Number of students’ studying medicine in Scotland: FOI release

Information requested

1. How many medical students (doctors) study medicine in Scottish universities, what proportion are from Scotland?

2. Each year what proportion of medicine graduates in Scotland take a doctors job in Scotland within a year of graduating?

3. What proportion of medical graduates in Scotland do not take a doctor’s post in Scotland within 2 years of graduating?

4. How many Scottish undergraduate places are funded by Scotgov each year?

Response

1. There are currently 4986 students studying undergraduate medical degrees in Scottish Universities and of these 2715 are Scottish domiciled; this equates to 54.5%.

2. In 2019, 1163 of 1646 trainees on the UK Foundation programme placed in Scotland came from Scottish Universities, this equates 70.66%. This was broadly similar in 2020, when 1180 of 1673 trainees on the Scottish foundation programme came from Scottish Universities, this equates to
70.53%.

3. While the Scottish Government provides funding for medical undergraduates, this number is not static and therefore on the basis of the most recent information available it is expected that 790 Scottish medical undergraduate places will be funded for the upcoming 2021-22 academic year.

Some of the information you have requested is available from the General Medical Council, https://data.gmc-Uk.org/gmcdata/home/#/reports/Postgraduate%20training/Stats/report. Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you.

About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.