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

Chester Medical School (GEM) is in Chester, 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?

Chester Medical School (GEM) typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. 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

Chester Medical School (GEM) vs Lincoln Medical School

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

Chester Medical School (GEM) — GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade 4/C or above (or accepted equivalent). 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.

Chester Medical School (GEM) 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.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Chester Medical School (GEM) and Lincoln Medical School.
Comparison field	Chester Medical School (GEM)Chester	Lincoln Medical SchoolLincoln
Quick comparison
Location	Chester, UK	Lincoln, UK
A-Level offer	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject (a Master's offsets a 2:2)	AAA at A-level which must include Biology (or Human Biology) at grade A. Chemistry is NOT required at A-level.
TrueScore	Chester Medical School (GEM) TrueScore 1820GEM	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)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	-	All Students (2023): 159/229 = 69%
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)	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	-	Biology (or Human Biology) required; Chemistry is not required at A-level
A-Level resit policy	Not applicable to graduate entry.	Resits considered.
GCSE requirements	GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade 4/C or above (or accepted equivalent)	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	-	-
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	-	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 higher in any honours degree from a UK or recognised international institution. No restriction on degree subject - non-science degrees acceptable.	-
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	-	~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	-	-
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. SJT scored heavily: B1=15, B2=10, B3=5, B4=0.
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.	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 ChB	MBChB
Course length	4 years (graduate entry)	5 years
Teaching style	Integrated	Case-based learning
Anatomy teaching	Imaging and models	Prosection
First patient contact	-	Year 3
Placement geography	Cheshire, the Wirral, Shropshire and north Wales	Lincolnshire
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)	Lincoln County Hospital, Grantham and District Hospital, Pilgrim Hospital, Boston
Intercalation	-	-
Course highlight	Open to graduates with a previous degree in any discipline, not just science.	Lincoln Medical School was established in 2018 specifically to improve doctor recruitment and retention in Lincolnshire.

Interview window	December - March	December - March
Interview details	Graduate-entry MMI format with stations covering clinical reasoning, communication, motivation and reflection on prior experiences.	MMI format with stations covering motivation, ethical reasoning, prioritisation scenarios and role-play. Mix of traditional medical-school questions and broader problem-solving.

Specialities	Medicine, Community Medicine	Medicine, Community Medicine
Established	2024	2019
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 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.chester.ac.uk/study/graduate-entry-medicine/	https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/course/mdcmbcub/

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

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

Chester Medical School (GEM) vs Lincoln Medical School - 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).

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.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Chester Medical School (GEM): GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade 4/C or above (or accepted equivalent). 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

Both Chester Medical School (GEM) and Lincoln Medical School 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; Lincoln Medical School in December - March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Chester Medical School (GEM) runs a PBL curriculum; Lincoln Medical School runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Chester Medical School (GEM) leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while Lincoln Medical School uses a more traditional lecture-led structure.

Specifics: Four-year accelerated graduate-entry MBChB. Cheshire-based with regional NHS placements. Five-year MBBChir partnered with Nottingham. Lincoln-based teaching with Lincolnshire NHS clinical placements (Lincoln County Hospital, Pilgrim Hospit

Intake size: Chester Medical School (GEM) — ~30-50 places per year (small newer cohort).; 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.

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.

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?

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 Chester Medical School (GEM); 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. 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.. 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..

Chester Medical School (GEM) uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). Lincoln Medical School 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 (Lincoln Medical School).

Chester Medical School (GEM) requires Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject (a Master's offsets a 2:2). 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: Chester Medical School (GEM) — Not applicable to graduate entry.. Lincoln Medical School — Resits considered..

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. 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.

Chester Medical School (GEM) runs a PBL curriculum. Lincoln Medical School runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Chester Medical School (GEM) specifics: Four-year accelerated graduate-entry MBChB. Cheshire-based with regional NHS placements. 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

Chester Medical School (GEM)Entry 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.

Chester Medical School (GEM) vs Lincoln Medical School

Side-by-side comparison

Chester Medical School (GEM) vs Lincoln Medical School - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Interview formats

Curriculum and teaching style

What makes each distinctive

Which is right for you?

Common questions

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

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

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

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

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

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

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Chester Medical School (GEM) and Lincoln Medical School use?

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

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons