Medical Students From Poor Performing Schools Do Just As Well As Other Students, UK

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Article Date: 19 Feb 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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Students from poor-performing schools who are accepted into medical school with lower grades do just as well as their higher-grade peers, the first study of its kind has shown.

St George's, University of London published the first results of its Adjusted Criteria admissions policy for medicine, introduced in 2003. In the first-year final exams, there was less than a one per cent difference in the average mark achieved by students on the scheme, and those accepted with the standard offer of AAB or above.

Adjusted Criteria students scored an average of 65.41%, while standard-offer students scored an average of 65.69%.

St George's is the only HE institution in the country to have an Adjusted Criteria policy - offering places on the medicine course to applicants with lower A-level grades than the standard offer (down to BBCb) if they are at least 60% better than their school average. The scheme is open to students from schools whose A-level average is CDD equivalent or below.

The first year exam results for the five-year medicine course were measured between 2003 and 2006, with 35 adjusted criteria students measured against 555 non-adjusted criteria students.

They are not all from one cohort, but four different cohorts amalgamated, all of whom took first year exams between 2003 and 2006. The 35 achieved A-level grades between BBC and ABB.

Assistant Registrar (Fair Access) Kenton Lewis said: "These results show there is no significant statistical difference in examination performance between students who come in through the Adjusted Criteria scheme and those who enter with higher grades.

"Without the scheme, the majority of these students would not have had the opportunity to study medicine.

"This is a clear indication that our innovative scheme has successfully widened participation without lowering standards."

St George's, University of London is the only institution to provide training to a full range of more than 2,600 healthcare students on one site. As well as providing courses in medicine and biomedical sciences, the college also offers courses in midwifery, nursing, physiotherapy, radiography and social work in conjunction with Kingston University. The school is dedicated to promoting by excellence in teaching, clinical practice and research, the prevention, treatment and understanding of disease. It is extremely active in research and has a high reputation in areas such as infection, diseases of the heart and circulation, cell signalling and epidemiology. Other areas of expertise include genetics, health and social care sciences and mental health.

St George's, University of London

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