City St George's, University of London (formerly St George's)

Overview

St George’s is a single campus uni based in Tooting, southwest London. It’s the UK’s only university based in a hospital and the only one to specialise in healthcare and medicine. It’s been a world leader in health education for over 250 years, having first opened in 1752.

Being based in Tooting, you’ll have loads to do on your doorstep, including nearby pubs and clubs, the ever-growing Tooting Market and the spacious and lively Tooting Common and Lido. You’re also only a short tube ride away from Central London and the West End and can get discounts on travel as a student. At St George’s, you’ll be able to benefit from being among a small and friendly local neighbourhood at the same time as having all that London has to offer on your doorstep.

St George’s shares its campus with St George’s Hospital and is fully equipped with up-to-date educational facilities and a Students’ Union that has a bar and social spaces. As a student, you’ll also have access to a dedicated counselling service which is confidential, free and impartial and you’ll be able to go to wellbeing and mindfulness workshops and drop-in sessions.

Being in London, you’ll be really well connected to the rest of the UK by the numerous national train stations around the capital. Major airports like Gatwick and Heathrow also make international travel easily accessible. 

St George’s specialises in healthcare and medicine degrees and is based inside a working hospital. It’s therefore a great uni to go to if you want to study anything in those fields, including biomedical sciences, medicine, pharmacy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and paramedic science. 

There are far fewer undergraduate degree options on offer at St George’s than at most other universities because of the specific nature of the uni, but you’re sure to find high quality and specified teaching and facilities. 

Undergraduate degrees are available to study on a full-time basis and the course length depends on the subject you’re studying. Several of the courses take three years to complete, although sometimes you can choose to study for a master’s degree as well, making the degree programme four years. As with most universities, St George’s medicine degree takes five years to study. 

You can also choose to add an intercalated iBSc year into your medicine degree, meaning you’ll get an in-depth understanding of another subject area, like neuroscience. This will increase the course length to six years. 

St George’s welcomes applicants from all backgrounds onto its medical, health and science degrees. For most courses you’ll need to have completed your level 3 qualifications within the five years before you apply. 

Level 3 qualifications that are accepted include A-levels and the International Baccalaureate for all courses and BTECs, the Cambridge Pre-U Diploma and Scottish Highers for some courses. 

You’ll often need to have studied specific subjects at A-level, or an equivalent qualification, to be accepted onto a course. For example, to get onto the medicine degree, you’ll need to have A-levels in chemistry and biology or human biology. 

You can find exact entry requirements for all courses online on the uni’s course search pages, but we’ve given you the grades needed for certain subjects here as well, to give you an idea of the kind of qualifications you’ll need.

For example, to get onto the medicine degree, you’ll likely need A-levels (or equivalent) of AAA, for occupational therapy and biomedical science you’ll be asked for BBB, and for physiotherapy you’ll need ABB. 

It should be noted that entry requirements can change so you should always confirm these with the university before applying. 

First-year students at St George’s are given priority for Horton Halls, which is situated near Upper Tooting. There is a local, regular bus service that serves the halls and drops off right outside the uni’s main entrance. You’ll also find bicycle storage on-site and parking is available but limited. 

There are more than 300 standard rooms with single beds at Horton Halls and over 150 premium rooms that have small doubles. All blocks have common rooms with a large plasma TV and there are on-site laundry facilities and internet access in every room.   

A secure 24-hour reception creates a safe environment and you’ll be able to choose between single or mixed-gender flats. Rooms are self-catered and ensuite.

After first year you’ll be expected to find accommodation outside uni halls in the private rental sector. St George’s accommodation team can offer advice on finding private accommodation from second year onwards.

As a student at St George’s, you’ll get careers support throughout your studies and after you graduate. You’ll be encouraged to think about career options early on in your studies and will be supported in developing your job prospects and employability. 

In the Complete University Guide’s 2024 rankings of UK universities, St George’s came in third place for graduate prospects, showing that there’s a great chance of securing employment after graduating.

St George’s courses aim to provide students with the skills and knowledge that make it possible to move into graduate positions in medicine, research and healthcare. This is helped by the fact that students are immersed into a professional environment straight away as there’s a hospital on-site. You’ll also likely benefit from a range of clinical placements which will give you great experience in a real-work environment. 

The uni also has a dedicated Careers Service that offers careers support online and in person. You’ll get help with choosing a career path, as well as writing your CV and effective job applications, and preparing for interviews. 

There are scholarships and bursaries on offer at St George’s that help give all students an equal opportunity to study at the uni, whatever their background, specialism or personal circumstances.  

Scholarships and bursaries act as extra funding that can help with living and study costs. They don’t need to be repaid.

The St George’s Opportunity Fund, for example, gives financial support to students from England who come from lower-income backgrounds. Also, under-represented applicants can apply for a travel bursary that covers reasonable travel costs for prospective students who attend key events, like open days or interviews.

You can find out more about the scholarships and bursaries available, including their eligibility criteria, by visiting the uni’s online funding pages or by contacting the Development & Alumni Relations office.