AN ORIGINAL DATA REPORT

Best UK Cities for Doctors: Where to Start Your Medical Career

Pastest analysed 45 UK locations to find the best places to study, train and build a medical career, comparing medical school quality, GP accessibility, Foundation Programme opportunities and affordability.
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THE 2026 RANKINGS

Where are the best UK cities for doctors?

According to the Pastest 2026 rankings, Glasgow is the best UK city to start a medical career, achieving the highest overall score of 100. Dundee and Edinburgh complete the top three, while Scotland accounts for four of the ten highest-ranked locations overall.
#1

Glasgow ranks first

Glasgow achieved an overall score of 100, ranking first for its combination of medical school quality, Foundation Programme opportunities, GP accessibility and affordability.
4

Scottish cities in the Top 10

Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh and Aberdeen all feature among the ten highest-ranked locations.
#1

Dundee for GP accessibility

Dundee ranks first nationally for GP accessibility among the locations included in the study.
#10

Manchester

Manchester is the highest-ranked large English city in the report, placing tenth overall.
The ranking

The 10 best UK cities to start your medical career

Pastest ranked UK locations using medical school quality, GP accessibility, Foundation Programme opportunities and affordability to identify the strongest places to begin a medical career.

Rank City Overall score /100
1 Glasgow 100.0
2 Dundee 96.5
3 Edinburgh 96.1
4 Belfast 94.2
5 Hull 90.7
6 Aberdeen 88.0
7 St Andrews 85.7
8 Liverpool 82.6
9 Leicester 82.2
10 Manchester 81.1

Scores are based on Pastest's 2026 methodology, combining medical school quality, GP accessibility, Foundation Programme opportunities and affordability.

This year's leaders

Why these cities came out on top

The highest-ranking cities combine outstanding medical education with strong Foundation Programme opportunities, good GP accessibility and better affordability for junior doctors.

1 Pastest illustration representing Glasgow

Glasgow

Overall score /100 100.0

A strong balance of medical education, training opportunities and affordability places Glasgow at the top of this year's report.

🏥 High-performing medical school
🎓 Strong Foundation opportunities
🩺 High GP accessibility
£ Good value compared with many major UK cities
2 Pastest illustration representing Dundee

Dundee

Overall score /100 96.5

Combining an excellent medical school with strong value for money makes Dundee an attractive choice for aspiring doctors.

🏥 Excellent medical school reputation
£ Affordable living costs
🩺 Compact healthcare community
🎓 Strong access to training
3 Pastest illustration representing Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Overall score /100 96.1

Edinburgh performs consistently well across every pillar, combining a highly ranked medical school with excellent Foundation opportunities and GP accessibility.

🏥 Internationally recognised medical school
🎓 Excellent Foundation Programme access
🩺 Strong GP accessibility
↗ Consistent across all metrics

Methodology

How we ranked the UK's cities

We evaluated UK cities with medical schools using four factors that matter to aspiring doctors, covering education, career opportunities, access to primary care and affordability.

20%

Medical school quality

We used national university rankings to assess the overall quality and reputation of each medical school.

30%

GP accessibility

Measured using the number of GP practices relative to the local population, providing an indication of access to primary healthcare services and potential clinical exposure.

30%

Foundation Programme opportunities

Based on Foundation Programme allocation data to reflect the availability of postgraduate training opportunities in each location.

20%

Affordability

Calculated using our Net Efficiency Score, combining average graduate salaries with local living costs to identify cities offering the strongest value for money.

How the overall score was calculated

Each city was ranked across the four pillars before the weightings were applied and combined to produce an overall score out of 100.

20% Medical school quality 30% GP accessibility 30% Foundation opportunities 20% Affordability Overall score /100

These rankings compare UK cities with medical schools using the selected measures and weighting methodology. They are intended as a guide to help prospective medical students compare locations and should not be interpreted as an absolute measure of educational quality or career success. Published by Pastest in 2026, this research analysed 45 UK locations with medical schools across medical school quality, GP accessibility, Foundation Programme opportunities and affordability. Read the full methodology and data sources in the report below.

