Medicine

5 Reasons to Study Medicine at Bangor

Choosing where to study Medicine is a big decision. At Bangor, we offer a learning experience that’s personal, practical and rooted in community. From bilingual learning and small group teaching to immersive clinical placements in one of the UK’s most beautiful regions, here are five reasons why students choose to begin their medical journey with us.

We know that starting a Medicine programme is a major step. It’s one of the longest and most demanding degrees, so we make sure support is built in from the start. Every student is assigned a dedicated personal tutor, and our academic teams are always on hand to guide you through both the challenges and the milestones.

Our learner-centred approach means you’ll benefit from small group teaching and close contact with lecturers. In Year 1, you’ll explore real-life patient stories through Case-Based Learning, helping you connect scientific knowledge with clinical practice and placing the patient at the heart of your studies.

Studying Medicine in Wales, a bilingual country, helps you develop valuable communication skills. You’ll learn to work confidently with patients whose first language may differ from your own, and gain experience consulting with interpreters a skill that’s essential across the UK and internationally.

North Wales offers a rich and varied clinical training ground, from rural GP practices to mountain rescue scenarios. During Year 2, the Year 3 LIC, and placements in Years 4 and 5, you’ll gain experience in remote, rural and mountain medicine. A highlight of the programme is our Rural Health Simulation Day, delivered in partnership with Mountain Rescue, the Welsh Ambulance Service, RNLI, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, and specialist staff from the University and Health Board.

There are many opportunities during year 2, the Year 3 LIC and across Year 4 and 5 placements to gain experience of remote, rural and mountain medicine in the stunningly beautiful North Wales geographic setting.
The programme includes a unique Rural Health simulation day ‘in the field’, delivered in partnership with voluntary services including Mountain Rescue, Welsh Ambulance Service, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, RNLI and specialist University and Health Board staff.

Our Courses

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Dean of Medicine Dr Nia Jones

"Welcome to the North Wales Medical School, where compassion, connection, and social accountability guide our mission. Through excellence in education, impactful research, and meaningful engagement with patients and communities — respecting language and culture — we’re working together to make a lasting difference in healthcare."

a male student doctor wearing blue scrubs looking at an anatomical model of a skeleton

medical student Jack Hamerton

"We’re lucky to have a small course size that makes us feel more like a family than a standard degree course. My favourite part of the course so far has been having 1:1 time with my GP tutor to feel confident in my skills and my ability as a medical student. The thing I’m most looking forward to is being able to fully embrace my training and hopefully become the kind of doctor I aspire to be."

Video: North Wales Medicine School

Accreditation process

The 2024 commencement date for the North Wales Medical School Medicine programme has been agreed with the GMC. The North Wales Medical School curriculum has been academically validated by the Quality and Validation unit of Bangor University through a process involving external medical educational expertise.

All UK medical schools are regularly reviewed by the General Medical Council (GMC), the professional regulator for Medicine responsible for ensuring high standards for medical education detailed in their document “Promoting excellence: standards for medical education and training”. In addition, all new medical schools are subject to rigorous scrutiny by the GMC.

The North Wales Medical School is progressing through the GMC approval process to award a Primary Medical Qualification. GMC accreditation is only completed when the first intake of students is due to graduate.

To protect students, new medical schools must work with a ‘contingency’ partner, an established medical school able to provide support and willing, if GMC quality standards are not met for any reason, for students to transfer and graduate from the contingency school. The contingency partner school for the North Wales Medical School is Cardiff University School of Medicine.

Course Structure

Our five-year BMBS Medicine programme is designed to build your knowledge, confidence and clinical skills step by step. From foundational science to immersive placements in local communities, each year brings new opportunities to grow as a future doctor.

Your first year focuses on the essentials — medical sciences, clinical skills, communication and professionalism. You’ll begin developing the core knowledge and behaviours needed to become a competent doctor. Early patient contact is a key part of the experience, helping you connect classroom learning with real-world scenarios from the very start.

In Year 2, you’ll take part in Community-Based Learning and explore Student Selected Components that reflect your interests. A highlight of the year is the Rural Health Simulation, where you’ll work alongside doctors and paramedics and other services to respond to a simulated rural emergency. This experience gives you insight into the challenges of delivering healthcare in rural settings and helps you build confidence in clinical and communication skills.

Year 3 is all about continuity and connection. You’ll be embedded in a local community and GP practice for the full year, following patients through their journeys in both primary and secondary care. This immersive placement helps you understand the real impact of medical conditions and treatments, and deepens your appreciation of holistic, patient-centred care.

In Year 4, you’ll begin to focus on more specialist cases and apply the core skills you’ve developed in new clinical settings. The year includes a range of specialist placements and another Student Selected Component, giving you the chance to tailor your learning and explore areas of interest in greater depth.

Your final year is designed to prepare you for the Foundation Programme and your future career in the NHS or postgraduate study. You’ll consolidate your learning, refine your clinical judgement, and gain the confidence to step into your role as a newly qualified doctor.

Interested in Graduate Entry Medicine?

There are a few important requirements for applying to graduate-entry medicine that prospective applicants should be aware of. We strongly recommend reading the full course information to ensure you understand all the details.

A101 Medicine (Graduate Entry) Course Information

It's important to note that all Graduate Entry Medicine (A101) students will need to undertake a three week long Summer School prior to commencing Phase 1 of this programme. Students must attend this in person. This will include clinical skills and an introduction to case based learning and will take place in August before the start of the academic year - usually starting on the Tuesday after the August Bank Holiday.

This degree pathway is open to applicants completing our recognised feeder streams who are due to graduate with least at upper Second Class Honours with one of the following qualifications:

BSc (Hons) Medical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University (B210)*
BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University (BC97)*
BMedSci (Hons) Medical Sciences, Bangor University (B100)
BSc (Hons) Medical Sciences, University of South Wales (B901)

Applicants from these feeder streams do not need to undertake an additional entrance exam.

Other entry criteria applies, please ensure you read the entry requirements in full.

A101 Full Entry Requirements

We will also consider applications from graduates of degree programmes relevant to medical studies, including Dental graduates.

Applicants:

must have graduated with at least an upper second Class degree
must normally commence the course no more than 3 years after graduation from their undergraduate degree or relevant postgraduate study. This period may be extended for those currently working in a relevant healthcare field.*
applicants will be assessed on an individual Recognition of Prior Education and Learning (RPEL) basis, including an assessment of level 2 and 3 qualifications, degree transcripts, relevant work experience and a formal knowledge assessment. The RPEL assessment and assessment of all other criteria, must take place before the entrance exam and interview. Please note, while the RPEL assessment is an integral element in our shortlisting criteria, successfully meeting the RPEL criteria does not in itself guarantee an invite to sit the entrance exam and interview.

Applicants must contact the University to arrange an RPEL assessment prior to submitting a UCAS application. Please read the entry requirements in full.

A101 Full Entry Requirements

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