King’s College London: Extended Medical Degree Programme (EMDP)
Edited 20/06/2026 at 19:15
Looking to study on the Extended Medical Degree Programme? This post will explain what the Extended Medical Degree Programme is, some of the history behind it and demystifies the confusion between EMDP and foundation year programmes, as well as sharing both my positive and negative experiences to help support you in making your decision about whether EMDP is the right fit for you.
🏛️ The history behind the Extended Medical Degree Programme...
The journey into medicine from disadvantaged backgrounds has been a long and arduous one. Only 7% of students in the UK were privately educated, yet made up almost 30% of medical and dentistry students in the UK. Only 4.1% were from disadvantaged backgrounds. Since then, it is widely accepted that tomorrow’s doctors should reflect the communities in which they intend to serve. As such, widening participation initiatives have been established globally, in an attempt to help mitigate unfairness across medicine.
A study by King’s College London reported that 75% of medical students on the conventional programme (A100) were indeed from professional, middle class families. Highlighting a need in widening the access to medicine and closing the disparities.
The Extended Medical Degree Programme (A101) is part of GKT School of Medical Education and was launched in 2001. It is the UK’s longest-running and largest flagship widening access to medicine course, designed for bright, motivated pupils who had the aptitude but lacked the opportunity to study medicine. Initially, only 10 spaces were reserved in its first year but since then, up to 80 students are now part of the current intake in any given year. Since 2018, the programme has expanded beyond London (despite originally working with local comprehensive schools in Borough of Southwark) to accept students from across England through the Realising Opportunities scheme, rather than being restricted to Greater London applicants alone.
Since its inception, over 750 doctors have graduated, highlighting just how successful the programme is.
❤️ Damilola Taylor and the impact of his death...
On 27th November 2000, Damilola Taylor, a ten-year old boy was tragically killed in London on his way home after studying in Peckham Library, he had dreams of becoming a doctor one day. In May 2001, Richard and Gloria Taylor established the Damilola Taylor Trust in their son’s memory, campaigning against knife crime. Richard Taylor OBE has since dedicated his life to improving the lives of disadvantaged children. The Damilola Taylor Trust has since funded specific elements of the Extended Medical Degree Programme, providing financial support, prizes, hardship funds, travel grants and built a room within Guy’s specifically for EMDP students to enjoy.
Eligibility criteria
Full King’s EMDP entry requirements can be viewed here.
- You must have attended only non-selective state education since the age of 11.
- You cannot have started or completed a degree before submitting your application.
- You must have sat the UCAT prior to submitting your application
- You must have a Home fee status.
- At least one of the following criteria must apply to you:
- – Eligible for Free School Meals
- – Home postcode in an area of ‘high deprivation’ determined by ACORN (categories 5/6)
- – Successfully completed the King’s K+ programme
- – Applicants who are care-experienced or estranged
- – Priority given to applicants from schools with low attainment defined by Progress 8 score
Click here to see the full entry requirements for King’s College London: Extended Medical Degree Programme 2026/27
⚖️ EMDP versus medicine with a foundation year: why they are not the same thing...
If you are a widening participation student, the chances are you have at least seen or probably considered King’s College London’s EMDP programme and at some point, have probably questioned the differences between EMDP and Medicine with a Foundation Year. Both exist to widen participation into medicine but are fundamentally different, understanding the difference matters if you are trying to figure out which route is right for you.
Medicine with a Foundation Year
Foundation Year (sometimes called Gateway) programmes are best described as a pre-medicine year. On your UCAS application and the medical school websites of which you intend to apply, the code may be listed as A101 or A102, whereas the standard medicine course is universally listed as A100. Within the Foundation Year, you are technically not yet officially within the medicine course.
Instead, you are on a separate, standalone year designed to bring your science knowledge (typically chemistry and biology) up to the standard expected for Y1, in preparation for the foundations of medicine (e.g biochemistry). You sit your own assessments, specific to that foundation year, entirely separate from A100 students. Only once you pass, do you progress into Year 1 of the standard medicine course, now running alongside the cohort who entered through the traditional A100 route a year behind where you’d otherwise have been.