The wider story

Cities to watch

While Glasgow, Dundee and Edinburgh secured the top three places, several other UK cities also performed strongly across individual categories. Here are some of the standout findings from the wider rankings.

Pastest illustration representing Manchester

Manchester

#10 overall

The highest-ranked large English city, offering excellent medical education and career opportunities.

Pastest illustration representing Liverpool

Liverpool

#8 overall

A strong all-round performer with a balance of education quality, training opportunities and affordability.

Pastest illustration representing Hull

Hull

#5 overall

One of the biggest surprises, finishing in the Top 5 thanks to strong affordability and access to training.

Pastest illustration representing Belfast

Belfast

#4 overall

The highest-ranked city in Northern Ireland, with excellent training opportunities and good affordability.

Pastest illustration representing St Andrews

St Andrews

#7 overall

A standout performer despite its smaller size, with world-class education and strong overall results.

Pastest illustration representing Aberdeen

Aberdeen

#6 overall

Another Scottish city reinforcing the country's strength in medical education and early-career training.

Choosing the right city

Which city is right for you?

Everyone's priorities are different. Use this quick guide to find the city that best matches what matters most to you.

Looking for affordability?

Choose Dundee

One of the strongest performers for affordability while maintaining excellent overall rankings.

Pastest illustration representing Dundee

Looking for prestige?

Choose Edinburgh

Internationally recognised with consistently strong performance across the index.

Pastest illustration representing Edinburgh

Focused on your career?

Choose Glasgow

The highest overall score thanks to exceptional Foundation opportunities and strong all-round performance.

Pastest illustration representing Glasgow

Want the best all-round option?

Choose Glasgow

The UK's highest-scoring city across the combined index.

Pastest illustration representing Glasgow

Prefer a larger city?

Choose Manchester

A strong-performing English city offering excellent career opportunities and vibrant city life.

Pastest illustration representing Manchester

Prefer a smaller city?

Choose Dundee

A compact, affordable city with outstanding results.

Pastest illustration representing Dundee

Remember: the best city depends on your own priorities, not just the overall ranking.

Frequently asked questions

Best UK cities for doctors: FAQs

From the best overall city to affordability and training opportunities, here's what our 2026 rankings reveal.

What is the best UK city to start a medical career?

Glasgow ranks as the best UK city to start a medical career in the Pastest 2026 rankings, achieving an overall score of 100. Its strong performance reflects a combination of medical school quality, GP accessibility, Foundation Programme opportunities and affordability.

What are the top 10 UK cities for doctors?

The top 10 cities in the Pastest 2026 rankings are Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh, Belfast, Hull, Aberdeen, St Andrews, Liverpool, Leicester and Manchester. Glasgow ranks first with an overall score of 100, followed by Dundee with 96.5 and Edinburgh with 96.1.

Which UK city is best for GP accessibility?

Dundee ranks first for GP accessibility among the locations included in the study. GP accessibility was measured using the number of GP practices relative to the local population, providing an indication of access to primary healthcare services and potential clinical exposure.

Which is the best large English city for doctors?

Manchester is the highest-ranked large English city in the Pastest 2026 report. It places 10th overall with a score of 81.1 and combines strong medical education with career opportunities and the benefits of living in a major UK city.

Why doesn't London rank higher for aspiring doctors?

London is home to some of the UK's highest-ranked medical schools and offers strong Foundation Programme opportunities. However, high living costs and lower GP accessibility reduce its overall score when all four measures are considered. London ranks 24th overall in the study.

How did Pastest rank the best UK cities for doctors?

Pastest assessed UK cities with medical schools using four weighted measures: medical school quality (20%), GP accessibility (30%), Foundation Programme opportunities (30%) and affordability (20%). These weighted rankings were combined to create an overall score out of 100.

Does the highest-ranked medical school mean the best city for doctors?

Not necessarily. The rankings show that university reputation is only one part of the picture. Affordability, access to Foundation Programme training and GP accessibility can significantly affect a city's overall position. For example, Oxford has the highest-ranked university in the dataset but places 33rd overall when the wider measures are included.

EXPLORE THE RESEARCH

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