How Much Does the UKMLA Cost in 2026/27? UK Students & IMGs

"How much does the UKMLA cost?" has two very different answers depending on who's asking. A UK final-year student and an international medical graduate face almost entirely different bills — and most cost guides quietly answer for only one of them.

This is the honest, complete breakdown for 2026/27: what you actually pay to sit and pass the UKMLA, separated cleanly for UK students and IMGs, including the new staged fee-payment option and the hidden costs people forget until they land. We'll keep the exam-and-registration figures as ballparks with a link to confirm the live numbers — fees change, and you should always check the GMC website for the current figure before you budget.

For the revision side of the budget — question banks, notes, subscriptions versus one-off — see our dedicated cheapest way to revise guide. This post is about the cost of the exam itself.

Table of contents

1. The short answer
2. UK students: what you actually pay
3. IMGs: the full bill
4. New for 2026: staged fee payments
5. The exam fees themselves
6. The hidden costs people forget
7. The cost you control: revision resources
8. Three worked scenarios
9. How to keep the bill down
10. FAQ

1. The short answer

• UK medical students: the AKT and CPSA are delivered through your medical school as part of finals, so you generally don't pay a separate GMC exam fee for them. Your direct costs are provisional GMC registration when you graduate, plus whatever you choose to spend on revision resources.
• IMGs: you pay the GMC for both parts (PLAB 1 / AKT and PLAB 2 / CPSA, set to the MLA standard), plus an approved English language test, plus GMC registration, plus travel and accommodation for the in-person clinical exam, plus any visa costs and revision resources.

So a UK student's "cost of the UKMLA" might be a registration fee and a question bank. An IMG's total, all-in, runs into four figures once you add travel and the English test. The rest of this post breaks both down.

2. UK students: what you actually pay

If you're a UK finalist, the exam is woven into your degree. The practical costs:

• The AKT and CPSA themselves: administered by your medical school as part of finals. You typically pay no separate GMC fee to sit them. (Confirm with your school — arrangements are set locally.)
• Provisional GMC registration: when you graduate and join the register to start F1, a registration fee applies. Check the current figure on the GMC site; newly-qualified doctors often qualify for a reduced rate in their first registration year.
• Revision resources: the one genuinely discretionary line. This is where your spending decisions actually live — and where a one-off purchase versus a recurring subscription makes a real difference over a full prep window (section 7).

That's essentially it. For a UK student, "how much does the UKMLA cost" is mostly a revision-resources question, because the exam delivery is funded through your course.

3. IMGs: the full bill

For international medical graduates the UKMLA route (sat as PLAB under the MLA standard) carries the full set of costs. Budget for all of these:

• PLAB 1 / AKT fee — paid to the GMC for the knowledge test.
• PLAB 2 / CPSA fee — paid to the GMC for the in-person clinical exam, sat in the UK.
• Approved English test — IELTS (Academic) or OET, with its own exam fee, plus a possible resit.
• GMC registration fee — paid when you apply for registration after passing both parts.
• Travel and accommodation — the clinical exam is sat in person in the UK (Manchester), so factor flights, visa, and several nights' accommodation. For many IMGs this is the single largest line item, often exceeding the exam fees themselves.
• Visa and incidental costs — depending on your route and timing.
• Revision resources — question bank, notes, mocks.

The headline for IMGs: the GMC exam fees are only part of the story. Travel, accommodation and the English test frequently add up to more than the exams. Our IMG guide walks the full registration pathway, and best resources for IMGs covers the revision toolkit from abroad.

4. New for 2026: staged fee payments

A genuinely helpful change landed in 2026: the GMC introduced the option to spread certain exam fees across staged instalments rather than paying the full amount upfront. For candidates managing cash flow — especially IMGs budgeting in another currency — this softens the upfront hit.

Two practical notes:

• Instalment availability and terms are set by the GMC and can change — confirm the current arrangement on the GMC site before you rely on it.
• Spreading the payment doesn't reduce the total; it changes the timing. Budget for the full fee, and treat instalments as a cash-flow tool, not a discount.

5. The exam fees themselves

Because fees are revised periodically, treat any figure you read — here or anywhere — as indicative and confirm the live number:

• The GMC publishes current PLAB 1 / PLAB 2 (AKT / CPSA) fees on its website. Check both, because they're charged separately.
• The English test fee is set by IELTS/OET, not the GMC.
• Registration fees are listed separately again, with reduced first-year rates for some new registrants.

We're deliberately not pinning exact pounds to these lines, because a stale number is worse than no number — it leads people to under-budget. The reliable move: open the GMC fees page, note today's figures for both exam parts plus registration, and add the English test from the test provider. That's your hard floor; sections 6 and 7 are what people forget to add on top.

6. The hidden costs people forget

The bill that surprises people isn't the exam fee — it's everything around it:

• Resits. The biggest hidden cost is a fail. Each retake means another full exam fee, and for IMGs another round of travel and accommodation. This is the strongest financial argument for preparing properly the first time — a comfortable pass is also the cheapest pass.
• Travel and accommodation (IMGs) — flights, UK visa, and several nights near the exam centre.
• English-test resits — if you don't hit the required scores first time.
• Currency and transfer fees (IMGs) — paying UK fees from abroad.
• Time — not a line on a receipt, but unpaid study leave or reduced work hours is a real cost for working candidates.

The throughline: the cost of failing dwarfs the cost of preparing. Every pound spent on getting a comfortable first-time pass is insurance against paying the entire exam bill twice.

7. The cost you control: revision resources

You can't change the GMC's fees. You can change how much you spend preparing — and this is where the subscription-versus-one-off decision quietly determines your total.

• Subscription question banks charge by time. Over a 12–24 week prep window — and especially if you resit — recurring fees stack up.
• A one-off purchase is paid once and kept, so it never renews regardless of how long you revise.

MLA Prep is built around that second model: a one-off lifetime purchase, with the study materials referenced to NICE and the BNF so you're not also paying for the gaps. For the full subscription-versus-one-off maths, see cheapest way to revise and is the bundle worth it; for current pricing, the pricing page and the books are always live.

The downloadable route. MLA Prep's question bank and study guides are a one-off purchase you own outright — 5,205 referenced SBAs and 10 specialty study guides with 8,020 flashcards, instant PDF + EPUB, every answer referenced to NICE and the BNF. Browse the books →

8. Three worked scenarios

Ballpark shapes of the total bill (confirm live figures for the exact pounds):

UK finalist. AKT + CPSA via the medical school (no separate exam fee) → provisional GMC registration on graduation → one revision resource. Total: registration fee + your chosen revision spend. The revision line is the main variable.

IMG, first-time pass. PLAB 1 + PLAB 2 fees → English test → GMC registration → one trip to the UK (visa, flights, accommodation) → revision resources. Total: four figures, dominated by travel and the two exam fees.

IMG, with one resit. As above, plus a repeated exam fee and a second UK trip for the failed part. Total: materially higher — which is exactly why first-time-pass preparation is the best money you'll spend.

9. How to keep the bill down

1. Prepare to pass first time. The cheapest exam is the one you don't resit. This single factor swamps every other saving.
2. Choose one-off over recurring for revision if your prep window is long or a resit is possible — you stop paying the moment you've bought it.
3. Use the staged fee option (where available) to manage cash flow, while budgeting for the full amount.
4. Hit the English test once — prepare properly to avoid a resit fee (IMGs).
5. Book travel early (IMGs) — accommodation near the exam centre and flights are cheaper with lead time, and this is often your biggest line.
6. Don't over-buy resources. One solid, content-map-aligned primary resource beats three half-used subscriptions — see cheapest way to revise.

10. FAQ

Q. How much does it cost to sit the UKMLA? For UK students, the AKT and CPSA are funded through your medical school, so your direct costs are GMC registration plus revision resources. For IMGs, the all-in total runs to four figures once you add both GMC exam fees, an English test, registration, and UK travel/accommodation. Confirm current fees on the GMC website.

Q. Do UK medical students pay to sit the UKMLA? Generally not as a separate GMC fee — the AKT and CPSA are delivered through your medical school as part of finals. You pay for provisional GMC registration when you graduate, plus any revision resources. Confirm arrangements with your school.

Q. Can I pay the exam fee in instalments? The GMC introduced a staged fee-payment option in 2026. Availability and terms can change, so confirm on the GMC site. Note that instalments spread the cost rather than reduce it.

Q. What's the biggest cost for IMGs? Often not the exam fees themselves but the travel and accommodation for the in-person clinical exam in the UK, plus the English test. And a resit — which repeats both the fee and the trip — is the costliest outcome of all.

Q. How can I reduce the total cost? Prepare to pass first time (a resit is the most expensive line), choose one-off over recurring revision resources for a long prep window, sit the English test once, and book IMG travel early.

Q. Where do I find the current official fees? On the GMC website — check the PLAB/MLA fees for both parts and the registration fee, and add the English test fee from IELTS or OET.

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Own your prep once, not by the month. MLA Prep's downloadable question bank and study guides are a one-off purchase — 5,205 NICE/BNF-referenced SBAs and 10 specialty study guides with 8,020 flashcards, instant PDF + EPUB. Browse the books → or see the complete bundle →.

The exam fees you can't control. The resit you can avoid, and the revision spend you can choose. Prepare to pass first time, and the UKMLA stays as cheap as it's ever going to be.