How do interviews differ between Exeter and Lancaster?

Exeter uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). Lancaster 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 (Exeter); December - March (Lancaster).

What A-Level grades do Exeter and Lancaster require?

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.. Lancaster requires AAA including any two of Biology, Chemistry and Psychology. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school.

Where are Exeter and Lancaster located, and how does that affect cost?

Exeter is in Exeter, Devon, England, UK, UK. Lancaster is in Lancaster, 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?

Exeter typically releases medicine decisions March onwards / mid-May. Lancaster 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

Exeter vs Lancaster

Exeter and Lancaster 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 UCAT thresholds are remarkably close (within ~40 points), so the deciding factors are GCSE weighting, interview format and personal-statement use. Their A-Level requirements (A*AA vs AAA) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Exeter and Lancaster.
Comparison field	ExeterExeter, Devon, England, UK	LancasterLancaster
Quick comparison
Location	Exeter, Devon, England, UK, UK	Lancaster, UK
A-Level offer	A*AA at A-level including A in Chemistry and A in Biology	AAA at A-level including any 2 of Biology, Chemistry and Psychology - OR AAB with grade B in a 4th subject or EPQ
TrueScore	Exeter TrueScore 1900	Lancaster TrueScore 1950
UCAT home cut-off	~1880+ /2700 with AAA* (5th decile) OR ~2100+ /2700 with AAA (8th decile). Points cut-off 74+/100.	1920+ /2700 (2026 entry official cut-off, non-contextual)
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%	Home student: 261/587 = 44%; International: 6/19 = 32%
Decision date	March onwards / mid-May	March onwards

A-Level offer	A*AA at A-level including A in Chemistry and A in Biology	AAA at A-level including any 2 of Biology, Chemistry and Psychology - OR AAB with grade B in a 4th subject or EPQ
Contextual A-Level offer	AAB at A-level for contextual / WP-eligible applicants	AAB at A-level for contextual / WP applicants. Predicted ABB also acceptable for those who completed Lancaster Access Programme.
Required A-Level subjects	Chemistry and Biology both required at grade A or higher	Any two of Biology, Chemistry, Psychology required. Predicted minimum AAB.
A-Level resit policy	Resits accepted - predicted grades can still be considered in shortlisting scores	Resits accepted: applicants without achieved resit grades must show ABB at first sitting (or up to CCC with mitigating circumstances), then offer becomes A*AA
GCSE requirements	Grade 6/B in English Language. No other GCSE requirements.	Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE Biology, Chemistry, Physics (or 6-6 Combined Science) plus Mathematics and English Language. Score calculated /16 across 8 GCSE subjects: 7+ = 2 pts, 6 = 1 pt; minimum 13/16 (essentially 77777666 or higher). GCSE resits not accepted unless exceptional circumstances are clearly evidenced.
GCSE scoring methodology	-	GCSEs scored /16 across 8 subjects (incl. Maths, English, Bio, Chem, Phys). Minimum 13/16 to clear shortlisting threshold.
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.	36 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level - including any two of HL Biology, Chemistry, Psychology
Graduate-entry degree requirement	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	-	-

Contextual cut-off	~1820+ /2700 with AAA* (4th decile) OR ~2010+ /2700 with AAA (7th decile)	1870+ /2700 (2026 entry contextual)
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	~2100+ /2700 (points cut-off 80+)	1900+ /2700 (2026 entry overseas)
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	SJT is not used - band 4 is appropriate	Band 4 autorejected - 1, 2, 3 are fine
UCAT notes	Points-based system combining A-level prediction (75% weight) + UCAT decile (25% weight). Achieved A-level grades scored more generously than predictions.	Solely UCAT-based after GCSE minimums (≥13/16 GCSE points). A104 Foundation 1870+. Personal statement not used; interviewers do not see it. Borderline applicants up to 10 points below cut-off may rece…

