How do interviews differ between Cambridge and Hull York (HYMS)?

Cambridge uses Traditional interview: Traditional panel interviews with academic focus. Hull York (HYMS) uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). The two formats reward different skill sets. Plan separate prep streams for each, with at least 3 full mock interviews per format before sitting either. Interview windows: December (Cambridge); December - March (Hull York (HYMS)).

Where are Cambridge and Hull York (HYMS) located, and how does that affect cost?

Cambridge is in Cambridge, UK. Hull York (HYMS) is in Hull/York, UK. Tuition is £9,250/year at both for UK home applicants; the main cost difference is accommodation (London accommodation typically runs 30-50% above the national average).

When does each school release decisions?

Cambridge typically releases medicine decisions January. Hull York (HYMS) releases medicine decisions March onwards. If one is earlier than the other, you may need to hold a decision while waiting for the second school — be ready to compare in real time.

Medical school comparison

Cambridge vs Hull York (HYMS)

Cambridge and Hull York (HYMS) are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Both sit in England, so location and clinical-placement breadth are similar — the differentiation comes from selection methodology, interview style and curriculum philosophy. Their A-Level requirements (A*A*A vs AAA) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers.

The interview formats diverge — Panel vs MMI — and the prep approaches for the two are fundamentally different. Cambridge is the older institution (founded 1209); the other (founded 2003) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Cambridge and Hull York (HYMS).
Comparison field	CambridgeCambridge	Hull York (HYMS)Hull/York
Quick comparison
Location	Cambridge, UK	Hull/York, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level (typical offer; 92–95% of recent offer-holders predicted AAA*) including Chemistry and Biology / Mathematics / Physics	AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (3 A-levels studied and awarded concurrently)
TrueScore	Cambridge TrueScore 2150	Hull York (HYMS) TrueScore 1980
UCAT home cut-off	No threshold. Cambridge states plainly: "There is no minimum threshold for UCAT score."	~2010+ /2700 with B1 SJT and 6× grade 9s safest (~7th decile UCAT); ~1950+ consider with strong GCSE/SJT mix
Interview format	Traditional panel interviews with academic focus	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	Home (predicted grades): 253/979 = 26% (2025); International (predicted): 8/58 = 14%. ~30 more offers to those with achieved grades.	All (2024): 678/750 = 90%; Home: 655/695 = 94%; Overseas: 20/55 = 36%
Decision date	January	March onwards

A-Level offer	AAA at A-level (typical offer; 92–95% of recent offer-holders predicted AAA*) including Chemistry and Biology / Mathematics / Physics	AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (3 A-levels studied and awarded concurrently)
Contextual A-Level offer	-	ABB at A-level for widening-access applicants
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.	Biology and Chemistry both required. AAB + grade A in EPQ also accepted.
A-Level resit policy	Resits considered case-by-case; competitive applicants typically achieve AAA in one sitting.	Resits accepted only if first sitting was BBB or higher. Applicants may repeat or restart Year 12 once with no restrictions.
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.	Minimum 6 GCSEs at grade 4/C or equivalent, including English Language and Mathematics at grade 6/B or above. GCSE resits accepted (including pending).
GCSE scoring methodology	GCSE used contextually as part of holistic shortlisting (less algorithmically than Oxford). Sub-90% A*/9 applicants advised to favour Cambridge over Oxford.	Top 6 GCSEs scored /35 in points system. Mostly grade 8/9s typically needed to be safely competitive.
Scottish Highers	-	-
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	36 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level including Biology and Chemistry
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.	-
Alternative qualifications	-	-

Contextual cut-off	-	~1700+ /2700 with WP eligibility (4th decile minimum + minimum entry requirements)
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	No separate threshold published.	~2020+ /2700 (similar threshold to home, ranked separately)
Graduate cut-off	-	-
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.	Used to shortlist, scored /15. Band 4 automatically rejected. (B1 = 15, B2 ≈ 10, B3 ≈ 5)
UCAT notes	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,…	Points system out of 100: UCAT by decile /35 + SJT band /15 + best six achieved GCSEs /35 + contextual /15. HYMS states it does not look for a specific score - it ranks applicants numerically within t…

Degree awarded	MB BChir	MB BS
Course length	6 years	5 years
Teaching style	Traditional / lecture-led	Problem-based learning
Anatomy teaching	Full-body dissection	-
First patient contact	Year 1	Year 1
Placement geography	Cambridge and the East of England	Yorkshire and the Humber
Named placement sites	Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	-
Intercalation	Built in — year 3 is an intercalated year for every student.	An optional additional year, with options including clinical anatomy, immunology and infection, neuroscience, pharmacology and drug development, public health, and health professions education.
Course highlight	An optional seven-week study-abroad placement is available in year 5.	The MB BS is awarded jointly by the University of Hull and the University of York.

Interview window	December	December - March
Interview details	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…	Five-station MMI: two 10-minute mini-interviews with 5 minutes' prep each, a 10-minute student station, a 20-minute PBL group exercise led by a tutor, and a 5-minute scenario station built around a pr…

Specialities	Clinical Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Medical Sciences	Medicine, Medical Education
Established	1209	2003
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it 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 meani…	Points-based shortlisting: UCAT decile (/35) + SJT (/15) + GCSE top 6 subjects (/35) + contextual data (/15). The PBL group exercise is unusual among UK medical schools and reflects HYMS's problem-bas…
Official course page	https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/medicine-mb-bchir	https://www.hyms.ac.uk/medicine/mbbs-medicine

Cambridge

Quick comparison

Location: Cambridge, UK
A-Level offer: A*A*A at A-level (typical offer; 92–95% of recent offer-holders predicted A*A*A*) including Chemistry and Biology / Mathematics / Physics
TrueScore: Cambridge TrueScore 2150
UCAT home cut-off: No threshold. Cambridge states plainly: "There is no minimum threshold for UCAT score."
Interview format: Traditional panel interviews with academic focus
Post-interview chance: Home (predicted grades): 253/979 = 26% (2025); International (predicted): 8/58 = 14%. ~30 more offers to those with achieved grades.
Decision date: January

Hull York (HYMS)

Hull/York

Quick comparison

Location: Hull/York, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (3 A-levels studied and awarded concurrently)
TrueScore: Hull York (HYMS) TrueScore 1980
UCAT home cut-off: ~2010+ /2700 with B1 SJT and 6× grade 9s safest (~7th decile UCAT); ~1950+ consider with strong GCSE/SJT mix
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: All (2024): 678/750 = 90%; Home: 655/695 = 94%; Overseas: 20/55 = 36%
Decision date: March onwards

Cambridge vs Hull York (HYMS) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Cambridge requires A*A*A at A-level (typical offer; 92–95% of recent offer-holders predicted A*A*A*) including Chemistry and Biology / Mathematics / Physics.

Hull York (HYMS) requires AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (3 A-levels studied and awarded concurrently).

Cambridge is the stricter A-Level offer; Hull York (HYMS) is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, Hull York (HYMS) carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Cambridge: No specific GCSE requirement, but successful applicants typically achieve grade 7+ across all GCSEs. Mean offer-holder ≈ 9.7 grade A*/9 historically. GCSE used contextually as part of holistic… Hull York (HYMS): Minimum 6 GCSEs at grade 4/C or equivalent, including English Language and Mathematics at grade 6/B or above.

GCSE resits accepted (including pending). Top 6 GCSEs scored /35 in points system. Mostly…

Interview formats

Cambridge uses Panel (Traditional panel interviews with academic focus); Hull York (HYMS) uses MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)). These two formats reward different skills — Panel emphasises narrative coherence and the ability to develop a thread under follow-up questioning, while MMI rewards breadth and quick recovery.

If your strengths lie in conversational depth, Cambridge may suit you more. If you prefer discrete capsule answers under time pressure, Hull York (HYMS) is the better fit.

Interview windows: Cambridge interviews in December; Hull York (HYMS) in December - March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Cambridge runs a Traditional curriculum; Hull York (HYMS) runs a PBL curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Cambridge delivers more didactic lectures with structured systems-based progression, while Hull York (HYMS) centres learning around clinical cases.

Specifics: Three pre-clinical years at Cambridge (mostly lecture/lab-based, with college supervisions), then three clinical years at Addenbrooke's Hospital and C Five-year MBBS jointly run by Hull and York universities. Clinical placements across Hull, York, Scarborough, and Yorkshire NHS sites.

Intake size: Cambridge — 270 students accepted in the 2025 cycle across all Colleges (A100 Standard Entry Medicine), including a capped 22 overseas fee-status places.; Hull York (HYMS) — ~165 home + ~25 international places per year.. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Post-interview offer rate

Cambridge: Home (predicted grades): 253/979 = 26% (2025); International (predicted): 8/58 = 14%. ~30 more offers to those with achieved grades. Hull York (HYMS): All (2024): 678/750 = 90%; Home: 655/695 = 94%; Overseas: 20/55 = 36%.

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.

What makes each distinctive

Cambridge: 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.

Hull York (HYMS): Points-based shortlisting: UCAT decile (/35) + SJT (/15) + GCSE top 6 subjects (/35) + contextual data (/15). The PBL group exercise is unusual among UK medical schools and reflects HYMS's problem-based curriculum.

