UCAT for International Students: £115 Fee, Centres, Rules

Do international students need to take the UCAT?

Yes, if your course asks for it. UCAT describes the test as a compulsory entry requirement for relevant medical or dental degree programmes at UK and partner consortium universities. Applicants for 2027 entry (or deferred entry in 2028) had to sit it between 13 July and 24 September 2026, and you may only sit it once in a test cycle.

UCAT's FAQ splits international applicants into two groups. If you're applying to UK universities or UCAT's international partners only, you should sit the UCAT. If you're also applying to Australian or New Zealand universities, you should sit UCAT ANZ. You can't do both: sitting the UCAT and UCAT ANZ in the same year is treated as misconduct, and all your results may be withdrawn.

The test itself is identical wherever you sit it: four subtests in just under two hours, with Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning scored 300–900 and Situational Judgement reported in Bands 1–4. Around 37,000 candidates sit it each year in Pearson test centres in the UK and worldwide. Our UCAT format guide breaks down every section and timing.

What UK medical schools say about international applicants

Here is what each school's own admissions page says for 2027 entry. None of them exempts applicants simply because they live outside the UK.

For every other school, start with UCAT's list of universities, which links to each course page. Some course codes carry an asterisk, which UCAT says means alternative requirements apply to certain applicants. If your course is marked that way, read its own page carefully before you book. Applying to Oxford or Cambridge for another subject? Our Oxford and Cambridge admissions tests guide lists the test for every course.

UCAT fees for tests outside the UK

The fee is payable at the time of booking by major debit or credit card. UCAT lists the fee in pounds; what you pay in your own currency depends on your card provider's exchange rate.

• Rescheduling: you can reschedule up to 24 hours before your appointment without losing your fee.
• Cancelling: cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a refund, which is normally made within 10 working days.
• Missing the test: there's no refund or free reschedule if you miss your appointment or the deadline, whatever the reason, including missing ID. To test again you pay the full fee.

UCAT test centres abroad and online testing

The UCAT is delivered in Pearson test centres across the UK and in 130+ countries. To check for a centre near you, UCAT points to the Pearson test centre locator; search your city before booking opens. Bring photo ID that meets UCAT's policy and is accepted in the country where you are testing.

Online testing from home (OnVUE) is not a general option for international students. You can apply for it if you live, work or study in a country with no test centre, or where the nearest centre is a significant distance away, or if travel is disrupted by pandemic, war, civil unrest or natural disaster. You need to send proof of address and details of your nearest centre.

OnVUE is not available in China (including Macau), Cuba, Iran, North Korea, the province of Quebec, Syria, Russia, Belarus and some regions of Ukraine. Applications for OnVUE in 2026 have closed, and OnVUE testing ran from 13 July to 20 September 2026.

UCAT 2026 dates, in UK time

Source: UCAT test dates. The UK was on British Summer Time for the whole 2026 booking window (clocks went back on 25 October 2026), so a 15:00 UK deadline in September is 22:00 in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and China, 23:00 in Japan and Korea, and 19:30 in India. You get your own result on the day of your test, and universities receive it in November.

Scores and places for overseas applicants

Some schools publish figures on their own pages that matter to international applicants. St Andrews lists the minimum UCAT scores selected for interview for 2026 entry, and says it cannot predict next year's cut-offs:

Queen Mary expects 311 Home places and up to 24 Overseas places on its five-year MBBS (A100) for September 2027. To pass its first shortlisting you need a total UCAT score in the fourth decile or above and SJT Band 1–3; Band 4 ends your application at that stage.

Imperial published 2026-entry thresholds for home applicants (2320 total, SJT Band 3 minimum) and contextual applicants (2170). Its page doesn't give a separate figure for international applicants. To see what these numbers mean, read our guide to UCAT scores explained.

UCAT ANZ and international partner universities

UCAT ANZ is a separate test used by a consortium of universities in Australia and New Zealand for medical, dental and clinical science degrees. It is also delivered in Pearson test centres worldwide. For 2027 entry, UCAT ANZ testing ran from 1 July to 5 August 2026. Its fees are charged in Australian dollars: A$335 in Australia or New Zealand and A$405 for tests taken overseas.

If you sat UCAT ANZ in 2026, you can still use it for the UK. UCAT says UCAT ANZ 2026 results are valid for UK medical or dental schools for 2027 entry (or deferred entry in 2028), but you must complete its results form by 22 October. When the result reaches a UK university, your SJT scaled score is converted to a band.

UCAT also has international partner universities. These include two in Singapore, the National University of Singapore (Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine) and Nanyang Technological University (Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine), plus Thammasat University in Thailand. Check each school's own admissions page for how it uses the score.

Wherever you're applying, practise under real timings. Start with our free UCAT practice test, then drill the Situational Judgement section, since Queen Mary and Imperial both set SJT band cut-offs. If you're also sitting the TMUA, ESAT or LNAT, see UK admissions tests for international students.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Every source below was accessed on the listed date. Pages — especially department admissions pages — change without notice; the links go to the live versions.

1. About the UCAT — UCAT Consortium. Accessed 2026-10-01.
2. UCAT essentials — UCAT Consortium. Accessed 2026-10-01.
3. FAQs — UCAT Consortium. Accessed 2026-10-01.
4. Eligibility — UCAT Consortium. Accessed 2026-10-01.
5. OnVUE testing — UCAT Consortium. Accessed 2026-10-01.
6. UCAT test dates — UCAT Consortium. Accessed 2026-10-01.
7. Test format and scoring — UCAT Consortium. Accessed 2026-10-01.
8. Universities — UCAT Consortium. Accessed 2026-10-01.
9. Rescheduling and cancelling — UCAT Consortium. Accessed 2026-10-01.
10. Booking your test — UCAT Consortium. Accessed 2026-10-01.
11. UCAT ANZ results collection — UCAT Consortium. Accessed 2026-10-01.
12. UCAT ANZ — UCAT ANZ Consortium. Accessed 2026-10-01.
13. UCAT ANZ test cycle — UCAT ANZ Consortium. Accessed 2026-10-01.
14. When do the clocks change? — GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-01.
15. University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) — University of Cambridge. Accessed 2026-10-01.
16. Medicine — University of Oxford. Accessed 2026-10-01.
17. Medicine MBBS/BSc — Imperial College London. Accessed 2026-10-01.
18. MBChB Medicine (6-year programme) — University of Edinburgh. Accessed 2026-10-01.
19. Medicine — University of Glasgow. Accessed 2026-10-01.
20. Medicine entry requirements — University of St Andrews. Accessed 2026-10-01.
21. MBBS (A100) selection criteria — Queen Mary University of London. Accessed 2026-10-01.

Related guides

• Oxford and Cambridge Admissions Tests 2027: Course List
• TMUA, ESAT and TARA Dates 2026–27: Deadlines and Fees
• TMUA vs ESAT vs TARA: Which UAT-UK Test Do You Need?
• TMUA Score Explained: Scale, Averages and Good Scores