A100 International Medicine Applicants Statistics 2017, 2018, 2019

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Dear Newcastle University,

I would like to you answer the following questions regarding the process of application to medicine and selection for interview and offers, for international students in the 2017, 2018, 2019 cycles.

1. What is the number of places for international students studying medicine in 2017, 2018, 2019, as well as the number of international applicants (Undergraduate/Graduate) in 2017, 2018, and 2019.
2. How many of those applicants were offered an interview in each year, and what was their average UCAT score as well as the highest/lowest UCAT score that was offered an interview? In addition, if possible, what was their respective Bands in SJT?
3. Of those international applicants who received an offer, what was the average UCAT score and what was the highest/lowest UCAT score that was given an offer. In addition, if possible, what was their respective Bands in SJT.
4. How important/how much does SJT banding contribute to the chances of an applicant receiving A) An interview, and B) An offer? How many international applicants with SJT Band 3 applied and how many were offered an interview and a place at the university in the past years?
5. How important/how much does the personal statement contribute to the chances of an applicant receiving A) An interview, and B) An offer?
6. Are students who offer more GCSEs/a higher number of A*s or As at GCSE advantaged over those with less GCSEs (A/A*)?
7. Are students who are studying more A-Levels e.g. 4 A-levels, rather than 3 advantaged over such students? Do higher grades in A-Levels give students an advantage over those who only meet the minimum requirements?
8. Does an EPQ (Grade A) affect an application i.e. can it increase the chances of an applicant being offered an interview/offer, or can it possibly make up for a weaker part of the application e.g. weak UCAT score/A-Level grades/low SJT banding, or can it prove useful at interview, for example?
9. Is a foreign language qualification such as the French DELF certificate looked at by the university or useful in any way to applicants? Are other skills/hobbies taken into account/do they hold any value at all, i.e. is it worth mentioning skills/hobbies in an applicant's personal statement?
10. Post-interview, what is used in deciding the final offers given to applicants i.e. UCAT scoring, GCSE/A-Level Grades/predicted grades. If possible, what is the weighting/how much does each factor weigh in when deciding who gets an offer, is it entirely based on scoring at interview or are other factors, such as personal statement, grades, and UCAT score, still factored in?

Yours faithfully,

Saif Al Ramahi

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Yours sincerely,

Information Governance Team
Executive Office
Newcastle University
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU

Good morning Saif,

 

Thank you for your request for information dated 08/09/2020, please see
below for our response to your request:

 

Q1

No. places Total no.
  available for international
international applicants
students
2017 26 413
2018 26 473
2019 26 367

 

Q2

No.
  international
applicants
interviewed
2017 102
2018 100
2019 106

Q3

Total no.
international
  applicants
offered a
place
2017 51
2018 60
2019 75

 

UCAT
threshold for
  international
applicants to
be offered an
interview
2​018 2720
2019 2700

 

 

Q4: If a student has scored Band 4 on the SJT they will be rejected at the
beginning of the admissions process. We don't consider SJT bandings in any
other way so having a Band 1 for example gives no advantage over a student
with a Band 3. It is not possible to provide information on how many
applicants with a Band 3 SJT were interviewed within the 18 hour limit
cost limit set out in the FOI Act.

Q5. We do not look at the personal statement prior to interview so they
play no part in selection for interview. The personal statement is only
reviewed at the point when an offer is to be made and is purely an
administrative check. It does not get scored or graded in any way so makes
no impact on whether an offer will be made.

Q6. We do not consider GCSEs at all.

Q7. In the initial academic screening part of the admissions process we
are simply checking that students meet the minimum requirements. If
someone has A*A*A* they would be treated in exactly the same way as
students who have AAA. Having extra A-levels gives no advantage
whatsoever.

Q8. We do not consider EPQs at all.

Q9. Other qualifications as mentioned in the request or hobbies are not
taken into account when screening applications as we do not read the
personal statement prior to interviews. Hobbies and other skills can be
useful to draw on for examples if a student is invited to interview.

Q10. When making offers, all students are ranked based on their interview
scores and a threshold is set above which, students will receive an offer
of a place on the programme. 

 

I hope that this is of use. If you are unhappy with the way we have
handled your request you can ask for an internal review. Details of how to
do this can be found at: [1]http://www.ncl.ac.uk/foi/access/complain...

 

If you are not happy with the outcome of the internal review, you then
have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner's Office
for a decision. Details of how to do this can be found at:
[2]http://ico.org.uk/concerns

 

Kind regards,

 

 

Information Governance Team

Newcastle University

NE1 8HQ

 

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