To better characterise the Awarding Gap (AG) between black, Asian and other minority ethnic (BAME) and white students in UK undergraduate medical education by examining how it affects eight minority ethnicity subgroups (Bangladeshi, black, Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, mixed, other Asian background and other ethnic background) and whether the AG varies by medical school attended.

Retrospective cohort study.

Data extracted from the UK Medical Education Database on students enrolled at 33 UK medical schools in the academic years starting 2012, 2013 and 2014.

16 020 ‘Home’ tuition fee status students who sat the University Clinical Aptitude Test on entry to university and obtained a UK Foundation Programme (UKFP) application score on exit.

UKFP Z-scores on exit from medical school.

There were significant differences in UKFP Z-scores between ethnicity subgroups. After white students, mixed ethnicity students performed best (coefficient –0.15 standard deviations [SD]) compared with white students, (95% confidence interval [CI] –0.23 to –0.08, p

BAME students are significantly disadvantaged by the current UK medical education system. There are clear differences in medical school outcomes between students from different ethnicity subgroups, and the size of the AG also varies by medical school attended. Urgent and effective action must be taken to address the AG and achieve an equal learning environment for our future doctors.