Should I intercalate? the financial pros and cons

You may be considering intercalating next year. If so, and you are a UK student, what are the likely financial implications?

1. You'll be funded by Student Finance England/Northern Ireland/Wales or SAAS (depending on which part of the UK you are from) for the first four years of your degree and the NHS/ Scottish Government Health Directorate /DHPSS from your fifth year of study onwards. This is not affected by intercalation. If you intercalate you will still be funded by the NHS/Scottish Government Health Directorate/DHPSS in your fifth year of study whether this be the fourth year of your medical degree or your intercalated year.

2.  The bad news financially is that you have to support yourself for another year of study and defer earnings as a doctor for a further year. If you intercalate and receive student loans in your intercalated year you will end up with more debt to the Student Loans Company, although this will not be paid off until you are earning and will come straight out of your wages.

3. However, some students report that they have far more spare time in their intercalated year and that this provides a good opportunity to bring in money through some part time work. It is down to the individual how many hours of university and paid work they put in but you could have a chat to the leader of the course you want to intercalate on and get an idea of the number of teaching hours per week. You could also see if you can speak to someone who has already done the same intercalated degree.

4. The career implications are likely to be mixed. Medical students who have intercalated seem to have an advantage if they go into academic medicine. They are more likely to become a Professor or Reader, likely to raise more research grants and likely to have better publications. However, there is less obvious correlation with success in a clinical career. Developing your research skills and more in depth study is useful for specialties looking for a higher degree, like surgery – but less so for specialties which don’t need this, like Psychiatry or General Practice.

Things to consider:

BSc or Masters? You may be considering doing a postgraduate qualification in your intercalating year. If you do, make sure you clarify the funding arrangements first. Some funding bodies do not fund postgraduate intercalated years and the fees can be high.

Intercalation abroad? This is possible but is not a popular option due the high costs involved. You are likely to pay a lot more for an overseas course and may receive no funding. Clarify funding arrangements and find out what the fees are straight away so you know what kind of figures you are looking at having to pay.

Top up fees? – It is up to the institution to decide whether to charge students who started their courses in 2005 and before top up fees for their intercalated years. Top up fees are £3290 a year in 2010/11. Check with the institution in which you are intercalating which rate of fees you will be charged.