Electives
Elective placements are an important part of the medical school curriculum.
Visiting Elective Students
Visiting Elective applications are currently closed but will re-open on 1st July 2026.
Newcastle Medical School welcomes final or penultimate year undergraduate medical students and we accept both UK and international students who wish to apply for our visiting elective programme.
We are a regional Medical School that works in partnership with NHS Trusts throughout the North-East of England. That partnership allows us to host students across sites in; Newcastle*, Northumberland**, Gateshead, Cumbria, North Tees, South Tees, Sunderland, Durham, and Darlington, offering students a wide range of experiences in various medical settings.
*The Great North Children’s Hospital cannot accept any further applications for 2026.
** Northumberland only accept students for electives that take place in July and August
If you would like to apply to our visiting elective programme, you must complete our online application form at least 6 months prior to your proposed elective start date.
Late applications will not be accepted, nor treated as urgent, and will be automatically rejected. We do not accept graduates, students from other degree programmes or medical students who would not be in their final or penultimate year of study at the time of the placement.
Placements will be considered for between 4 and 12 weeks in duration.
Applications
Our online application form is linked below. The application process is split into 2 sections (outlined in our Policy). Applicants are required to submit a declaration and other documentation at this stage. Applicants should have made preliminary arrangements with a supervisor prior to applying.
Fees:
While we do not charge tuition for the Visiting Elective Programme, we do charge a non-refundable administration fee.
| Elective Duration | Non-refundable Administration Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 4 weeks | £250 |
| Over 4 weeks | £500 |
We accept placements between 4 and 12 weeks in duration.
Applicants are responsible for:
- Finding their own elective supervisor and agreeing dates.
- Arranging their own accommodation – please be aware that some supervisors work across multiple sites.
- Making their own travel arrangements
- Ensuring they have appropriate funds for fees, travel, accommodation and living expenses (we cannot offer any financial assistance to visiting students).
- Providing all essential documents listed under Section 1 at the time of application
- Ensuring that the requirements and deadlines outlined under Section 2 are met.
Full details of our programme, including information on how to find a supervisor, the application process, fees and FAQ’s, are outlined in our Visiting Elective Policy
Failure to meet the requirements of the application, or to provide any of the documents listed in Sections 1 and 2 by the required deadlines, will result in your elective placement being cancelled or rejected.
What to expect:
Once an application has been submitted, applicants will receive an email within 2 weeks to confirm receipt of the application. The application and supporting documentation will then be reviewed. If the application is successful, an offer letter will be provided, confirming all placement details. The offer letter will include a link to submit the non-refundable administration fee, and a deadline to provide any documents required from section 2.
Applicants will only receive an offer letter if all requirements have been met and all documentation (listed under section 1) is provided and is appropriate. Incomplete applications will automatically be rejected. Applicants can reapply if they can provide the required documentation, however the new application must still meet the timeline criteria and be submitted at least 6 months prior to the placement start date.
International students will receive a VISA support letter approximately 3 months before the start of the elective placement. Further information regarding VISAs can be found by clicking on the link here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/student-progress/visa/short-term/
Elective placements generally commence on a Monday unless this falls on a Bank Holiday, which would mean the start date is pushed to the next working day (usually a Tuesday).
Please note: Our office is closed during the Christmas period. The last elective start date in December is the second Monday of the month, and the earliest January elective start date is the third Monday of the month. The start date must be in line with the placement dates agreed with the supervisor.
Visiting Elective Policy (PDF Download) Please read in full
Elective Reference Letter Template (PDF Download) To be completed by a representative of your home university.
Declaration Form (PDF Download) - Please read and sign this form before submitting with your online application form.
Everything you need to know, can be found within our Visiting Elective Policy however we also have a frequently asked question page that you may find useful.
Please visit our FAQ page here for further information.
If you have any queries after reviewing our policy, please do get in touch with the team at medical.electives@newcastle.ac.uk
Outgoing Electives
As a Newcastle University Student registered on the MBBS programme, you will undertake an 8 week period of elective study in semester two (January - March) of 5th Year. The Medical Elective is part of the student selected component allowing students to exercise choice and providing you with the ultimate opportunity to gain experience in any specialism, in almost any safe part of the world.
Approximately two-thirds of the year group use the Elective opportunity to go overseas and explore world healthcare, with destinations being as far-reaching as Mongolia, Samoa and Cambodia. However, for students who elect to remain in the UK, the opportunity affords equally rewarding and exciting opportunities in often equally diverse settings, potentially working with some of the best in the world, and helping steer students’ future medical careers.
The Medical School provides a number of opportunities during Year 3 and Year 4, for students to receive and discuss information relating to the planning of their elective, such as health and safety considerations and other aspects of elective travel. Your 4th Year is focused on planning your elective, deciding on destination, specialism and contemplating your aims and objectives.
Students are able to access information on all aspects of the elective programme, including the study guide – the Medical Elective Handbook, an FAQ document, information about elective bursaries, elective opportunities and feedback from past students, via Newcastle University’s Medical Learning Environment (MLE).
The elective can be one of the most exciting and motivating periods of medical training and we look forward to supporting you in your chosen Elective placement.