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UK Medicine · 2027 Entry
Cambridge Medical School
2027 Entry Requirements & Interview Format
University of Cambridge in Cambridge asks 2027-entry medicine applicants for A*A*A at A-level. It publishes no fixed UCAT cut-off; NextGen MedPrep's TrueScore model predicts 2150+ for an interview invitation (home tier, 2027 entry). Cambridge holds a traditional interview: December 2026. Decisions for 2027 entry: January 2027.
- Location
- Cambridge, UK
- Established
- 1209
- Interviews (2027 entry)
- December 2026
- Decisions (2027 entry)
- January 2027
Photo: Dmitry Tonkonog (User:Heuschrecke) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · cropped
Photo: Unknown · Public domain · Photo: Diliff · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: Philip Halling · CC BY-SA 2.0
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Full guide
How to get into Cambridge medicine
Step-by-step: entry requirements, UCAT prep, personal statement, interview format and the key deadlines.
Open the guide →Interview guide
Prepare for the Cambridge interview
Format breakdown, school-specific sample questions, FAQs and prep tips from tutors who interviewed here.
Read the guide →The course
What the Cambridge medicine course is like
Traditional / lecture-led, 6 years, placements in Cambridge and the East of England.
See the course →Overview
About Cambridge
Cambridge takes a science-first approach to medicine, with a heavily academic interview style and a flexible college system that runs admissions in parallel.
What makes Cambridge different
UCAT replaced the BMAT from 2025 entry. Variation between colleges in average UCAT scores and success rates, but the pooling system smooths over it - applying to "less popular" colleges does not meaningfully change your odds. A100 is offered at every College except Hughes Hall.
Cambridge course & teaching
Traditional curriculum. Three pre-clinical years at Cambridge (mostly lecture/lab-based, with college supervisions), then three clinical years at Addenbrooke's Hospital and Cambridge-affiliated NHS sites.
Cambridge research strengths
Cambridge is strong in these research areas:
- Stem cell biology
- Genetics & genomics
- Neurodegeneration
- Public health
Intercalation at Cambridge
Compulsory third year focused on medical sciences (BA Medical Sciences).
How the Cambridge interview runs
Format: Traditional panel interviews with academic focus
Usually two panel-style interviews, normally both at the College that is considering your application (the one you named, or the one you were allocated after an open application). Cambridge says most applicants have one or two interviews totalling 35 minutes to an hour.
Strongly academic in tone - be ready for unfamiliar science problems, follow-up questioning on your application, and unseen data or graphs to interpret. A further interview at a different College happens only if you are placed in the winter pool.
Cambridge intake
270 students accepted in the 2025 cycle across all Colleges (A100 Standard Entry Medicine), including a capped 22 overseas fee-status places.
Where Cambridge is
University of Cambridge was founded in 1209 and is based in Cambridge.
Programmes offered:
- Clinical Medicine
- Veterinary Medicine
- Medical Sciences
Practise
Practise the Cambridge interview with an AI interviewer
These are real recordings of the interviewers you would meet, from a panel of 52 photoreal faces. Speak your answers out loud, get pressed with follow-ups, and receive rubric-scored feedback about two minutes after you finish, with a replay of your answers.
Try the AI interviewerTrueScore
Predicted UCAT for Cambridge
TrueScore
What is TrueScore?
A data-driven estimate of the UCAT score you'll likely need to be invited to interview at Cambridge for 2027 entry entry — based on its published cut-offs and recent admissions data. Treat it as a target to aim past, not a guarantee.
- Home2150
- International2300
Cambridge's TrueScore is 2150. Build a week-by-week UCAT plan that works back from your test date — free for the first two weeks.
Entry requirements
What you need to apply to Cambridge
Cambridge at a glance
| A-level offer | A*A*A |
|---|---|
| NGMP TrueScore (2027 entry) | 2150+ predicted for interview (home tier) |
| Interview format | Traditional interview |
| Intake | 270 students accepted in the 2025 cycle across all Colleges (A100 Standard Entry Medicine), including a capped 22 overseas fee-status places |
| Decisions (2027 entry) | January 2027 |
| A-Level requirements | A*A*A at A-level (typical offer; 92–95% of recent offer-holders predicted A*A*A*) including Chemistry and Biology / Mathematics / Physics |
|---|---|
| Required A-Level subjects | Chemistry plus two of Biology / Mathematics / Physics / Further Mathematics is optimal. Most colleges have this as a fixed requirement. Some colleges (e.g. Corpus Christi, Fitzwilliam, Girton, Gonville & Caius, Homerton, Murray Edwards, Newnham, Selwyn, Trinity Hall) may consider applicants without Biology after admissions-tutor consultation. Three A-levels is sufficient - four not required. |
| GCSE requirements | No specific GCSE requirement, but successful applicants typically achieve grade 7+ across all GCSEs. Mean offer-holder ≈ 9.7 grade A*/9 historically. |
| Scottish Advanced Highers | A1, A1, A2 at Advanced Higher (per Cambridge banding system) |
| International Baccalaureate | 41–42 points overall, 7,7,6 at Higher Level including HL Chemistry plus two of Biology / Mathematics / Physics |
| Graduate-entry degree requirement | 2:1 (Upper-second-class Honours) or above - A-level Chemistry (normally passed within 7 years of entry) required. Accelerated A101 Graduate Course in Medicine offered at Lucy Cavendish, Hughes Hall, St Edmund's and Wolfson colleges only. |
UCAT Selection at Cambridge
Weighting
UCAT used for first time at Cambridge in 2025 entry (replacing BMAT). Holistic shortlisting per college - UCAT, GCSE, A-level predictions, personal statement and reference all considered. ~80% of applicants interviewed; offers from interview performance + post-interview holistic review. SJT not used 2026 onwards.
SJT band
Not used. Cambridge assesses the overall cognitive subtest score only and states it will not use the situational judgement score for 2027 entry.
Contextual / WP eligibility
GCSE used contextually (less heavily than Oxford). No formal contextual UCAT uplift, but college-level holistic review can adjust for circumstance. Mean offer-holder GCSE around 9.7 A*s historically.
Cambridge looks at the overall cognitive subtest score only and weighs it alongside academic record and interview - it publishes no cut-off and no offer-holder averages. Colleges assess individually, so average scores vary between them, but the pooling system smooths that out. The situational judgement score is not used for 2027 entry.
| SJT Band | Not used. Cambridge assesses the overall cognitive subtest score only and states it will not use the situational judgement score for 2027 entry. |
|---|---|
| Specialities offered | Clinical Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Medical Sciences |
Interview
How Cambridge interviews applicants
| Format | Traditional panel interviews with academic focus |
|---|---|
| Interview window (2027 entry) | December 2026 |
| Decision date (2027 entry) | January 2027 |
| Post-interview chances | Home (predicted grades): 253/979 = 26% (2025); International (predicted): 8/58 = 14%. ~30 more offers to those with achieved grades. |
Tutor insight
Cambridge interviews lean heavily on science. Prepare to apply Year 13 biology to scenarios you have never seen, and revisit anything technical you mention in your personal statement. Speak through your working step by step rather than reaching for a final answer.
Practice
Practise for your Cambridge interview
PrometheusQuestion Bank621 medicine questions inside
Interview questions matched to Cambridge
Two questions our tutors flagged as a strong fit for Cambridge’s interview style. Try answering them out loud, then open Prometheus for the model answers and follow-up tips.
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Where Cambridge's figures come from
Checked field-by-field against University of Cambridge's official course page on 11 September 2026.
FAQ
Cambridge — frequently asked questions
Home applicants: No threshold. Cambridge states plainly: "There is no minimum threshold for UCAT score.". International applicants: No separate threshold published.. Cambridge looks at the overall cognitive subtest score only and weighs it alongside academic record and interview - it publishes no cut-off and no offer-holder averages. Colleges assess individually, so average scores vary between them, but the pooling system smooths that out. The situational judgement score is not used for 2027 entry.
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