Did non-standard undergraduate medical degrees widen access at eighteen British medical schools (2002 and 2011)? :The impact of the extended-entry and graduate-entry degrees on the demography of medical school applications and accepted applicants, in relation to standard-entry degrees at eighteen British medical schools

In 1997, the MWASC reported a lack of diversity amongst undergraduate medical students. Three years later, four-year Graduate-entry (GEM) degrees were introduced, followed by six-year Extended-entry degrees in 2001. These had a widening access remit, with EXT degrees using contextual admissions to attract students from disadvantaged backgrounds and GEM degrees providing a 'second chance' for mature students with a degree to study medicine. This quantitative research utilised the novel approach of FOI requests to obtain secondary data relating to applications and admissions at the eighteen British medical schools which ran EXT and/or GEM degrees alongside pre-existing Standard-entry (STN) medical degrees between 2002 and 2011. Using three independent variables (NS-SEC, POLAR and last institution attended) applications and admissions to the EXT and GEM degrees have been explored in relation to STN degrees, to ascertain if they have fulfilled their widening access remit.