City St George's & University of Nicosia, Cyprus: The Complete Applicant's Guide

A Cambridge Clinical admissions guide

This one needs an important clarification before anything else. In 2011, St George's, University of London (now merged into City St George's, University of London following its 2024 merger with City, University of London) launched its first and only franchise arrangement: a four-year graduate-entry MBBS delivered in partnership with the University of Nicosia in Cyprus, with the degree itself awarded by St George's. That historic franchise arrangement has since been phased out. The University of Nicosia Medical School — built on the infrastructure, curriculum experience and problem-based learning approach it developed through over a decade running that St George's programme — now runs its own independently accredited degrees: a 6-Year Undergraduate Entry Doctor of Medicine (MD) and a Graduate Entry Doctor of Medicine (MD). If you're specifically hoping to earn a City St George's-branded degree in Cyprus today, that route is no longer available; this guide instead covers the University of Nicosia's own current MD programmes, which carry the direct lineage of that original partnership.

Quick facts

Why applicants consider Nicosia

The curriculum was built directly on St George's own problem-based learning approach, and the Medical School is one of relatively few in Europe to use cadaveric dissection as an educational aid, alongside early clinical exposure designed to build competent, practice-ready doctors from early in the programme. UNIC has been ranked #1 in Cyprus for Clinical Medicine in the 2025 Shanghai Ranking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, and the university more broadly has ranked among the top 150 EU universities and joint #2 in Cyprus and Greece in recent Times Higher Education World University Rankings, with a #1 ranking in Cyprus specifically for Research Quality.

The Medical School is also an International Testing Centre for the Royal College of Surgeons of England's intercollegiate MRCS Part A exam, offers the MRCGP International qualification for the RCGP, and is an institutional member of AMEE (the Association for Medical Education in Europe), alongside memberships with WONCA, EUPHA and ASPHER — a genuinely broad set of international professional affiliations for a relatively young medical school.

The two MD routes

6-Year Undergraduate Entry MD — designed for school leavers, with entry via:

• A High School Leaving Certificate at 90% overall (18/20 for the Greek/Cypriot Leaving Certificate), including strong grades in Biology and one of Chemistry, Physics or Maths; or
• GCE A-levels at ABB, including Biology and one of Chemistry, Physics or Maths, plus one further subject; or
• The International Baccalaureate at 32 points overall with a combined 16 at Higher Level, including Biology and at least one of Chemistry, Physics or Maths.

Other qualification systems are considered on request. Candidates are reviewed holistically — all grades, including in subjects beyond the headline requirement, are considered to confirm your foundation meets the demands of the curriculum. Applicants already holding a Bachelor's degree relevant to Medicine can be considered for direct entry to Year 1.

Graduate Entry MD — designed for degree holders from any discipline, requiring:

• A Bachelor's degree in any field at a minimum of 2.2 class honours or equivalent GPA, plus
• One of: MCAT (498 minimum), GAMSAT (55 minimum, with at least 50 in every section), or UCAT (1875 overall, minimum 500 in each section, SJT within Bands 1–3) — though UCAT is only accepted from applicants holding a Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences or Biomedical Sciences at 2.2 or equivalent, so check your eligibility before committing to a test.
• Israeli applicants can submit the Tel Aviv University/Yeda exam (minimum overall score 300) in place of MCAT, GAMSAT or UCAT.

Both routes also allow transfer applicants from other accredited medical schools in good academic standing to be considered for entry into Year 2 or 3, subject to a thorough academic panel review of completed coursework.

English language requirements (both routes)

• IELTS 6.5 overall (6.5 in writing, minimum 6.0 in all other elements), or
• TOEFL iBT 79 (or the new scale score of 4, applicable from 22 January 2026), or
• Grade 5 GCSE English (or B under the old grading system), or
• IB Standard Level English at grade 5, or
• European Baccalaureate English at a score of 8.

Nationals of the UK, Ireland, USA, Australia and New Zealand whose native language is English are exempt. Applicants from English-speaking Canadian provinces need an official school letter confirming English as the language of instruction. EU/EEA passport holders who graduated from an English-speaking university in one of the exempt countries (without being a national of it) may in some cases submit the English proficiency evidence used for that university enrolment instead — check with UNIC admissions directly. Third-country nationals will still need to evidence English proficiency as part of their student visa process, regardless of the language of instruction of their first degree.

The interview

Both routes include a mandatory online interview, assessing whether you have the skills and attributes to complete the programme and practise medicine professionally. Applicants are specifically expected to demonstrate, through volunteer experience, an understanding of the biological, psychological and social dimensions of medicine — so come prepared to speak concretely about relevant volunteering or work experience, not just academic motivation.

Application process and holistic review

Applications go directly to the University of Nicosia via its own online application form, outside UCAS — meaning an application here doesn't use up any UCAS medicine choices if you're applying elsewhere too. Meeting the minimum published grade requirements does not guarantee a conditional offer converting to an unconditional one — the Admissions Committee reviews every applicant holistically throughout the process, weighing academic and non-academic factors together.

Fees: UNIC's Graduate Entry MD has historically been priced around €24,000 per year, with a scholarship structure (commonly a 20% reduction for Year 1 entrants, sometimes stacked with a further discount) reducing the effective cost — but treat these as indicative given how much scholarship structures shift between cycles, and confirm current fees and any active scholarships directly via UNIC's Financial Information page.

Tips

Given the historic St George's connection is easy to find referenced online (including in older material still circulating), don't assume that branding still applies to a current application — confirm you're applying to UNIC's own accredited MD, and factor its independent CYQAA/WFME accreditation into your research rather than relying on St George's reputation by association.

Since UCAT is only accepted from a specific subset of Bachelor of Science graduates, confirm your eligibility for that route before investing in UCAT preparation — GAMSAT or MCAT will be the default route for most Graduate Entry applicants.

Because the interview specifically probes your understanding of the biological, psychological and social dimensions of medicine through your volunteering experience, prepare concrete examples rather than general statements of interest in medicine.

If eventual practice outside Cyprus or the EU is your goal, treat the "check with your own national authorities" guidance seriously and research recognition in your specific target country early — this varies significantly and isn't something a general guide (or UNIC's own marketing) can substitute for.

How Cambridge Clinical can help

We help applicants navigate UNIC's holistic admissions process, choose the right entrance exam route for the Graduate Entry MD, and prepare for the online interview's focus on volunteering and lived understanding of medicine's biological, psychological and social dimensions.

If you'd like a hand with any stage, visit cambridgeclinical.co.uk to find out more

Entry requirements, entrance exam thresholds, fees and scholarship structures can and do shift between cycles. Always confirm current requirements against the University of Nicosia Medical School's official admissions page before finalising your application.