How to Apply to Life Sciences and Medicine at Brunel University of London: Biomedical Science, Biomedical Science (Biochemistry) and Medical Biosciences BSc, the Five-Year MBBS, Optional Placement Year, and Entry Requirements for Home, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Brunel University of London is a single-campus university in west London. Its life-science degrees sit under the Biomedical Sciences and Life Sciences subject areas, and Medicine is taught by Brunel Medical School. This guide sets out what you need to know for September 2027 entry, based on Brunel’s official pages, for UK applicants, international applicants (including students at high schools in China) and students who want to transfer into Year 2.

1. The life-science degrees and how to apply

You apply to a named course (UCAS course codes below), starting in September; each is 3 years full-time, or 4 years with a professional placement year between Years 2 and 3:

• Biomedical Science BSc (Hons): C902; with placement C903. Brunel says it is accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) and the Royal Society of Biology (RSB).
• Biomedical Science (Biochemistry) BSc (Hons): C904; with placement C905. Also described as accredited by IBMS and RSB, with a final-year project in a biochemical discipline.
• Medical Biosciences BSc (Hons): C726; with placement C727. Brunel says it has a wider choice of optional modules (such as genomics, neuroscience, psychology, ageing and disease mechanisms) and suits students who do not need IBMS registration and aim for research, pharmaceutical or biotechnology work, science communication or postgraduate study; its accreditation is given as RSB.
• Life Sciences BSc (Hons): LF01/LF02. The course page states “this course is closed”, so do not plan to apply to it.
• The subject pages also list nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, public health and sport and exercise science courses with their own requirements; they are not covered here.
• Placements: the subject page says all of its undergraduate courses offer a placement year after Year 2, in settings such as an NHS laboratory, a pharmaceutical company or a research institute.
• The subject page also says graduates of the accredited degrees are eligible for one year of Associate Membership of the Royal Society of Biology.

2. Entry requirements for the biomedical degrees (course pages, labelled 2026/7 entry)

• GCSE: at least five GCSEs including Mathematics (C/4), and either English Language (C/4) or English Literature (B/5).
• A-level: the standard offer is ABB including grade B in one of Biology, Human Biology, Chemistry or Physics (the same on all three biomedical courses); the summary says “ABB-BBB”, BBB being the contextual level. Contextual offers apply to UK undergraduate applicants who meet Brunel’s contextual markers, listed on its contextual admissions page (not among the pages used here).
• BTEC: National Extended Diploma DDM in Applied Science or Forensic and Criminal Investigation (as written on the Biomedical Science page); contextual offer DMM; a National Diploma plus an A-level at grade B is also listed.
• IB: standard offer 31 points including at least 5 in Higher Level Biology, Chemistry or Physics; contextual offer 30 points; GCSE English equivalent SL 5 or HL 4 and Mathematics SL 2 or HL 2.
• T levels: Merit overall in a related subject (Health, Healthcare Science or Science).
• Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers are not listed item by item in the course page text. The page says to contact admissions (admissions@brunel.ac.uk or +44 (0)1895 265265) if your qualification is not listed.
• Admissions tests and interviews: the three biomedical course pages do not mention an entrance test or interview.

3. What the biomedical courses look like

• Year 1: cell biology, anatomy and biochemistry, with laboratory and employability skills; compulsory modules include Anatomy, Histology and Physiology, Biology of the Cell and a Biomedical Sciences Training block.
• Year 2: the biochemical and molecular processes disrupted in disease, genetics and molecular biology, pathology and immune responses; compulsory modules include Bioinformatics, Clinical Biochemistry and Stem Cell Biology.
• Year 3: your own choice of modules, with an independent Final Year Project at the centre; Medical Biosciences also has a compulsory “Bench to Bedside” module on translational research.

