What A-Level grades do Chester Medical School (GEM) and King's College London (KCL) require?

Chester Medical School (GEM) requires Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject (a Master's offsets a 2:2). King's College London (KCL) requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school.

Where are Chester Medical School (GEM) and King's College London (KCL) located, and how does that affect cost?

Chester Medical School (GEM) is in Chester, UK. King's College London (KCL) is in London, 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. King's College London (KCL) 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.

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Medical school comparison

Chester Medical School (GEM) vs King's College London (KCL)

Q: How are GCSEs weighted at Chester Medical School (GEM) vs King's College London (KCL)?

Chester Medical School (GEM) — GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade 4/C or above (or accepted equivalent). King's College London (KCL) — Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE English Language and Mathematics. GCSE used heavily in shortlisting: scored /40 - 8/8+/A* = 5 pts each, 7 = 3.75 pts, 6 = 2.5 pts. (KCL's "A-as-A*" rule may apply depending on school performance.)

Chester Medical School (GEM) and King's College London (KCL) are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Chester Medical School (GEM) is based in Chester (England) while King's College London (KCL) sits in London (London), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.

King's College London (KCL) is the older institution (founded 1829); the other (founded 2024) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Chester Medical School (GEM) and King's College London (KCL).
Comparison field	Chester Medical School (GEM)Chester	King's College London (KCL)London
Quick comparison
Location	Chester, UK	London, 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 Biology and Chemistry
TrueScore	1820GEM	2150
UCAT home cut-off	-	~2130+ /2700 (non-contextual) with B1 SJT and 8× grade 8s at GCSE; mean offer holder ≈ 2250
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	-	All Students: 760/981 = 77% (2024); Overall undergraduate (2023): 645/1115 = 58%
Decision date	March onwards	March onwards

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 Biology and Chemistry
Contextual A-Level offer	-	-
Required A-Level subjects	-	Biology and Chemistry both required
A-Level resit policy	Not applicable to graduate entry.	Resits accepted - KCL has clarified via FOI that "a first resit is considered equally to applicants taking their first sittings" (19 resit applicants received an interview in 2024, 16 received offers)
GCSE requirements	GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade 4/C or above (or accepted equivalent)	Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE English Language and Mathematics
GCSE scoring methodology	-	GCSE used heavily in shortlisting: scored /40 - 8/8+/A* = 5 pts each, 7 = 3.75 pts, 6 = 2.5 pts. (KCL's "A-as-A*" rule may apply depending on school performance.)
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	-	35 points overall, 7,6,6 at Higher Level including Biology and Chemistry
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 typically hold 2:1 or above in any honours degree, plus required A-level Chemistry and Biology grades. KCL accepts graduates onto the standard 6-year MBBS A100.
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	-	~1900+ /2700 with WP flags (POLAR/ACORN/IMD, care experienced, K+ participation)
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	-	~2200+ /2700; mean offer holder ≈ 2310 (2023)
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	-	Band 4 automatically rejected. Band 3 riskier - only 37/360 band 3 applicants received interview in 2024.
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 system /150 (+ up to 20 contextual). UCAT /100 (KCL percentile, often higher than national); GCSE /40; SJT /10. Interview threshold ~135-140 standard.

Interview window	December - March	December - February
Interview details	Graduate-entry MMI format with stations covering clinical reasoning, communication, motivation and reflection on prior experiences.	MMI format with stations covering ethical scenarios, communication, and clinical problem-solving.

Specialities	Medicine, Community Medicine	Medicine, Dentistry, Biomedical Sciences
Established	2024	1829
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.	Strong clinical focus with emphasis on London healthcare system.
Official course page	https://www.chester.ac.uk/study/graduate-entry-medicine/	https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/medicine-mbbs

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: 1820GEM
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: -
Decision date: March onwards

King's College London (KCL)

London

Quick comparison

Location: London, UK
A-Level offer: A*AA at A-level including A in Biology and Chemistry
TrueScore: 2150
UCAT home cut-off: ~2130+ /2700 (non-contextual) with B1 SJT and 8× grade 8s at GCSE; mean offer holder ≈ 2250
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: All Students: 760/981 = 77% (2024); Overall undergraduate (2023): 645/1115 = 58%
Decision date: March onwards

Compare different schools

Chester Medical School (GEM) vs King's College London (KCL) - 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).

King's College London (KCL) requires A*AA at A-level including A in Biology and Chemistry.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Chester Medical School (GEM): GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade 4/C or above (or accepted equivalent). King's College London (KCL): Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE English Language and Mathematics. GCSE used heavily in shortlisting: scored /40 - 8/8+/A* = 5 pts each, 7 = 3.75 pts, 6 = 2.5 pts.

(KCL's "A-as-A*" rule may apply depending…

Interview formats

Both Chester Medical School (GEM) and King's College London (KCL) 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; King's College London (KCL) in December - February.

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.

King's College London (KCL): Strong clinical focus with emphasis on London healthcare system.

Which is right for you?

Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Chester Medical School (GEM) feeds into the England foundation programme network; King's College London (KCL) into the London network.

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.. King's College London (KCL) guidance: ~2130+ /2700 (non-contextual) with B1 SJT and 8× grade 8s at GCSE; mean offer holder ≈ 2250.

Chester Medical School (GEM) uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). King's College London (KCL) 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 - February (King's College London (KCL)).

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. King's College London (KCL)'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 King's College London (KCL)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

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School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 7 September 2026.