Students wishing to study medicine will have the option of postponing their place until next year or choosing to move to another medical school due to capacity constraints, UK medical schools have said.

The Medical Schools Council (MSC), which represents 44 heads of medical schools across the UK, said some schools may still struggle to increase the number of students they admit as they are limited by specialized establishments.

The warning comes after the government announced that schools of medicine and dentistry will receive additional funding to expand courses this year following increased demands for these subjects.

On Tuesday, tens of thousands of school leavers will know their A-level results after this summer’s exams are canceled for the second year in a row.

If more students get the best marks – which are submitted by teachers – then it will be more difficult for universities and selective courses to differentiate between applicants, it has been suggested.

A statement from the MSC said: “The medical schools are committed to maintaining high standards of education for existing and new students and will therefore work with the government to ensure that all additional places are funded and allocated in a proper manner. appropriate.

“While some medical schools may accept a modest increase in numbers, their ability to do so will be limited by specialized facilities for topics such as anatomy and clinical practicum opportunities.

“With the physical constraints on placement capacity, some students may choose to move to another medical school or postpone their placement until 2022, and medical schools will support them in these moves.”

The number of places for courses in medicine and dentistry at English universities is capped by the government to ensure that standards of teaching, learning and assessment are maintained.

But Thursday evening – just five days before results day – the Ministry of Education (DfE) announced that the cap would be adjusted to allow more than 9,000 places in medicine and dentistry for the start of the 2021 school year.

He said demands for medicine and dentistry have increased by 20% this year compared to 2020.

In a statement released on Friday, the MSC said it is committed to working with the government to try and build capacity to accommodate these additional students.

He added, “Medicine is a competitive course you have to enter and every year there is a surplus of qualified candidates who would be suitable for the course.

“Medical schools recognize that this year’s cohort will have experienced disruption in their learning and, as a result, will need additional support in their transition to university.

“Due to the rigorous selection processes undertaken at all medical schools, the public should be reassured that all students who hold offers have been interviewed and found suitable for a career in medicine.”

The University of Exeter, which is a member of the Russell Group, recently wrote to students who accepted an offer to study medicine from 2021 asking if they would delay the start of their classes until 2022.

Students who opt for a deferral are offered financial incentives, including a guaranteed place next year, free accommodation for their first year and a £ 10,000 cash scholarship.

Last summer, the scoring fiasco led to thousands of A-level students having their results downgraded from school estimates by a controversial algorithm, before Ofqual announced a U-turn .

The government then announced that it would lift the cap on the number of places in medical courses after the turnaround, after institutions warned they had limited space for students with higher scores.