Which is right for you?

For applicants with predicted A-Level grades at the lower end of the AAA-A*AA range, Hull York (HYMS) is the lower-risk academic option. Both schools sit in the same England foundation-programme catchment, so post-graduation training paths overlap heavily. If you learn best in small-group case discussion, prefer Hull York (HYMS); if you prefer lecture-led foundations, the other suits better.

Your firm/insurance choice should ultimately weight: where your UCAT and predicted grades sit relative to each school's threshold, which interview format you can prepare for most credibly, and where you'd actually want to live for five or six years.

Common questions

Neither school publishes a single fixed UCAT cut-off; both use UCAT as part of a composite shortlisting score alongside GCSE and personal-statement weighting. Cambridge guidance: No threshold. Cambridge states plainly: "There is no minimum threshold for UCAT score.". Hull York (HYMS) guidance: ~2010+ /2700 with B1 SJT and 6× grade 9s safest (~7th decile UCAT); ~1950+ consider with strong GCSE/SJT mix.

Cambridge requires A*A*A including Chemistry, plus one or two further science or mathematics subjects from Mathematics, Biology/Human Biology, Physics or Further Mathematics (the number varies by College). Hull York (HYMS) requires AAA including Biology and Chemistry (3 A-levels studied and awarded concurrently). Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Cambridge — Resits considered case-by-case; competitive applicants typically achieve A*A*A in one sitting.. Hull York (HYMS) — Resits accepted..

Cambridge — No specific GCSE requirement, but successful applicants typically achieve grade 7+ across all GCSEs. Mean offer-holder ≈ 9.7 grade A*/9 historically. GCSE used contextually as part of holistic shortlisting (less algorithmically than Oxford). Sub-90% A*/9 applicants advised to favour Cambridge over Oxford. Hull York (HYMS) — Minimum 6 GCSEs at grade 4/C or equivalent, including English Language and Mathematics at grade 6/B or above. GCSE resits accepted (including pending). Top 6 GCSEs scored /35 in points system. Mostly grade 8/9s typically needed to be safely competitive.

Cambridge's selection methodology: Holistic assessment run by each College: "We assess applicants through a mixture of academic record, UCAT and interviews." There is no UCAT threshold and no published algorithm. Cambridge interviews a high proportion of applicants and therefore makes many post-interview rejections. Hull York (HYMS)'s selection methodology: Joint Hull-York programme. UCAT + academic + MMI. Distinctive 'Hull York' brand with placements across both cities. Understanding each school's exact algorithm is the single highest-leverage piece of pre-application research — it tells you whether your profile is competitive before you spend an application choice.

Cambridge: Home (predicted grades): 253/979 = 26% (2025); International (predicted): 8/58 = 14%. ~30 more offers to those with achieved grades.. Hull York (HYMS): All (2024): 678/750 = 90%; Home: 655/695 = 94%; Overseas: 20/55 = 36%. Post-interview odds tell you how competitive each school is at the final stage. Two schools with similar UCAT thresholds can have very different post-interview rates — a school with a 60% post-interview success rate is structurally easier to convert than one at 25%.

Cambridge runs a Traditional curriculum. Hull York (HYMS) runs a PBL curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Cambridge specifics: 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. Hull York (HYMS) specifics: Five-year MBBS jointly run by Hull and York universities. Clinical placements across Hull, York, Scarborough, and Yorkshire NHS sites.

You can — UCAS allows 4 medicine/dentistry choices in total, so listing both is feasible if your profile fits each school's selection algorithm. Apply to both only if your UCAT, GCSE and predicted-grade profile is competitive against each school's published weighting. A common mistake is using two of your four slots on similar schools when a more spread-out portfolio (one safe + one stretch) would maximise overall offer probability.

Where to go next

CambridgeEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Hull York (HYMS)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Other medical school comparisons

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 19 September 2026.

Cambridge vs Hull York (HYMS)

Side-by-side comparison

Cambridge vs Hull York (HYMS) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Interview formats

Curriculum and teaching style

Post-interview offer rate

What makes each distinctive

Which is right for you?

Common questions

What UCAT score do I need for Cambridge vs Hull York (HYMS)?

How do interviews differ between Cambridge and Hull York (HYMS)?

What A-Level grades do Cambridge and Hull York (HYMS) require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Cambridge vs Hull York (HYMS)?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Which has a higher post-interview offer rate, Cambridge or Hull York (HYMS)?

Where are Cambridge and Hull York (HYMS) located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Cambridge and Hull York (HYMS) use?

Should I apply to both Cambridge and Hull York (HYMS)?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons