New Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree launched at Herts as University hits next major milestone for medical school
The University of Hertfordshire has officially launched its new Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree after hitting the next major milestone towards opening its own medical school.
Due to open in just over a year’s time pending General Medical Council (GMC) approval, the ‘Hertfordshire Medical School’ - as the medical school will be known - will be the first of its kind in the county. It will build on the University’s existing and extensive portfolio of healthcare education, facilities, specialist staff and partners to primarily train highly skilled doctors through the new MBBS.
Training up to 70 students a year, its first cohort of international-only students will train alongside peers from the University’s highly respected nursing, midwifery, paramedic and pharmacy programmes, ensuring an outstanding interprofessional learning environment. The plan is to open the course up to UK fee-paying students soon after.
The news comes just after the University reached the next major stage in the thorough application process. Working closely with key NHS partners, the University has now submitted their self-assessment questionnaire (SAQ) and supporting evidence to the GMC, the public body for medical education and training. This is to demonstrate how they will ensure their undergraduate education meets the required high standards.
If the application is successful, the University will be able to deliver their new MBBS degree from September 2026 as proposed. They'll then be added to the list of bodies able to award a primary medical qualification (PMQ) following the graduations of their first cohort in 2031.
University of Hertfordshire Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mairi Watson, said:
“Officially launching our new MBBS degree and submitting the SAQ is a massive moment for Herts, and we are so proud to already be at this stage of the process. It is testament to the high-quality health education, training and research we already conduct at the University of Hertfordshire, as well as the immense support we are receiving from our valued partners who continue to champion us to be able to deliver this much needed facility for Hertfordshire and beyond.
“By expanding on the University’s existing excellence in healthcare education, research and socio-economic impact, we will be able to drive productivity and innovation in the health economy, progress our medical research capacity, further strengthen key partnerships with our local NHS trusts and Integrated Care Boards and support our commitment to widening participation within the sector.”
With latest findings showing there are currently 0.5 GPs for every 1000 patients in Hertfordshire – compared to approximately 2.8 GPs nationally - the new medical school is expected to bring substantial benefits and improvements to patient care across the county. Student doctors will be encouraged to train and work in areas with medical staff shortages and difficult-to-fill vacancies, to help strengthen the current workforce, address current staffing challenges, and the growing issue of an ageing population. Research also shows that doctors tend to stay in the areas where they train.
The new medical school will further open up significant new research opportunities and funding within medical and life sciences and help to support increasing demand to study medicine in the East of England, which has risen 47% in the last five years. A leading university for social mobility, Herts has also pledged to make diversity and widening access to the profession a priority, in line with their values and with recent calls from the Royal College of Physicians to broaden participation in medicine.
Professor Zoe Aslanpour, Head of Medicine at the University of Hertfordshire, said:
“We’ve made sure our proposal for the new Hertfordshire Medical School aligns with many of the measures put forward by the government to tackle the chronic issues currently impacting the NHS, in particular, workforce shortages.
“The Hertfordshire Medical School will combine our exceptional core teaching experience with the benefits of working alongside our multidisciplinary research specialisms. It is part of our ongoing commitment to advancing health, medicine and life sciences in the county and beyond, and we are thrilled to be making such strong steps to being able to welcome our first cohort of student doctors in September 2026.”
The University of Hertfordshire’s medical school application is being supported by City St George’s, University of London, as well as a number of key local NHS partners, including: Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, East and North Herts NHS Trust, Herts and West Essex Integrated Care Board, Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, West Herts NHS Trust, and up to 20 primary care networks comprising local GP practices.
The GMC’s Quality Assurance team and a panel of educational experts from established UK medical schools will now review the University’s submission, with them being notified of the outcome in April, and a recommendation and final decision made in July.