Subject Requirements for Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Veterinary Science

If you are considering medicine, dentistry, pharmacy or veterinary science, subject choice matters early, because some courses will not consider an application without specified sciences. There is no single national list. Requirements differ by university, course and admissions year, and they can change. The examples below were accurate as of 10 November 2026 (HKT), on the official pages cited. Before you rely on any of them, check the course page for the year you intend to apply.

This article extends the practical question of subject choice. It does not repeat the UCAS timetable or the meaning of predicted grades, which are covered in predicted grades and the UCAS timeline.

How to read a requirement

A typical offer, a minimum subject and a preferred subject are different things. A page may list Chemistry as required, accept Chemistry or Biology, or require both. It may also set conditions on the Practical Endorsement, admissions tests, interviews, language or work experience. Meeting the subject list does not, by itself, mean that an application will be successful.

The examples that follow are illustrations from named official pages, not a ranking of universities and not a complete catalogue. Where a UCAS subject-guide page or another university site could not be opened for verification, it is not cited.

United Kingdom: examples from official course pages

Medicine. At the University of Manchester, the MBChB entry-requirements page for 2027 entry states a typical A-level offer of AAA, including Biology or Human Biology or Chemistry, and one subject from Chemistry, Biology or Human Biology, Physics, Psychology, Mathematics or Further Mathematics. The school has no preference for the third subject once the science requirements are met, but it will not include combinations of very similar subjects, such as Biology with Human Biology, or Mathematics with Further Mathematics. Applicants must pass the practical element of any science A-level taken.[1] King’s College London’s Medicine MBBS page states required grades of A*AA, which must include grade A in Biology and Chemistry. Applicants taking linear A-levels in England must pass the practical endorsement in all science subjects, with a stated exception for private candidates unable to take the practical component. All applicants must take the UCAT.[2]

Those two official pages already differ: one accepts Biology or Chemistry plus a second listed subject; the other requires both Biology and Chemistry, and states a different typical grade profile. You cannot transfer one school’s rule to another.

Dentistry. Cardiff University’s Dental Surgery (BDS) page states a typical A-level offer of AAA, which must include Biology and Chemistry, and requires a pass in the science practical element where it forms part of the programme of study.[3] King’s College London’s Dentistry BDS page states required grades of A*AA, including grade A in Biology or Chemistry and grade A in one of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Psychology. If Mathematics meets one subject requirement, Further Mathematics cannot be the third A-level. The same practical-endorsement condition as on King’s Medicine page applies.[4]

Pharmacy. King’s College London’s Pharmacy MPharm page states required grades of AAA, including grade A in Chemistry and grade A in one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics, again with the practical-endorsement condition for linear A-levels in England.[5] Chemistry is required on that page; the second science or mathematics subject is not a free choice from the whole A-level list.

Veterinary science. The Royal Veterinary College’s Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine page states standard A-level requirements of AAA in three subjects, with Biology at grade A and Chemistry at grade A, plus a third subject that should not overlap with Biology or Chemistry and cannot be General Studies. A pass is required in the science practical for each subject where the applicant is taking the English curriculum. The page states that A* grades are not required, and that science and non-science third subjects are treated equally. The page also describes contextual offers of ABB, with an A in Biology or Chemistry, for applicants meeting certain Widening Participation criteria.[6]

Hong Kong: examples from official JUPAS pages

Hong Kong applicants should use the official JUPAS programme page, not a UK A-level list. Minimum HKDSE levels are not typical admission scores.

HKU MBBS (JS6456) requires, among its core-subject conditions, English Language at Level 4, and Biology or Chemistry at Level 3 together with another elective, or Mathematics Extended Module 1 or 2 at Level 3 with Biology or Chemistry. A good working knowledge of Cantonese is required.[7] HKU Bachelor of Dental Surgery (JS6107) uses the same Biology-or-Chemistry structure, with Mathematics Compulsory Part at Level 3 rather than Level 2.[8] CUHK MBChB (JS4501) requires Biology at Level 3 plus any other subject at Level 3, or Chemistry at Level 3 plus any other subject at Level 3, with the other science preferred in each combination, and strongly recommends a third elective and/or the Mathematics Extended Part.[9]

Pharmacy programmes in this sample treat Chemistry as required: CUHK Pharmacy (JS4525) requires Chemistry at Level 3 plus any other subject at Level 3; HKU Bachelor of Pharmacy (JS6494) requires Chemistry at Level 3 plus another elective, or Chemistry plus Mathematics Extended Module 1 or 2, and also requires a good working knowledge of Cantonese.[10][11]

City University of Hong Kong’s Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (JS1801) requires both Biology and Chemistry at Level 3, English Language at Level 5, and additional non-academic criteria, including documented animal-related work experience and an online situational judgement test prior to interview.[12]

As in the UK examples, “medicine” does not mean one subject rule, and “veterinary science” in this Hong Kong example requires both sciences.

Using the pages well

Make a short list of courses you might actually apply to, then copy the subject and grade conditions from each official page for the correct admissions year. Check whether both Chemistry and Biology are required, whether one may substitute for the other, and whether mathematics or a practical endorsement is specified. If predicted grades, admissions tests or the timing of a UCAS application are your next concern, return to the predicted grades and UCAS timeline.

If a page is unclear, ask the university admissions office or your school. Do not rely on a friend’s offer from a previous year, or on a general article, as a substitute for the current course page.

Where to go next

Subject requirements for medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and veterinary science differ by course; check the official page for the year you are applying, rather than relying on a general list.

Free AQA A-level Chemistry Guide (in English): see the whole A-level course at a glance. Get the free guide

1-to-1 Chemistry tuition with Teacher Tommy: personal feedback on your answers. Tuition enquiry

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Neither the guide nor tuition can predict or promise a grade.