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UK Medicine · 2027 Entry
Cambridge Medical School2027 Entry Requirements & Interview Format
Location Cambridge, UKEstablished 1209Interviews DecemberDecisions January
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How to get into Cambridge medicine
Step-by-step: entry requirements, UCAT prep, personal statement, interview format and the key deadlines.
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Prepare for the Cambridge interview
Format breakdown, school-specific sample questions, FAQs and prep tips from tutors who interviewed here.
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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 it different
UCAT replaced BMAT from 2024 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.
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.
Research strengths
Cambridge has notable research strength in Stem cell biology, Genetics & genomics, Neurodegeneration, Public health.
Intercalation
Compulsory third year focused on medical sciences (BA Medical Sciences).
Interview
Cambridge interviews via Traditional panel interviews with academic focus. Two panel-style interviews of 20-45 minutes, one at your preferred college and one at a second college. Strongly academic in tone - be ready for unfamiliar science problems, follow-up questioning on personal statement claims, and unseen data or graphs to interpret.
Intake
~280 home + ~26 overseas fee status places per year across all colleges (A100 Standard Entry Medicine).
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
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
SJT will not be used for 2026 entry onwards
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.
Home - lowest invited
-2025 entry
International - lowest invited
-2025 entry
Variable by college (mean offer-holder UCAT 2065–2436 /2700 across colleges). Pooling system smooths individual college variation.
SJT Band
SJT will not be used for 2026 entry onwards
Specialities offered
Clinical Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Medical Sciences
Interview
How Cambridge interviews applicants
Format
Traditional panel interviews with academic focus
Interview window
December
Decision date
January
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 Bank620 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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Cambridge — frequently asked questions
Home applicants: ~2150+ /2700 safer; mean offer holder ≈ 2310 /2700 (2025 entry, first UCAT cycle). International applicants: ~2300+ /2700; mean offer holder ≈ 2405 /2700. Variable by college (mean offer-holder UCAT 2065–2436 /2700 across colleges). Pooling system smooths individual college variation.
A*A*A including Chemistry and Biology
Traditional panel interviews with academic focus. Two panel-style interviews of 20-45 minutes, one at your preferred college and one at a second college. Strongly academic in tone - be ready for unfamiliar science problems, follow-up questioning on personal statement claims, and unseen data or graphs to interpret.
Cambridge typically interviews in December.
Decisions are released January.
UCAT replaced BMAT from 2024 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.
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