Where are Cambridge and Lincoln Medical School located, and how does that affect cost?

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).

When does each school release decisions?

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.

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. 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 2019) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Cambridge and Lincoln Medical School.
Comparison field	CambridgeCambridge	Lincoln Medical SchoolLincoln
Quick comparison
Location	Cambridge, UK	Lincoln, 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 which must include Biology (or Human Biology) at grade A. Chemistry is NOT required at A-level.
TrueScore	Cambridge TrueScore 2150	Lincoln Medical School TrueScore 1700
UCAT home cut-off	No threshold. Cambridge states plainly: "There is no minimum threshold for UCAT score."	~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	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 Students (2023): 159/229 = 69%
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 which must include Biology (or Human Biology) at grade A. Chemistry is NOT required at A-level.
Contextual A-Level offer	-	AAB for contextual offers, still including Biology (or Human Biology).
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 (or Human Biology) required; Chemistry is not required at A-level
A-Level resit policy	Resits considered case-by-case; competitive applicants typically achieve AAA in one sitting.	Resits considered.
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.	At least six GCSEs at grade 7/A or above including Biology and Chemistry (or Double Science), plus a minimum of grade 6/B in English Language and Mathematics. GCSE resits accepted before the time of application.
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.	-
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 with Higher Level Biology at grade 6. Chemistry is required at GCSE level rather than Higher Level.
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	-	~1500+ /2700 with WP uplifts (MEM2 Q1 = 8pts; care experienced = 15pts; UCAT bursary = 6pts)
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	No separate threshold published.	-
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.	Band 4 automatically rejected. SJT scored heavily: B1=15, B2=10, B3=5, B4=0.
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,…	NEW scoring system for 2026 entry: UCAT cognitive /15 (5pts per subsection 801+), SJT /15 (B1=15), GCSE /30 (top 6, grade 9 = 5pts). Personal statement not used. SJT B4 auto-rejected.

Degree awarded	MB BChir	MBChB
Course length	6 years	5 years
Teaching style	Traditional / lecture-led	Case-based learning
Anatomy teaching	Full-body dissection	Prosection
First patient contact	Year 1	Year 3
Placement geography	Cambridge and the East of England	Lincolnshire
Named placement sites	Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	Lincoln County Hospital, Grantham and District Hospital, Pilgrim Hospital, Boston
Intercalation	Built in — year 3 is an intercalated year for every student.	-
Course highlight	An optional seven-week study-abroad placement is available in year 5.	Lincoln Medical School was established in 2018 specifically to improve doctor recruitment and retention in Lincolnshire.

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…	MMI format with stations covering motivation, ethical reasoning, prioritisation scenarios and role-play. Mix of traditional medical-school questions and broader problem-solving.

Specialities	Clinical Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Medical Sciences	Medicine, Community Medicine
Established	1209	2019
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…	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.
Official course page	https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/medicine-mb-bchir	https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/course/mdcmbcub/

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

Lincoln Medical School

Lincoln

Quick comparison

Location: Lincoln, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level which must include Biology (or Human Biology) at grade A. Chemistry is NOT required at A-level.
TrueScore: Lincoln Medical School 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

Cambridge vs Lincoln Medical School - 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.

Lincoln Medical School requires AAA at A-level which must include Biology (or Human Biology) at grade A. Chemistry is NOT required at A-level.

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: 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… Lincoln Medical School: At least six GCSEs at grade 7/A or above including Biology and Chemistry (or Double Science), plus a minimum of grade 6/B in English Language and Mathematics. GCSE resits accepted before the time of…

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 — 270 students accepted in the 2025 cycle across all Colleges (A100 Standard Entry Medicine), including a capped 22 overseas fee-status places.; 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 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.

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?

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

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.". Lincoln Medical School guidance: ~1700+ /2700 with B1 SJT and 6× grade 9s at GCSE (combined ~51/60 target). Lower UCAT viable with stronger GCSE/SJT mix..

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, plus one or two further science or mathematics subjects from Mathematics, Biology/Human Biology, Physics or Further Mathematics (the number varies by College). Lincoln Medical School requires AAA including Biology (or Human Biology). Chemistry is not required at A-level.. 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 — 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. Lincoln Medical School — At least six GCSEs at grade 7/A or above including Biology and Chemistry (or Double Science), plus a minimum of grade 6/B in English Language and Mathematics. GCSE resits accepted before the time of application.

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. 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 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.

Where to go next

CambridgeEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Lincoln Medical SchoolEntry 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 Lincoln Medical School

Side-by-side comparison

Cambridge vs Lincoln Medical School - 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 Lincoln Medical School?

How do interviews differ between Cambridge and Lincoln Medical School?

What A-Level grades do Cambridge and Lincoln Medical School require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Cambridge vs Lincoln Medical School?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Which has a higher post-interview offer rate, Cambridge or Lincoln Medical School?

Where are Cambridge and Lincoln Medical School located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Cambridge and Lincoln Medical School use?

Should I apply to both Cambridge and Lincoln Medical School?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons