Medicine and healthcare
Midwifery
BSc approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council
Overview
Midwifery trains you to care for women and birthing people through pregnancy, labour and the early weeks after birth, and to know when to call in other clinicians. The degree combines bioscience with a large amount of placement in hospitals, birth centres and the community. It is its own profession, not a branch of nursing, although the regulator is the same council. The work is unpredictable because births are not scheduled. Students who enjoy it want a mix of clinical skill, continuity with families, and the confidence to act when a situation becomes urgent.
You want to qualify as a midwife.
Adult nursing and medicine do not register you as a midwife. A postgraduate route exists for some existing graduates.
People who can make decisions calmly and support families over a long shift.
What you will study
Universities do not teach the same modules. The lists below are a general shape, not a syllabus.
Year 1
- Normal pregnancy and birth
- Anatomy
- Professional role
Later years
- Complications
- Continuity of care
- Newborn care
- Placements
Skills
Useful before you start
- Communication
- Stamina
- Science
- Teamwork
Developed during the degree
- Labour care
- Recognising complications
- Newborn assessment
Teaching and assessment
Teaching often includes Lectures, Simulation, Maternity placements.
Assessment often includes Exams, Practice assessments, Case studies.
Typical weekly commitment
Estimate. On-call and night shifts are part of many programmes.
Entry requirements
Indicative patterns from published UK admissions information. Not an offer. Actual requirements vary by course, university and year. Pearson Edexcel International A Level and Cambridge International A Level are not treated as the same qualification as GCE A level.
Indicative requirements by qualification
The A-level band is the catalogue reference. IB and American lines come from the named university guides under the table. They are not a conversion every university uses, and they are not an offer.
| Qualification | Indicative requirements |
|---|---|
| A Levels | BBB–ABB. Biology is often useful. No single A-level is universal. |
| IB Diploma | UCL publishes 34 points for ABB. The other end of this band is not in that table. A required A-level subject must be Higher Level in UCL's rule. Each Higher Level subject in that table is at least 5. UCL equates A* to 7, A to 6 and B to 5. This is one university's table. |
| American curriculum | That Manchester guide gives AP 5, 4, 4 for ABB. The other end of this band is not in the guide. Bristol publishes a GPA of 3.2, or 3.4 for competitive courses, and does not use one AP pattern for every degree. |
- University College London: Undergraduate entry requirements. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Manchester, School of Social Sciences: Americas country guide. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Manchester, Civil Engineering: USA country entry requirements. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Bristol: USA international qualifications. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
A-level subjects
Biology is often useful. No single A-level is universal.
Often recommended: Biology.
Useful preparation: Psychology, Chemistry.
GCSE and IGCSE
Many healthcare courses expect English language and mathematics, and often sciences, at GCSE or IGCSE. Grade thresholds differ. No single grade is stored as a national rule. International GCSEs are not automatically treated as GCSEs by every university.
Indicative only. The programme must be NMC-approved.
Other ways in
- Graduates of other subjects may be able to take a postgraduate midwifery course. That is not the A-level route.
Admissions tests and extra requirements
No admissions test is stored as usual for this course. A university can still set one for a particular year.
Course costs
For many standard full-time courses in England, the home-fee maximum in 2026 to 2027 is Up to £9,790. This is the maximum standard full-time fee published for approved English providers with a TEF award and an access and participation plan. It is not the fee a named university charges, and it does not decide whether you pay home or international fees.
Clinical, laboratory and studio courses are not given a different home-fee figure here, because the regulated maximum is not the same thing as an international or clinical fee.
International tuition is set by each university and is not stored here. Clinical courses are often much higher than classroom-based courses. A school in Qatar does not decide home-fee status.
Source: Changes to tuition fees: 2026 to 2027 academic year. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Living costs, field trips and professional fees are not included.
Where you could study
UK degrees in this subject are numerous. This page does not list every university, because a list without a checked entry requirement would look more certain than it is.
No individual UK course page is stored yet for this subject. Use the university site.
No overseas course has been checked for this subject yet.
Where could this degree take you?
Midwife
Direct qualifying route
An approved midwifery degree, or an approved postgraduate course, leads towards registration.
Explore your pathway
A course sits between school subjects and a career. It does not guarantee either admission or a job.