Where are Chester Medical School (GEM) and Exeter located, and how does that affect cost?

Chester Medical School (GEM) is in Chester, UK. Exeter is in Exeter, Devon, England, UK, 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?

Chester Medical School (GEM) typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. Exeter releases medicine decisions March onwards / mid-May. 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

Chester Medical School (GEM) vs Exeter

Q: How are GCSEs weighted at Chester Medical School (GEM) vs Exeter?

Chester Medical School (GEM) — GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade 4/C or above (or accepted equivalent). Exeter — Grade 6/B in English Language. No other GCSE requirements.

Chester Medical School (GEM) and Exeter 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.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Chester Medical School (GEM) and Exeter.
Comparison field	Chester Medical School (GEM)Chester	ExeterExeter, Devon, England, UK
Quick comparison
Location	Chester, UK	Exeter, Devon, England, UK, UK
A-Level offer	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject (a Master's offsets a 2:2)	A*AA at A-level including A in Chemistry and A in Biology
TrueScore	Chester Medical School (GEM) TrueScore 1820GEM	Exeter TrueScore 1900
UCAT home cut-off	-	~1880+ /2700 with AAA* (5th decile) OR ~2100+ /2700 with AAA (8th decile). Points cut-off 74+/100.
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	-	International (2026 policy): ~33% (10 places, ~30 interviews); UK Undergrad: 366/696 = 53%
Decision date	March onwards	March onwards / mid-May

A-Level offer	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject (a Master's offsets a 2:2)	A*AA at A-level including A in Chemistry and A in Biology
Contextual A-Level offer	-	AAB at A-level for contextual / WP-eligible applicants
Required A-Level subjects	-	Chemistry and Biology both required at grade A or higher
A-Level resit policy	Not applicable to graduate entry.	Resits accepted - predicted grades can still be considered in shortlisting scores
GCSE requirements	GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade 4/C or above (or accepted equivalent)	Grade 6/B in English Language. No other GCSE requirements.
GCSE scoring methodology	-	-
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	-	38 points overall, 7,6,6 at Higher Level including HL 6 in Chemistry and HL 6 in Biology. Contextual: 34 points overall, 6,6,5 at Higher Level.
Graduate-entry degree requirement	2:1 (Upper-second-class Honours) or higher in any honours degree from a UK or recognised international institution. No restriction on degree subject - non-science degrees acceptable.	Graduate applicants must sit GAMSAT (rather than UCAT) - no specific minimum degree class published; competitive applicants typically hold a 2:1 or above
Alternative qualifications	Graduate-entry only. UCAT, GAMSAT or MCAT all accepted (applicant submits best score). Required: relevant healthcare or community work experience, plus a personal statement reflecting commitment to medicine.	-

Contextual cut-off	-	~1820+ /2700 with AAA* (4th decile) OR ~2010+ /2700 with AAA (7th decile)
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	-	~2100+ /2700 (points cut-off 80+)
Graduate cut-off	UCAT, GAMSAT or MCAT accepted - the applicant submits their best score. No fixed cut-off: Chester sets the threshold annually 'above the national mean'.	-
SJT band	-	SJT is not used - band 4 is appropriate
UCAT notes	Any-discipline graduate entry. 70 hours of healthcare or care-setting work experience within the three years before applying is a hard requirement. International applicants need IELTS 7.0.	Points-based system combining A-level prediction (75% weight) + UCAT decile (25% weight). Achieved A-level grades scored more generously than predictions.

Degree awarded	MB ChB	BMBS
Course length	4 years (graduate entry)	5 years
Teaching style	Integrated	Case-based learning
Anatomy teaching	Imaging and models	Imaging and models
First patient contact	-	Year 1
Placement geography	Cheshire, the Wirral, Shropshire and north Wales	Devon and Cornwall
Named placement sites	Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Warrington and Halton NHS Trust, Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Crewe, Northwich, Winsford), Cheshire and Wirral Partnership, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (Wrexham Maelor), Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt NHS Foundation Trust (Oswestry)	Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust (Truro)
Intercalation	-	Between years 3 and 4 — ten bachelor's options and more than ten master's options.
Course highlight	Open to graduates with a previous degree in any discipline, not just science.	Every student spends at least one year based in Cornwall, at the Knowledge Spa in Truro.

