Sutton Trust · 2025
This report examines socio-economic inequalities in access to UK medical schools between 2012 and 2022, drawing on national administrative data from the UK Medical Education Database (UKMED) and a survey of former Sutton Trust programme participants. It finds that while the proportion of applicants from more deprived neighbourhoods has grown substantially, students from the lowest socio-economic backgrounds still make up only 5% of medical school entrants. High UCAT scores are the strongest single predictor of receiving an offer, and disadvantaged students with top predicted A-level grades still score, on average, nearly 5% lower on UCAT than their wealthier peers, suggesting the test may act as a barrier rather than a leveller. The report calls on government and medical schools to simplify admissions, make more ambitious use of contextual offers, and improve financial support for students from lower-income backgrounds.