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MB BS

Medicine with a Gateway Year

Our Medicine with a Gateway Year programme is a widening participation initiative designed to facilitate access to Medicine for those from under-represented backgrounds.

Study type Problem based learning
Entry requirements
A Level ABB-BBC
5 GCSEs at 9-4 / A*-C
Admissions Test UCAT
Biology practical

A different kind of medical school

Introduction

Your journey to becoming an outstanding doctor starts here

We’re committed to identifying the best possible applicants to study Medicine, regardless of personal circumstances or background.

Our six-year Medicine with a Gateway Year programme is a widening participation initiative designed to facilitate access to Medicine for those from under-represented backgrounds. Applicants must meet our eligibility criteria to apply for this programme. Applications are welcomed from students that meet our contextual eligibility criteria, particularly those from the Hull York Medical School region.

Ranked fifth in the UK*, our Medicine programme is innovative, distinctive, and specifically designed to meet the challenges of 21st century healthcare, truly preparing you for life as a doctor.

The Gateway Year forms the first academic year and is based on the University of Hull campus. This year will support your transition from school or college to university, providing an excellent foundation in human biology and clinical skills so that you feel confident entering Year 1.

The Gateway Year offers hands-on learning in our anatomy labs, as well as modules including professionalism and ethics, health and society, and medical scholarship.

You will also have placements within our local area to help you develop the communication skills, confidence, and empathetic approach to delivering care that are the hallmark of our graduates.

On successful completion of the Gateway Year, you progress to Phase I of the Medicine programme.

At the end of your studies, you will graduate thoroughly prepared for clinical practice, with an MB BS degree awarded jointly by the University of Hull and the University of York.

UCAS Discover Fairs

We'll be visiting UCAS Discovery Fairs across the country this summer. Come along to meet us and find out more about studying Medicine at Hull York Medical School.

  • Middlesbrough, 30 April, Teesside University
  • Sheffield, 6 June, Utilita Arena Sheffield
  • Newcastle, 13 June, Utilita Arena Newcastle
  • Leeds, 18 - 19 June, Leeds Beckett University
  • Hull, 25 June, University of Hull
  • Lincoln, 26 June, University of Lincoln

Key Information

UCAS Code A108
Institution Code H75
Start Date September 2026
Duration 6 years
Home Intake 40
International Intake 0
Study Type Problem Based Learning

Entry Requirements

A Level ABB-BBC
5 GCSEs at 9-4 / A*-C
Admissions Test UCAT
Entry requirements and eligibility criteria
Applying to Medicine
Book an Open Day Download a prospectus
Medicine student on placement at James Alexander Family Practice

CURRICULUM

A dynamic three phase programme

Our three-phase programme will equip you with the knowledge and skills to become a confident, capable doctor:

Gateway Year

The Gateway Year focuses on facilitating your transition from school or college to university, bringing your scientific knowledge up to the required standard, and enhancing your study skills while teaching you about professionalism and the NHS.

You will visit clinical environments from the very start of the programme, spending time with healthcare professionals.

This hands-on experience will be supported by a combination of small group teaching, self-directed learning, lectures and clinical skills sessions, ensuring you are able to transition smoothly and confidently into life as a medical student.

Medicine with a Gateway Year students in a histology workshop

Years 1 and 2

In Phase I, problem based learning (PBL) sits at the heart of the curriculum, providing a patient-centred context for your training.

Each week, under the guidance of your PBL tutor, who is an experienced clinician, your PBL group will identify what you need to know to understand a hypothetical patient case.

Your clinical placements, anatomy sessions, clinical and communication skills sessions, lectures, workshops, and your own self-directed learning will provide opportunities to deepen your understanding of the issues raised by the PBL case.

You will also undertake research-related study as part of the Scholarship and Special Interest Programme, acquiring skills to help you develop as an independent scholar.

Medicine students in ED at Hull Royal Infirmary

Years 3 and 4

In Phase II, you will experience full-time clinical placements in GP surgeries and community settings (primary care) and hospitals (secondary care). You will rotate through different specialisms and locations, developing your clinical, history-taking, examination and problem-solving skills with patients, under the supervision of dedicated clinical tutors.

Our placement sites are in Hull, York, Grimsby, Northallerton, Middlesbrough, Scarborough and Scunthorpe.

You will continue to attend seminars, teaching sessions and clinical skills practicals at our dedicated teaching facilities within each hospital site. Our friendly student liaison teams are also based here, to ensure you receive support while on placement.

Medicine student on a clinical placement with Dr Laura Cunliffe

Year 5

In Phase III, which is the final year of the programme, your clinical placement rotations will continue throughout the region in primary and secondary care settings.

The final year of your programme will prepare you for the next stage of your medical training and support your transition to becoming a junior doctor.

Even more emphasis will be placed on your being a member of a multidisciplinary medical team, gaining experience of on-call and out-of-hours duties.

You will continue to attend teaching sessions and clinical skills practicals at our dedicated facilities within each hospital site.

One of the most exciting parts of your medical training with us is your elective. You will carry out a six-week elective before you start your final year clinical placements. The elective offers you the chance to travel abroad or stay in the UK and explore medicine beyond the MB BS course, which could include further time in an aspect of medical practice that interests you, doing research or exploring some of the different specialist disciplines in medicine.

UK medical students graduating in the academic year 2024-25 onwards will need to pass the General Medical Council’s Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) before you can join the medical register. The MLA will be led and delivered in the final exams by UK medical schools and regulated by the General Medical Council.

Explore clinical placements Explore electives
Students with ED consultant at Hull Royal Infirmary

Intercalation

Intercalation is one extra year on top of your medical degree, during which you can study another undergraduate or postgraduate degree.

Whilst intercalation is not a pre-requisite on our Medicine programme, we encourage all our students to consider this option to broaden your skills and knowledge and explore a new subject area.

We offer a variety of degrees in specialist subjects to suit your interests and that provide a powerful complement to your medical training, including clinical anatomy, ethics, biology, sport and exercise science, public health, and health education. You can also choose to study at an institution elsewhere.

Explore intercalation
Student in lab conducting experiments

Course structure

What will you study?

The Gateway Year is divided into modules designed to build your knowledge and skills as you progress through the year.

Each module includes formative and summative assessments.

Formative assessments don’t count towards your final qualification but are designed to provide you with feedback to identify your strengths, so that you can build on them, and your weaknesses, so that you can improve in those areas.

Summative assessments are formal assessments used to measure progress and to determine whether you have achieved the level of attainment required to progress through the programme, and to graduate as a doctor.

Following successful completion, you will progress into Year 1 of the Medicine programme.

The modules you will study in your Gateway Year are:

Human Biology I and II

These modules will help you transition from your science level in biology, chemistry and mathematics, to the standard required for Year 1 of the Medicine programme.

The modules will also include taster year 1 lectures and anatomy sessions, where you will experience a sample of what will be studied in the following years.

In addition, Human Biology II will also cover extended A level content where you will develop a basic understanding of other sciences that underpin medicine, including microbiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, tissue structure and anatomical terminology.

These modules are delivered through a combination of lectures, small group work, practical classes and laboratory classes. Where possible they will be based around patient cases. In addition, you will have some time for self-guided study.

Assessment

  • Formative assessment for each module: Exam for each module
  • Summative assessment: Exam for each module
Clinical Skills

This module provides an introduction to clinical and communication skills. You will develop your communication skills and begin to appreciate and display the appropriate communication in a variety of settings, such as with your peers, teachers, clinical and healthcare staff and patients. This module also introduces basic clinical skills.

You will experience a variety of teaching methods and settings to enhance your ability to communicate, feedback, reflect, manage emotions and to undertake a basic examination.

You will learn through a combination of clinical skills sessions on campus, at our teaching facilities at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, and on clinical placement visits.

Small group facilitated teaching sessions will occur alongside these to help develop core skills needed for work in the clinical setting.

There will also be time for self-directed learning.

Assessment

  • Formative clinical and communication competency sign off
  • Summative clinical and communication competency sign off
Health and Society

In this module, you will gain an overview of the health service, the people who work in it and the issues it faces. You will gain an understanding of how inter-professional teams work to deliver holistic care to patients in hospital and in the community.

You will also study the importance of the social and psychological context of health and health care for both patients and practitioners. Finally, you will gain an appreciation of the fundamental principles of health economics.

This module is delivered through a combination of seminars and problem based learning (PBL) group sessions, with time for self-directed learning.

Assessment

  • Summative presentation and essay
Professionalism and Ethics

This module introduces professional and ethical behaviours in the study and practice of medicine.

You will explore and develop a sound understanding of a number of core ethical and professional issues that arise in the practice of medicine.

You will also participate in activities that will support and enhance your personal and professional development, including skills in reflective practice.

The module is delivered through a combination of workshops, small group seminars, and problem based learning (PBL) sessions, with time for self-directed learning.

Assessment

  • Formative reflective writing
  • Summative poster presentation and essay
Medical Scholarship

This module will support you to develop your study skills needed for the course and for transition to year 1 of the Medicine programme.

It will cover topics including learning and revision skills, introduction to referencing and academic integrity, how to work in teams (including the basis of problem based learning), developing your reflective practice skills, understanding basic statistics in research papers, and personal wellbeing during your studies.

This module is delivered through a combination of seminars and group sessions, with time for self-directed learning.

Assessment

  • Formative essay
  • Summative essay and portfolio
Medicine with a Gateway Year student Komalpreet Kaur

HULL YORK MEDICAL SCHOOL Stories

The Medicine with a Gateway Year programme has enabled me to fulfil my dream of studying Medicine – something I have wanted to do from a young age. My parents grew up in Afghanistan during a time of civil war and unrest, and were unable to access any proper education. As the first generation in my family to go into higher education, I hope I can set a new path for other young women in my community and become a role model for them – as well as being able to make an impact on society.
Year 5

Komalpreet Kaur

University of Hull

An unforgettable experience

Medicine with a Gateway Year students are based at the University of Hull campus for their Gateway Year, learning in the £28-million health campus with the stunning Allam Medical Building at its heart.

Officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen, the building is an aspirational teaching and learning environment where you will meet other healthcare professionals in training, including nursing, physician associate, paramedic and midwifery students.

After you have successfully completed the Gateway Year, you can choose to continue your Medicine studies at either of our parent university campuses: the University of Hull or the University of York.

Student life
Allam Medical Building

The Allam Medical Building

How to apply

Take the next step

We pride ourselves on our fair, transparent and inclusive selection process, which we use to recruit and admit high quality applicants.

We’re looking for people who share our commitment to delivering exceptional patient-centred care, and who we believe will benefit from the contemporary education offered on our Medicine with a Gateway Year programme.

How to apply Entry requirements and eligibility criteria
Medicine students outside Hull Royal Infirmary
Download our prospectus Book on an Open Day

Additional information

Looking for more?

Students scrubbing up for surgery
Student life
Member of staff offering support to student
Support and wellbeing
Student working on their laptop in the Allam Medical Building
Applying to medical school
Students drinking coffee
Fees and funding

* Guardian University Guide 2025