Medicine vs Research
If you love science, why medicine rather than a pure biomedical research career?
Likely follow-up · What does the patient interaction add for you?
3 expert tips in Prometheus
UK Medicine · 2027 Entry
Cambridge Medical School2027 Entry Requirements & Interview Format
Location Cambridge, UKEstablished 1209Interviews (2027 entry) December 2026Decisions (2027 entry) January 2027
Photo: Dmitry Tonkonog (User:Heuschrecke) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · cropped
Photo: McAnt · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: Unknown · Public domain · Photo: Michael Behrend · CC BY-SA 2.0
Tutor videos
Walk through the interview with a current student
Start here
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 across 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.
Cambridge at a glance
Founded in 1209. Based in Cambridge.
Programmes offered:
- Clinical Medicine
- Veterinary Medicine
- Medical Sciences
TrueScore
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
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.
What is Medicine, Anyway?
How would you define medicine - is it a science, an art, a craft, or something else?
Likely follow-up · Where does it sit between science and humanity?
3 expert tips in Prometheus
Get support
Apply to Cambridge with confidence
We've helped students into Cambridge and other UK medicine schools — get tailored support for each stage of the application.
UCAT Tutoring
Hit the UCAT cut-off for Cambridge with one-to-one tutoring from top scorers.
Learn moreInterview preparation
Practise the Traditional interview format with students who interviewed at Cambridge.
Learn morePersonal statement help
Get your personal statement reviewed by successful applicants.
Learn moreSources
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.
Apply to Cambridge with confidence
We've helped students turn their UCAT, personal statement and interview prep into offers from Cambridge and other UK medicine schools.