4. Medicine (MBBS)

• Medicine MBBS: A100, 5 years full-time; 2027/28 fee £49,395 a year for international students and £10,050 for Home students. Brunel Medical School’s page says “UK and international students can apply”.
• Brunel says it is a new medical school under the General Medical Council’s quality assurance process, and will continue to be closely reviewed until the programme has been delivered and final-stage approval for the award of MBBS degrees is granted.
• Applying: for September 2027 entry, Home students apply through UCAS; international fee-paying students can also apply directly to Brunel. Brunel’s key-dates page shows the UCAS medicine deadline only as 15 October 2025 (for 2026 entry), so check the 2027 date on UCAS’s site. Brunel also has a page of approved agents for Medicine applications.
• Minimum requirements (course page, labelled 2027/8 entry): age 18 or over by 31 October 2027; five GCSEs at grade 6/B or above including two sciences, English Language at 4/C and Maths at 5/B; A-levels AAA including Chemistry or Biology, a second science (Chemistry, Biology, Physics or Maths) and any third subject (General Studies not accepted); IB 36 points including Higher Level 6 in Chemistry or Biology and Higher Level 6 in a second science; BTEC not accepted; graduates need a 2:1 in a relevant subject, or a master’s with Merit, within five years.
• Tests and interviews: international applicants do not need a UCAT or GAMSAT score; Home applicants are invited to interview based on UCAT or GAMSAT, with no set UCAT cut-off and no applicants with SJT Band 4 accepted. Interviews are a virtual Multiple Mini Interview (six virtual stations), ranked by total score, with a cut-off agreed by the Admissions Committee. Applicants meeting the widening-access criteria who succeed at the vMMI may get a lower contextualised offer.
• Other: work experience follows Medical Schools Council guidance; offers require an enhanced criminal record check (a Criminal Clearance Certificate for those living overseas) and occupational health and immunisation clearance.
• Whether Chinese high-school results or the gaokao can be used for MBBS is not given on the pages used for this guide; contact bms-admissions@brunel.ac.uk.

How to apply, timeline and institution code

• All full-time undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Brunel University of London’s institution code is B84, and the course code is on each course page; you can choose up to 5 courses. Part-time degrees are applied for directly on Brunel’s website instead. Check UCAS’s own site for its rules and deadlines.
• International applicants using one of Brunel’s registered agents may apply through the university’s online agent facility, but Brunel says this is only possible if you have not applied through UCAS and will not do so for that year of entry.
• Brunel’s “key dates” page shows the 2026 entry cycle: 14 January 2026 for the initial on-time deadline, 30 June 2026 for closing of the UCAS main system, and 15 October 2025 for Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Sciences. It does not show 2027 entry dates, so check UCAS and Brunel’s latest announcements. The page adds that many courses stay open for late applications after January.
• Note that most course pages label their entry requirements “2026/27 entry” (Medicine says 2027/8) while fees are labelled 2027/28; ask admissions whether requirements change for 2027 entry.

International applicants

• Qualifications: Brunel says each course page has a drop-down menu to find the entry criteria for most international qualifications. You must provide your full official transcript and certificate before you can register (and before a CAS is issued if you need a visa); if you are still studying, upload an interim transcript with your application.
• English: every applicant must show English language ability; the exact scores are on the course page. The biomedical course pages do not print specific English scores in their text (they only state the UKVI-approved SELT requirement and two-year validity), so check the English requirements section on the course page and Brunel’s English language page; the Medicine MBBS page lists IELTS 7.0 (no band below 7.0), Pearson 64 (64 in each part), BrunELT 7.0 and TOEFL printed as 5 (minimum 5), which again does not match the TOEFL figures on the English language page, so confirm with admissions. Brunel also has its own BrunELT test and pre-sessional English courses at its Language Centre. If you need a visa you must provide a UKVI-approved SELT result (for example IELTS for UKVI) taken within two years of the CAS. Brunel’s English language page says that in general courses ask for between IELTS 6.0 (TOEFL 77) and IELTS 7.0 (TOEFL 98), with some higher.
• Documents: a copy of the photo page of your passport (and any previous UK visas).
• Deposit: international students pay a £5,000 deposit towards tuition fees before a CAS is issued; details come in the offer email.
• Visa funds: Brunel’s international fees page says a Student visa application must show living costs of £1,334 per month for up to nine months (£12,006) plus first-year tuition; the Pathway College fees page says that for applications submitted on or after 30 November 2026 the London figure is £14,130 for nine months (£1,570 per month). The two pages differ, so check the current UK government and Brunel requirements.