Interview window	December - March	December – March
Interview details	Graduate-entry MMI format with stations covering clinical reasoning, communication, motivation and reflection on prior experiences.	Online MMI via Zoom breakout rooms - typically 4 stations of 5 minutes each, with a few minutes between stations. Strong focus on ethics, personal qualities and motivation. Fewer follow-up questions t…

Specialities	Medicine, Community Medicine	Primary Care, Hospital Medicine, Community Medicine, Clinical Science, Rural & Regional Health
Established	2024	2013
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	Graduate entry programme with focus on serving local communities. Newer course with a regional commitment to north-west England.	Focus on non-academic qualities including communication, empathy, role-play and realistic insight into the course and career. Points-based shortlisting combining A-level prediction + UCAT decile (75%…
Official course page	https://www.chester.ac.uk/study/graduate-entry-medicine/	https://www.exeter.ac.uk/undergraduate-degrees/bmbs-medicine/

Chester Medical School (GEM)

Chester

Quick comparison

Location: Chester, UK
A-Level offer: Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject (a Master's offsets a 2:2)
TrueScore: Chester Medical School (GEM) TrueScore 1820GEM
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: -
Decision date: March onwards

Exeter

Exeter, Devon, England, UK

Quick comparison

Location: Exeter, Devon, England, UK, UK
A-Level offer: A*AA at A-level including A in Chemistry and A in Biology
TrueScore: Exeter TrueScore 1900
UCAT home cut-off: ~1880+ /2700 with A*A*A* (5th decile) OR ~2100+ /2700 with A*A*A (8th decile). Points cut-off 74+/100.
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: International (2026 policy): ~33% (10 places, ~30 interviews); UK Undergrad: 366/696 = 53%
Decision date: March onwards / mid-May

Chester Medical School (GEM) vs Exeter - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Chester Medical School (GEM) requires Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject (a Master's offsets a 2:2).

Exeter requires A*AA at A-level including A in Chemistry and A in Biology.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Chester Medical School (GEM): GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade 4/C or above (or accepted equivalent). Exeter: Grade 6/B in English Language. No other GCSE requirements.

Interview formats

Both Chester Medical School (GEM) and Exeter 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: Chester Medical School (GEM) interviews in December - March; Exeter in December – March.

What makes each distinctive

Chester Medical School (GEM): Graduate entry programme with focus on serving local communities. Newer course with a regional commitment to north-west England.

Exeter: Focus on non-academic qualities including communication, empathy, role-play and realistic insight into the course and career. Points-based shortlisting combining A-level prediction + UCAT decile (75% academic / 25% UCAT). SJT not used - band 4 is fine.

Which is right for you?

Both schools sit in the same England foundation-programme catchment, so post-graduation training paths overlap heavily. 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. Chester Medical School (GEM) guidance: Any-discipline graduate entry. 70 hours of healthcare or care-setting work experience within the three years before applying is a hard requirement. International applicants need IELTS 7.0.. Exeter guidance: ~1880+ /2700 with A*A*A* (5th decile) OR ~2100+ /2700 with A*A*A (8th decile). Points cut-off 74+/100..

Chester Medical School (GEM) uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). Exeter uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). The format is the same, so the same prep approach applies — practise ethics frameworks, NHS hot topics, and (for MMI) structured 5-7 minute station answers. Interview windows: December - March (Chester Medical School (GEM)); December – March (Exeter).

Chester Medical School (GEM) requires Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject (a Master's offsets a 2:2). Exeter requires Applicants need to apply via UCAS by 15 October; academic profile + admissions test used to determine interview invite. Typical A-Level offer A*AA (contextual AAB) for 2026 entry.. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school.

Chester Medical School (GEM)'s selection methodology: Degree class (2:1, or 2:2 with a Master's) plus an admission test - UCAT, GAMSAT or MCAT, best score counted, threshold set above the national mean each year - plus 70 hours of recent healthcare work experience, then MMI. Exeter's selection methodology: shortlisting weight not fully disclosed; check the official admissions page. 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.

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

Chester Medical School (GEM)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

ExeterEntry 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.

Chester Medical School (GEM) vs Exeter

Side-by-side comparison

Chester Medical School (GEM) vs Exeter - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Interview formats

What makes each distinctive

Which is right for you?

Common questions

What UCAT score do I need for Chester Medical School (GEM) vs Exeter?

How do interviews differ between Chester Medical School (GEM) and Exeter?

What A-Level grades do Chester Medical School (GEM) and Exeter require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Chester Medical School (GEM) vs Exeter?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Where are Chester Medical School (GEM) and Exeter located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

Should I apply to both Chester Medical School (GEM) and Exeter?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons