Disadvantaged pupils less likely to apply or be accepted for career in medicine

Abstract

Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds in the United Kingdom are less likely than other pupils to apply to study medicine and are less likely to be accepted when they do, researchers have found. A study of applications to UK medical schools between 2009 and 2012 shows that between a fifth and a third, depending on UK country, of all medical school applicants live in the most affluent areas.1 Researchers from the University of Dundee reviewed applications to 22 UK medical schools between 2009 and 2012 from 32 964 UK residents aged 19 and under, using United Kingdom clinical aptitude test (UKCAT) data. They assessed applicants’ home postcode, type of school, and parents’ jobs and whether they were …