Medical school admissions decrease due to high education costs

As student fees increase and economic woes continue, fewer students are inclined to choose medicine. Furthermore, more students are emigrating after training due to the high debt that they have accumulated in training as well as the opportunity to make more money abroad. This trend is likely to begin a few years after the changes to the fee system have an impact.

Proposed workforce impact

• GP and other medical workforce numbers in the future will be significantly reduced.
• The cost of education along the entire pathway plays a significant role in people making a choice to enter medical school training.

Sources or references

• http://www.bma.org.uk/press_centre/presstuitionfees.jsp
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/jun/26/medical-students-debt-low-income

Additional research questions

• What is the threshold for fees (the point at which a significant number of students may be deterred from choosing a medical training pathway)?
• Will there be pressure for shorter degrees / postgraduate training?

Some of the information in this section is provided by stakeholders and expert groups, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CfWI.