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Medical school comparison

Cambridge vs Lincoln Medical School

Cambridge and Lincoln Medical School 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. On UCAT alone there is roughly a 450-point gap between them — a substantial difference that should shape which you list as firm choice vs. insurance. Their A-Level requirements (A*A* vs AAB) 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 2019) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Cambridge

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
2150
UCAT home cut-off
~2150+ /2700 safer; mean offer holder ≈ 2310 /2700 (2025 entry, first UCAT cycle)
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

Lincoln Medical School

Lincoln

Quick comparison

Location
Lincoln, UK
A-Level offer
AAA at A-level including Biology (or Human Biology) and Chemistry
TrueScore
1700
UCAT home cut-off
~1700+ /2700 with B1 SJT and 6× grade 9s at GCSE (combined ~51/60 target). Lower UCAT viable with stronger GCSE/SJT mix.
Interview format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance
All Students (2023): 159/229 = 69%
Decision date
March onwards
Compare different schools

Cambridge vs Lincoln Medical School - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

Cambridge's published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 2150, while Lincoln Medical School sits at approximately 1700. That's a 450-point gap — large enough to put the two schools in completely different competitiveness tiers. An applicant scoring in the 1900-2000 band would be competitive at Lincoln Medical School but borderline at Cambridge. Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — Cambridge: not separately disclosed; 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.

A-Level and academic profile

Cambridge requires A*A*A including Chemistry and Biology. Lincoln Medical School requires AAB including Chemistry and Biology. Cambridge 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 — Cambridge: Strong GCSE profile expected (typically 9-10 A*/8-9 grades) but used holistically, not algorithmically. Lincoln Medical School: Min 6 GCSEs at grade 6 including Maths, English Language, Biology, Chemistry, Physics (or dual-award Science).

Interview formats

Cambridge uses Panel (Traditional panel interviews with academic focus); Lincoln Medical School 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, Lincoln Medical School is the better fit. Interview windows: Cambridge interviews in December; Lincoln Medical School in December - March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Cambridge runs a Traditional curriculum; Lincoln Medical School runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Cambridge delivers more didactic lectures with structured systems-based progression, while Lincoln Medical School uses a more traditional lecture-led structure. 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 MBBChir partnered with Nottingham. Lincoln-based teaching with Lincolnshire NHS clinical placements (Lincoln County Hospital, Pilgrim Hospit Intake size: Cambridge — ~280 home + ~26 overseas fee status places per year across all colleges (A100 Standard Entry Medicine).; 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.

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.. 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.

What makes each distinctive

Cambridge: 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. 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.

Which is right for you?

If your UCAT lands below the UK median (~2500/3600), Lincoln Medical School is the more realistic firm-choice option. For applicants with predicted A-Level grades at the lower end of the AAA-A*AA range, Lincoln Medical School 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 Cambridge; 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

Cambridge's typical home cut-off is around 2150, while Lincoln Medical School sits at approximately 1700 — a 450-point spread. That's a meaningful gap; Lincoln Medical School is materially more accessible for an average-to-good UCAT, while Cambridge expects performance closer to the top 40% of test-takers. Cut-offs change year on year and vary by tier — check each school's latest published threshold before submitting your UCAS form.

Cambridge uses Traditional interview: Traditional panel interviews with academic focus. Lincoln Medical School 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 (Lincoln Medical School).

Cambridge requires A*A*A including Chemistry and Biology. Lincoln Medical School requires AAB including Chemistry and Biology. 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.. Lincoln Medical School — Resits considered..

Cambridge — Strong GCSE profile expected (typically 9-10 A*/8-9 grades) but used holistically, not algorithmically. Lincoln Medical School — Min 6 GCSEs at grade 6 including Maths, English Language, Biology, Chemistry, Physics (or dual-award Science).

Cambridge's selection methodology: Holistic shortlisting that varies by college. UCAT is the primary objective factor. Cambridge interviews 75-80% of applicants and makes many post-interview rejections. Lincoln Medical School's selection methodology: Lincoln operates jointly with the University of Nottingham - uses Nottingham's weighted UCAT/academic scoring system. New programme (first cohort 2019). 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.. Lincoln Medical School: All Students (2023): 159/229 = 69%. 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 is in Cambridge, UK. Lincoln Medical School is in Lincoln, 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).

Cambridge typically releases medicine decisions January. Lincoln Medical School 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.

Cambridge runs a Traditional curriculum. Lincoln Medical School runs a Integrated 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. Lincoln Medical School specifics: Five-year MBBChir partnered with Nottingham. Lincoln-based teaching with Lincolnshire NHS clinical placements (Lincoln County Hospital, Pilgrim Hospital Boston, Grantham).

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.

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 20 June 2026.