The Extended Medical Degree Programme
Structure
The Extended Medical Degree Programme is unique in the way in which it is ran. Instead of a separate pre-medicine year, EMDP deliberately splits Year 1 of A100 into two years, covering exactly the same content and sitting the same exams as the A100 students. The rationale is to provide a sustainable and graduated pace as opposed to 100% intensity from day one. At present, it is the only medical school to offer this option.
The A100 course has two primary examinable modules, which the EMDP splits across the two years. Y1A covers biochemistry and genetics (one exam), while the following year, Y1B, covers anatomy and physiology (one exam). EMDP students are included in the same lectures, tutorials and dissections alongside A100 students, it is not completely separate.
EMDP specific timetabled activities
Because the content is effectively halved, the time accumulated within the timetable is filled with EMDP specific activities spanned across the two years.
- Problem-based learning (PBL): Y1A & Y1B; students are divided into small tutor groups and given 4-5 cases throughout the year (approx every 1-2 weeks). You are given a clinical case relevant to what you are learning within the lectures and you work in pairs to present a section of something clinically relevant back to the tutor and group (e.g how diabetes mellitus is diagnosed).
- Numercacy: Y1A only; mathematics is the cornerstone of medicine and some students may find elements of mathematics hard, the numeracy tutorials are there to support you with pharmacology and dosage calculations, so you are better prepared when entering placement. There are approx. 2-3 sessions and then a formative exam at the end to assess competence.
- Art project: Y1A only; halfway through the year, you will meet with a patient educator who will share their story, you then gather into groups of 4-5 people (of your choice) to produce an art piece based on what they have shared with you about their experience, you will get to showcase your art piece to faculty and public. There is an opportunity to win prizes and awards based on which art pieces the patient educator prefers!
- Fun sessions: Y1A & Y1B; throughout the two years there are timetabled medical humanities sessions and/or fun sessions, wherein you are in a more relaxed environment, playing games, icebreakers, getting to know one another. It is a good opportunity, especially at the start to mix with the cohort (there is always free food provided like pizza and doughnuts!).
My initial thoughts and feelings...
I had a lot of initial doubts, for many reasons. Firstly, transitioning from environments (e.g work, access course) filled with people my own age or older into an environment typically geared towards teenagers was a daunting concept. I felt as though I was ‘too old’ to embark on a career in medicine, that I would never find ‘my people’, have friendships and be damned to six years of misery and loneliness. I began questioning whether I had made the right decision, especially since my access course friends all chose to study at Bristol.
Secondly, despite feeling proud of my achievements and the sacrifices I made to get to where I was, I couldn’t help but feel that entering into the Extended Medical Degree Programme may cause students on A100 to think I was less capable or undeserving of a place in medicine; I thought I would face hostility (e.g us versus them feeling). Additionally, I thought that EMDP students would be seen as outcasts to the A100, with different lanyards or separated from the main cohort which worried me.
However, the realities were much different…
Everyone at medical school, from the students to faculty, have been nothing but supportive and kind towards me. During my induction week, I quickly found out that I was the oldest in the cohort, at first, some people asked curious questions about my journey into medicine but once I explained my background and journey, people have been nothing but kind and compassionate towards me and if anything, admire my unconventional journey.
I also realised that most of the EMDP cohort were older with students on average taking at least 2-3 gap years before entering. Knowing that my peers (for the most part) were around 20-24 years old definitely helped offset awkwardness.
You are not segregated or distinguishable as an EMDP student. A100 and EMDP students are completely indistinguishable, you have the same lanyards, same lectures and same tutorials as the A100 students, most of the time they assume you are part of the standard course anyway and it isn’t until you mention you are EMDP that they even find out!
Why I highly recommend the Extended Medical Degree Programme...
You are given the gift of time
If you are a mature student or simply someone who has commitments, erratic home-life or needs to work throughout the degree; I would say that studying on EMDP will be the best decision you will ever make.
Across the two years, the timetable is considerably less busy than your A100 counterparts; it is not that the timetable is left entirely empty, because it is filled with lots of extracurricular classes (e.g PBL, numeracy, tutorials, projects etc) but none of the additional classes are related to summative exams which makes it far more relaxing than if you had to attend double the amount of lectures for 2x exams.
There has been some changes...
To highlight, the way in which lectures are delivered has changed across the past year. Lectures were technically mandatory but attendance was not enforced, this gave students the freedom to watch the lectures after it had taken place in another environment instead, which made the timetable more flexible.
At the beginning of 2026, King’s introduced “Venio”, marking attendance for anything relating to medical school including placements, making the timetable a little less flexible than previously but, as an EMDP student, even with enforced attendance, you will still have more time overall than the A100 students despite this change.
Problem-based learning
The first year of medicine covers the foundational knowledge you need to know before stepping foot onto placement (and actually being helpful to people). But, during this time it can easily feel disconnected to medicine and a little defeating. This is more so the case for EMDP, where first year is broken into two years. I found that problem-based learning became my favourite tutorials during Y1.
PBL sessions were done in our tutor groups (approx. 8 people), each tutorial we were presented with a clinical case and have to arrive at a diagnosis. Then we would go away in a pair and research one thing about each condition (e.g one pair researches diagnostic criteria while another pair researches treatment).
I would say PBL gave me an advantage for exams. A few of the clinical cases we had were Sickle Cell Disease, Diabetes Mellitus, Alzheimer’s; all of which were topics that appeared in the summative exam. As we had gone through the conditions in detail throughout the year, when it came to exams I had a much better in depth understanding of the conditions compared to my A100 peers.
Support
One of the main distinctions between A100 and A101 is the unmatched level of support you receive, in all domains. Although there is support for A100’s, the cohort is huge (500+ students), it can be difficult for staff to have the capacity to reach out individually. However, on EMDP, there are only 83 students within a cohort, making the capacity to reach out far greater.
- Emotional support: The faculty who run EMDP are incredibly responsive, proactive and genuinely empathetic when listening/acting on student concerns. For example, if you fail an exam, faculty will always reach out to you quickly to offer support and see if there is a ‘deeper’ issue.
- Physical support: Faculty provide practical advocacy support without you navigating them yourself. They can book medical or support appointments on your behalf, refer you directly to relevant services, liase with internal or external teams, able to provide references on your behalf. An example of this is supporting with neurodivergent services (e.g Autism, ADHD) ultimately unlocking extended time in exams and other accommodations that can affect academic outcomes.
- Financial support: The Worshipful Company Of Barbers fund a large proportion of all financial support that EMDP receive. Students receive a dedicated £9,000 bursary – £3,000 per year across three years (not all students receive this as it based on household income). Beyond the bursary, EMDP students are gifted an iPad and course materials (e.g Netter’s Flashcards, anatomy apps) for free. Students are also awarded a Littmann stethoscope after the completion Transition to Clinical Practice block, it is presented as a milestone reward along with an Oxford Clinical Handbook (majority, if not, all, doctors carry this book with them!)
Around 90% of EMDP students are the first in their family to progress to higher education. The EMDP support infrastructure is, in part, compensating for the absence of family knowledge network and support.
The Worshipful Company of Barbers and their role within the EMDP programme
The Worshipful Company of Barbers is one of the most historic and ancient livery companies within London, with origins dating back before 1308. The union of Barber-Surgeons was championed by King Henry VIII’s surgeon, Thomas Vicary, as surgery became a highly respected and distinct medical profession, surgeons broke away in 1745 to form what is now The Royal College of Surgeons.
The company operates out of the Barber-Surgeons’ Hall in Monkwell Square, which houses an extensive collection of historical art and antiques (including a famous Tudor painting commissioned by Henry VIII). While the Company of Barbers has no affiliation with hairdressing anymore, a significant portion of their members are doctors, dentists and surgeons. The organisation donates millions of pounds annually to medical research, healthcare causes and educational scholarships.
EMDP students are invited to:
- Fancy celebratory dinners: Around November, students are invited to join the Worshipful Company of Barbers in the Barber-Surgeons’ Hall to have a mixer and a dinner. It is an amazing opportunity to not only network more closely with your peers, but, also with King’s faculty, alumni and the Barbers’ themselves, who have so kindly extended generous funding and materials to support EMDP’ers.
- Awards night for high achievers: Students also have special ceremonies to celebrate those who have achieved Merit’s and Distinctions across the years; cash awards and vouchers are sponsored by The Worshipful Company of Barbers themselves.
My personal experience and advice...
1️⃣ Utilise the time, you'll never get it back
In medicine, time, is so valuable (particularly towards the later years), you are consistently juggling between medicine, fitness, hobbies, social relationships, personal goals etc. understandably, some of these things will drop off or become ‘de-prioritised’ as you move through medicine. The time you get in EMDP is the most time you will get during medical school and you can utilise this to better position yourself in both medicine and life.
- Study. You have an advantage and opportunity to score Merit/Distinction in your exams.
- Network. You have greater opportunities to network with faculty (e.g celebratory dinners and award nights) and with peers. For me, I gained many opportunities (e.g research, auditing, leadership roles, technology implementation) simply from networking with faculty and exploring if their interests aligned with mine.
- Portfolio. You have the luxury of time to get a head start on your portfolio. You don’t have to go crazy, but it is beneficial to attend conferences and events to get an idea of how they run/work to better prepare you for later years so you are not blind-sighted. Prior to medical school, I had already attended international conferences. During my first year, I chose to attend a national university-led Obstetrics and Gynaecology conference, I saw first-hand how the society organised it, I spoke 1:1 with one of the most established Obstetricians in the world and I joined a portfolio panel to explore the speciality further with specific advice from Consultants tailored to early year medical students. I received a certificate for my portfolio at the end.
- Societies. You have the time to join multiple societies and truly explore hobbies. For me, I swam every other day, equestrian society every Wednesday afternoon, badminton and medical societies in between. All ontop of medicine. You’ll have more time to commit to BUCS, if you want to commit to sport on a National level. Not only do you have enough time to try societies out, you have enough time to take on senior responsibilities within them (it also aids your portfolio).
- Travel. At times, you will experience a week or two with no lectures, tutorials, workshops etc, this gives you free time to travel off-peak when it’s cheaper! I was able to travel to York, Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, Portugal, and Paris during term time.
- Work. EMDP is an ideal time to recuperate some savings in preparation for your final years of medical school. Student Finance England (SFE) only fund living costs up to four years of a degree; for EMDP, this leaves two years with minimal maintenance loan. If you receive maximum maintenance loan, in Y5 and Y6 you will only be eligible for maximum £3,865 per year, meaning you would have to suddenly find over £11,000 per year, across two years, to fund living expenses of medical school. Your last years of medical school are both the most demanding of your time (UKMLA, prescribing exams, placement) and the most financially burdensome (medical elective, travel to placement 5 days a week, rotating around hospitals, moving costs in preparation for FY1/2).
2️⃣ Only apply if you are truly widening participation
Each year, students apply to King’s EMDP programme as an “easy” route into medicine due to the more relaxed grade criteria. However, EMDP’s competition ratio (24:1) is almost 3x higher than A100’s (9:1). If you do not meet widening participation criteria, you will be rejected pre-interview and you’d have effectively wasted an application.
If you are set on applying to King’s, you can apply to both the A100 and EMDP programmes at the same time, maximising your chances of an offer!
3️⃣ You graduate with the same degree as everyone else
Some EMDP students feel uncertain about how to describe what year they’re in, there can be a perception of stigma from A100 students. In reality, A100 students often wish they were on EMDP for the reduced pressure, closer classroom environment and more support. You graduate with an identical MBBS. This route, in my opinion, makes you a more well-rounded doctor.
Why I chose to apply to King's EMDP...
I was a mature student (21+) at the time of application, I had already gone through the long journey of researching medicine, resitting my GCSE’s, completing my access course and one failed application cycle (due to my UCAT score); understandably, I wanted to maximise my chances getting into medical school.
However, I was limited on options as not every medical school accepted the access to medicine course or viewed them in the same way. I knew I had a lot of contextual factors that I could use when applying to medicine (e.g foster care leaver, attended state school) so I chose universities that weighted these factors more than academics, personal statement and UCAT score.
Additionally, I had to factor in finances and distance from my support systems. Therefore, I chose to apply to King’s EMDP as it suited my situation and personal preferences more than the others; I received an unconditional offer.
Other resources
- Find out if your college is QAA approved
- QAA Access to Higher Education Descriptor
- Insight into College of West Anglia’s Access to Medicine course
- Dr. Rebecca Bradford – How to Get Into Medicine As A Mature Student With No A-Levels
- Nurse Belinda – Access Course to Medicine with a Nursing Degree
- Balancing work while studying an Access Course