Applicants from China

• Brunel’s China country page states that “There are no Chinese academic equivalents accepted for Undergraduate Bachelor degrees.” It does not say how gaokao results are used, nor give conditions for entering Year 1 of an undergraduate degree directly from a Chinese high school certificate, so how the gaokao is used is not given on the pages used for this guide; ask admissions (admissions@brunel.ac.uk) and the China country manager. The page offers an online form to contact the China manager and lists Brunel’s registered representatives in China.
• A route often relevant for students from China is the on-campus partner college, the Brunel University of London Pathway College (pathway.brunel.ac.uk). Its academic requirements page says for China: Foundation, for Business, Computer Science, Economics and Finance, Education, Humanities, Law and Social Sciences, the Senior Secondary School Graduation Certificate (3 years) with an average of 60%, or successful completion of Senior Middle School 2 with at least 70%; for Engineering and Health and Life Sciences, an average of 70% (or at least 80% in Senior Middle School 2) including an average of 80% in Maths or Physics; First Year Studies, a graduation-certificate average of 75%. The page adds that some Economics and Finance first-year courses have additional Maths requirements and to email info@pathway.brunel.ac.uk. The college’s Health and Life Sciences area lasts 2 semesters, with a September intake and a January intake for selected courses, on the Uxbridge campus. Foundation modules include Biology 1 and 2, Chemistry 1 and 2, ICT Skills and Maths for Science and Computing; afterwards you can progress directly to Biomedical Sciences BSc and Biomedical Sciences (Biochemistry) BSc, as well as degrees such as Psychology and Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences. Nursing, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy require a professionally focused interview during the foundation year and IELTS 7.0 (no less than 6.5 in each band). Pathway tuition for 2026/27 for international students: Foundation in Health and Life Sciences £17,450. The college also has a Gateway to Medicine Foundation Programme (MBBS) at £24,000, whose entry requirements were not among the pages used; application closed on 7 August 2026 for September 2026 and closes on 30 October 2026 for January 2027. Foundation students pay a 50% tuition deposit.
• Pathway College English: Foundation standard pathway IELTS 5.5 (no band below 5.5), “higher level” pathways 6.0; First Year Studies IELTS 6.0 (no band below 5.5). Students who do not meet Brunel’s direct-entry English requirement get an English module in their timetable. Check the college’s English requirements page.
• Pathway College deadlines (September 2026 cycle): application 21 August 2026 for most applicants, acceptance and deposit 28 August 2026, CAS 4 September 2026; January 2027 cycle application deadline 22 December 2026. September 2027 dates are not published on that page; check the college’s site. Pathway tuition and deposit are on the college’s fees page and summarised under the subject sections of this guide.

Fees and scholarships

• Tuition fees for 2027/28, from the course pages: Biomedical Science, Biomedical Science (Biochemistry), Medical Biosciences (and the now-closed Life Sciences BSc) are £22,445 a year for international students and £10,050 for Home students; Medicine MBBS is £49,395 a year for international students and £10,050 for Home students. Fees are per year and may rise; international fees may change by no more than 5% or RPI, whichever is greater. Fee status is Home or Overseas; ask admissions if unsure, as Brunel assesses fee status in detail only after an offer.
• Scholarships: Brunel’s international fees page says more than 100 scholarships are offered each year, worth up to £7,500 a year; the China country page says about 130 international scholarships each year, some up to £6,000 a year. The figures differ. Some awards need an application and others are considered automatically; if you qualify for several you receive the one with the highest value. The undergraduate fees page mentions a Vice Chancellor’s Undergraduate Excellence Award 2026/27, but its conditions page was not available among the pages used here; the Vice-Chancellor’s International Excellence Award is for postgraduate taught students. Use the filter tool on brunel.ac.uk/scholarships (level: undergraduate, location: international) and check the year of entry.
• Early payment discount: self-funded students who pay the full fee at or before registration may receive 2% off the net fee, with no application; it does not apply if a third party pays. There is also a family discount (10% off tuition for students whose family member is a current student, alumnus or staff member, for students starting in 2023/24 or later).

Transfer and Year 2 direct entry

• Brunel’s transfer page says most transfers are into Year 2, and Year 3 entry is also considered.
• Year 2: you are normally expected to meet the standard first-year entry criteria and to be completing, or to have completed, the first year of a similar degree. The admissions tutor reviews your first-year module specifications to check the content is similar to Brunel’s first year and that you have the background to join Year 2. You still apply through UCAS and choose Year 2 as the point of entry; you may email admissions (admissions@brunel.ac.uk) first with the course, your school and college grades, and your current course title and institution. A handful of courses may not take Year 2 entrants because of space or course structure.
• Year 3: you should have completed, or be completing, the first two years of a degree at an OfS-registered university (Brunel says it cannot currently accept HNDs or professional qualifications for transfer). The admissions tutor reviews your transcripts and module specifications; you apply through UCAS, and Brunel recommends emailing admissions first. A transfer policy PDF is linked on the page.
• Minimum transfer grades are not given on the pages used for this guide; ask admissions. Whether credit from a Chinese university would be recognised is not stated either; check with admissions.

What to check yourself

• UCAS deadlines for 2027 entry (including Medicine), and whether the entry requirements change for 2027;
• the English scores for the biomedical courses, the contextual-offer conditions and item-by-item requirements for Scottish and international (including Chinese) qualifications;
• how the gaokao is used, and the route from China into a biomedical degree or MBBS;
• the names, amounts and automatic or application-based status of undergraduate scholarships open to international students.