh Government confirms the maximum regulated fee. Home students can study first and repay once earning above the threshold; Bangor has separate funding pages for students from Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and a page for NHS-funded courses (which courses fall into that group is on the website).
• Contextual offers: Bangor uses POLAR4 and Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation postcode data and UCAS-supplied indicators to decide whether to make a lower offer, and says no offer is based solely on contextual data. The page covers the 2025/26 cycle; check whether it applies to 2027 entry. It also notes that the process reflects Bangor’s partnership with Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) on health professional training.

6. International applicants

• Academic level: direct entry to Year 1 needs a school-leaving qualification equivalent to A-Levels or the IB; international applicants must meet both the English and the academic requirements.
• English (undergraduate table on the English language page): Biological Sciences 6.0 (5.5); Medical Sciences 6.0 (5.5); Ocean Sciences 6.0 (5.5); Environment and Natural Sciences 6.0 (5.5); BN Nursing and BM Midwifery 7.0 (7.0); BSc Radiography 7.0 (6.5). Pharmacy and pharmacology are not listed separately; ask admissions.
• International college: the Bangor University International College International Year Zero routes read for this guide are Business and Management, Engineering and Computer Science, and Law, Media, Psychology and Social Sciences; there is no life sciences route among them. The China page describes International Year 1 for Business, Management and Finance. If your qualification is short of direct entry, you could look at the Foundation Year or Preparatory Year versions above; whether international students can apply is for the course page and admissions to confirm.
• Funds and visa: the international entry page gives no amounts or document list; visa information is on the student support pages, which were not used here.

7. Applicants from China

• Direct entry to a bachelor’s degree: the China page says students must satisfy one of the following: pass the Gao Kao; a good grade in Secondary School Senior plus a one-year Foundation Programme; a College Graduation Diploma (Dazhuan); a diploma from a selected partner institution; an IB Diploma with 28-34 points; or A-Levels with 112-136 UCAS points. Course-specific grades are on the course pages. Bangor does not say what Gao Kao score is needed, whether it varies by province, or which subjects each degree expects; ask the admissions office.
• English: IELTS 6.0 (5.5) or equivalent; TEM-8, TEM-4 and CET-6 are accepted if the result includes an oral assessment, otherwise a short online oral interview. Subject-specific IELTS levels are on the English language page, as above.
• Medicine: see above; currently only those with permanent UK residency.
• Transcripts and school documents: no list or authentication body is given on the pages used for this guide; ask the international admissions team.

8. Costs and scholarships

• International tuition (undergraduate fee table, headed September 2026 entry): Biological Sciences £20,000 a year; Zoology £20,000; Environmental Science and Forestry £20,000; Medical Science £21,000; Ocean Science £21,000; Nursing £21,000 (includes placement fee); Healthcare Science £19,000. Which band marine biology falls into, and the fees for biomedical science, pharmacology, pharmacy and medicine, are not listed on the pages used for this guide. The fee for September 2027 entry is also not given there; check the website.
• Placement and international experience years: a Placement Year costs £1,907 and an International Experience Year costs £1,430 for that year. Which courses offer them is on the course pages.
• Other costs: Bangor reminds applicants that course pages list additional compulsory costs such as field trips, equipment and core texts.
• Scholarships: the undergraduate list shows the Vice-Chancellor Scholarship (£10,000), the Deans Scholarship (£6,000 per year) and the International Scholarship (at least £4,000 per year), for all countries except the UK. The International Scholarship needs no separate application: international applicants are considered when they apply and the result is in the offer letter; criteria include course choice, academic performance, personal statement, references, skills and experience, and domicile; fully sponsored students are not eligible. Conditions for the other two scholarships were not read; check the website.
• Paid placement: Biomedical Science includes an accredited NHS placement; whether it is paid is not given on the pages used for this guide.

9. Joining Year 2 (direct entry)

• The international entry page says you can transfer into Year 2 if your earlier study at another university (UK or overseas) matches the level and content of Bangor’s first year; you must supply an official certified transcript. The China page adds that Year 2 entry will be considered for students with an HND or at least one year at a university overseas or in the UK.
• The pages used for this guide give no grade average, required modules, credit-transfer rules or deadline for the life sciences courses, and no transfer policy for medicine; ask admissions.

10. Checklist

• Pick the course and UCAS code. Medicine also needs the UCAT and an interview, and under the FAQ it is currently closed to applicants without permanent UK residency.
• For courses other than medicine the initial UCAS deadline for 2027 entry is 13 January 2027, and later applications are still welcomed.
• Check A-Level or IB subjects and grades, and whether international students can take Foundation or Preparatory versions, on each course page; ask international admissions how Gao Kao is used.
• Rely on Bangor’s fee page; the table is headed September 2026 entry.

Sources (Bangor University website): Biology; Medical Sciences; Medicine; Pharmacy; Pharmacology; FAQs Studying Medicine and Pharmacy; How to apply; International entry requirements; China country page; English language requirements; International tuition fees; International scholarships; International Scholarship; New undergraduates: fees and funding; Contextual admissions; BUIC International Incorporated Bachelors. Check UCAS for deadlines and the application fee. Information is for September 2027 entry (medicine dates are for the 2027 entry cycle); check Bangor’s website for the latest details and each course page for its own requirements.