Written question WQ93452
- Asked by
- Siân GwenllianPlaid
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Health, Social Care and Welsh Language
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 6 days
Question
Further to WQ93403, what is the reasoning behind the policy of not allowing international students to make an application?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health, Social Care and Welsh Language
Initial intake to the North Wales Medical School is based on a gradual increase in numbers, until the School reaches full capacity in academic year 2029/30.
In September 2021, we agreed to establish an independent North Wales Medical School, aiming to:
• increase the number of local medical graduates
• widen access to a medical career to all communities
• improve care for Welsh speakers by graduating more Welsh speaking doctors.
Accepting international medical students would reduce the School’s ability to deliver on these aims and any international students would replace rather than add to the approved number of funded places.
This year there were 19,130 UK applicants to Medicine, of which only 700 (3.6%) were Welsh domiciled.
The School may choose to allow international students to apply in the future, once the programme is established.