Anglia Ruskin (ARU) vs Lincoln Medical School

Anglia Ruskin (ARU)'s published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 2010, while Lincoln Medical School sits at approximately 1700.

That's a 310-point gap — large enough to put the two schools in completely different competitiveness tiers. An applicant scoring in the 1800-1900 band would be competitive at Lincoln Medical School but borderline at Anglia Ruskin (ARU).

Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — Anglia Ruskin (ARU): 1960+ East of England, 1920+ WAMS or Essex, 1870+ East of England + WAMS, 1830+ Essex + WAMS. FSM/care-experienced applicants invited regardless of UCAT (provided academic + band 1–3 SJT); Lincoln Medical School: ~1500+ /2700 with WP uplifts (MEM2 Q1 = 8pts; care experienced = 15pts; UCAT bursary = 6pts).

Eligible applicants should weight this heavily when choosing.

Anglia Ruskin (ARU) requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology.

Lincoln Medical School requires AAB including Chemistry and Biology.

Anglia Ruskin (ARU) is the stricter A-Level offer; Lincoln Medical School is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, Lincoln Medical School carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Anglia Ruskin (ARU): Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, Biology, Chemistry (or dual-award Science). Lincoln Medical School: Min 6 GCSEs at grade 6 including Maths, English Language, Biology, Chemistry, Physics (or dual-award Science).

Both Anglia Ruskin (ARU) and Lincoln Medical School use MMI interviews, so the underlying prep approach is the same — practise ethics frameworks, NHS hot-topic answers and (for MMI) structured station responses against a timer.

Interview windows: Anglia Ruskin (ARU) interviews in December - March; Lincoln Medical School in December - March.

Anglia Ruskin (ARU) runs a PBL curriculum; Lincoln Medical School runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Anglia Ruskin (ARU) leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while Lincoln Medical School uses a more traditional lecture-led structure.

Specifics: Five-year MBChB with PBL and case-based learning. Chelmsford-based with placements across East of England NHS sites (Mid & South Essex, Cambridge Univ Five-year MBBChir partnered with Nottingham. Lincoln-based teaching with Lincolnshire NHS clinical placements (Lincoln County Hospital, Pilgrim Hospit

Intake size: Anglia Ruskin (ARU) — ~100 home places per year (predominantly UK applicants).; Lincoln Medical School — ~80 places per year (small cohort, focused on Lincolnshire placements).. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Anglia Ruskin (ARU): UK Applicants: 463/648 = 71% (2025). Lincoln Medical School: All Students (2023): 159/229 = 69%.

Post-interview odds give you the clearest signal of how competitive each school is at the final stage — a school with a 60% post-interview success rate is structurally easier to convert than one at 25%, even if the interview thresholds look identical on paper.

Anglia Ruskin (ARU): Local applicants (East of England, especially Essex) get a UCAT cut-off reduction. Free School Meals or care-experienced applicants are invited to interview regardless of UCAT score, provided academic and SJT minimums are met.

Lincoln Medical School: Strong choice for low-UCAT, high-SJT applicants. SJT scored heavily (B1 = 15, B2 = 10, B3 = 5, B4 = 0). A band 1 SJT can offset a relatively modest UCAT score in the overall ranking.