Intercalated degrees at Bristol
An intercalated award is an additional undergraduate degree (BSc or BA) or master's level programme that you complete in an intensive year away from your normal medical, dental or veterinary studies. All UK and international medical, dental and vet students can apply to intercalate at our prestigious University, set in the friendly, vibrant city of Bristol.
Benefits of intercalation
Pausing your studies to intercalate gives you the chance to:
- Delve deeper into a subject or specialism that interests you;
- Improve your career prospects in a competitive graduate market;
- Enhance your skills in research, critical scientific thinking, evaluating evidence and academic writing;
- Make new friends and experience life as a student away from your clinical programme.
What you can study
External students can study a BSc or BA after two or more years of study on their professional programme. Three years of a professional programme need to be completed for entry on to our Master’s level programmes. University of Bristol Medical and Veterinary students can only intercalate between years 3 and 4 of their programme for either a BSc/BA or Masters.
We offer the following intercalated degrees:
- Biochemistry with Medical Biochemistry (BSc)*
- Cancer Biology and Immunology (BSc)*
- Cellular and Molecular Medicine (BSc)*
- Child Health Research (BSc)
- Childhood Studies (BSc)*
- Clinical Sciences (BSc)
- Epidemiology (MSc)
- Functional and Clinical Anatomy (BSc)
- Global Health (BSc)
- Global Wildlife Health and Conservation (MSc)
- Healthcare Ethics and Law (BSc)
- Health Economics and Health Policy Analysis (MSc).
- Health, Law and Society (LLM)
- Health Sciences Research (MRes)
- Health Sciences Research (Renal) (MRes)
- Health Sciences Research (Translational Cardiovascular Medicine) (MRes)
- Medical Humanities (BA)
- Medical Microbiology (BSc)*
- Neuroscience (BSc)*
- Nutrition, Physical Activity and Public Health (MSc)
- Pharmacology (BSc)*
- Physiological Science (BSc)*
- Psychology (Conversion) (MSc).*
- Public Health (MSc)
- Reproduction and Development (MSc).
- Social Policy (BSc)*
- Translational Cardiovascular Medicine (MSc)
- Virology and Immunology (BSc)
* One-year entry onto a three-year course. Check the course structure for the third year in the programme catalogue to find out what you will study.
Visit the eligibility and entry criteria page to check which courses you are eligible to apply for along with information on the language requirements for each course and whether you need a supplementary application form.
Contact us
External applicants from other institutions: email intercalation-enquiries@bristol.ac.uk
Current University of Bristol students: email intercalation-admin@bristol.ac.uk
Fees and funding for intercalated degrees
Funding for intercalation varies depending on where you live. Our Student Funding Office can provide you with up-to-date information about the financial support that is available.
Medical and dental undergraduates seeking further information on the NHS bursary should visit the NHS website.
Several other bursaries/ awards are available to students to assist you during your intercalation year, for example:
Wolfson Foundation Intercalated Awards
This is administered by the Royal College of Physicians and assists outstanding undergraduate medical students during their intercalation year. Nominations for this award will be made by University of Bristol.
Think Big Undergraduate scholarships
These awards are made by the University of Bristol for overseas students and will cover between 25 and 100 per cent of tuition fees for the duration of your course.
The British Association of Dermatologists
The British Association of Dermatologists offers Intercalated Degree Grant grants of £3,000 to assist a UK or Irish undergraduate medical student during an intercalated degree which includes a project that is relevant to dermatology and/or skin biology.
British Association of Dermatologists | Undergraduate awards
John Snow Anaesthesia Intercalated Awards
These awards are funded by the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI)/ Anaesthesia and the British Journal of Anaesthesia/ Royal College of Anaesthetists, and are designed to capture medical student interest in anaesthetics and its related disciplines.
National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia | The John Snow Anaesthesia Intercalated Awards 2022
Kidney Research UK
Kidney Research UK offers grants of £5,000 to medical students undertaking research that is directly relevant to the kidney and kidney disease as part of an intercalated degree
The Pathological Society
The Pathological Society provides tuition fee, stipend and consumables support to medical, dental or veterinary undergraduates who are members of the society during their intercalating degree.
Institute of Medical Ethics Intercalation Bursary
The Institute of Medical Ethics offers a £2000 bursary for students intercalating (and undertaking research projects) in ethics and ethics related fields.
How to apply – external students
Applications for entry in 2025/26 are open from 04 October 2024.
The application system will close at 11:59 pm on 29 May 2025. We recommend that you apply early because we might fill all available places before this deadline.
Admissions Statement 25/26 (Office document, 54kB)
How to apply – University of Bristol students
Applications for 2025–26 for existing Bristol students are open from 4 October 2024.
The deadline for applications from medical students, and the first deadline for veterinary and dental students, is 11:59 pm on 4 November 2024.
The deadline for applications from dental students is 11:59 pm on 16 January 2025.
The deadline for applications from veterinary students is 11:59 pm on 16 January 2025.
FAQs Intercalation 25-26 (Office document, 50kB)
Supplementary application forms
You need to download and complete a supplementary application form ready to upload with your online application for these programmes:
- Child Health Research (BSc) (Office document, 15kB)
- Childhood studies (BSc) (Office document, 16kB)
- Epidemiology (MSc) (Office document, 15kB)
- External application supplementary form (Office document, 25kB)
- Functional and Clinical Anatomy (BSc) (Office document, 17kB)
- Global Health (BSc) (Office document, 178kB)
- Global Wildlife Health & Conservation (MSc) (Office document, 16kB)
- Health Economics and Health Policy Analysis (Office document, 34kB)
- Health, Law and Society (LLW) (Office document, 25kB)
- Medical Humanities (BA) (Office document, 51kB)
- MRes In Health Sciences Research (Office document, 16kB)
- Nutrition, Physical Activity and Public Health (MSc) (Office document, 23kB)
- Psychology (conversion) (MSc) (Office document, 34kB)
- Public Health (MSc) (Office document, 15kB)
- Reproduction and Development (MSc) (Office document, 21kB)
- Social Policy (BSc) (Office document, 15kB)
Accommodation guarantee
Students who intercalate from other institutions to undergraduate degrees are guaranteed an offer of accommodation subject to the normal conditions of Bristol's accommodation guarantee.
Contact the Accommodation Office for further details.
It’s a guarantee of a good time and an interesting year. You can study something that has always piqued your interest, whilst exploring a city with so much to offer that nine months won’t be enough.