Degree awarded	BMBS	MBChB
Course length	5 years	5 years
Teaching style	Case-based learning	Case-based learning
Anatomy teaching	Imaging and models	Imaging and models
First patient contact	Year 1	Year 2
Placement geography	Devon and Cornwall	Lancashire, Cumbria and Yorkshire
Named placement sites	Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust (Truro)	-
Intercalation	Between years 3 and 4 — ten bachelor's options and more than ten master's options.	Offered between years 4 and 5, at bachelor's or master's level.
Course highlight	Every student spends at least one year based in Cornwall, at the Knowledge Spa in Truro.	-

Interview window	December – March	December - March
Interview details	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…	MMI with multiple 5-minute stations and 2-minute breaks between each one. Two stations involve preparation tasks where you can write notes; the rest are typical MMI scenarios on motivation, ethics and…

Specialities	Primary Care, Hospital Medicine, Community Medicine, Clinical Science, Rural & Regional Health	Medicine, Community Medicine, Primary Care
Established	2013	2020
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	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%…	Newer medical school with a focus on regional healthcare in north-west England. Personal statement is not used in selection and interviewers do not have access to it. SJT band 4 is auto-rejected - ban…
Official course page	https://www.exeter.ac.uk/undergraduate-degrees/bmbs-medicine/	https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/medicine-and-surgery-mbchb-a100/2027/

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

Lancaster

Quick comparison

Location: Lancaster, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level including any 2 of Biology, Chemistry and Psychology - OR AAB with grade B in a 4th subject or EPQ
TrueScore: Lancaster TrueScore 1950
UCAT home cut-off: 1920+ /2700 (2026 entry official cut-off, non-contextual)
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: Home student: 261/587 = 44%; International: 6/19 = 32%
Decision date: March onwards

Exeter vs Lancaster - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

Exeter's published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 1880, while Lancaster sits at approximately 1920.

Their UCAT bars are statistically indistinguishable (within 40 points), so the UCAT is unlikely to be your differentiator between them.

Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — Exeter: ~1820+ /2700 with A*A*A* (4th decile) OR ~2010+ /2700 with A*A*A (7th decile); Lancaster: 1870+ /2700 (2026 entry contextual). Eligible applicants should weight this heavily when choosing.

A-Level and academic profile

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

Lancaster requires AAA at A-level including any 2 of Biology, Chemistry and Psychology - OR AAB with grade B in a 4th subject or EPQ.

Exeter is the stricter A-Level offer; Lancaster is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, Lancaster carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Exeter: Grade 6/B in English Language. No other GCSE requirements. Lancaster: Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE Biology, Chemistry, Physics (or 6-6 Combined Science) plus Mathematics and English Language. Score calculated /16 across 8 GCSE subjects: 7+ = 2 pts, 6 = 1 pt; minimum 13/16…

Interview formats

Both Exeter and Lancaster 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: Exeter interviews in December – March; Lancaster in December - March.

Post-interview offer rate

Exeter: International (2026 policy): ~33% (10 places, ~30 interviews); UK Undergrad: 366/696 = 53%. Lancaster: Home student: 261/587 = 44%; International: 6/19 = 32%.

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

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.

Lancaster: Newer medical school with a focus on regional healthcare in north-west England. Personal statement is not used in selection and interviewers do not have access to it. SJT band 4 is auto-rejected - bands 1-3 are equal.

Which is right for you?

For applicants with predicted A-Level grades at the lower end of the AAA-A*AA range, Lancaster is the lower-risk academic option. 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

Exeter's typical home cut-off is around 1880, while Lancaster sits at approximately 1920 — a 40-point spread. The spread is small enough that other factors (GCSE weighting, interview score, contextual flags) usually dominate the firm/insurance decision. Cut-offs change year on year and vary by tier — check each school's latest published threshold before submitting your UCAS form.

Exeter — Grade 6/B in English Language. No other GCSE requirements. Lancaster — Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE Biology, Chemistry, Physics (or 6-6 Combined Science) plus Mathematics and English Language. Score calculated /16 across 8 GCSE subjects: 7+ = 2 pts, 6 = 1 pt; minimum 13/16 (essentially 77777666 or higher). GCSE resits not accepted unless exceptional circumstances are clearly evidenced. GCSEs scored /16 across 8 subjects (incl. Maths, English, Bio, Chem, Phys). Minimum 13/16 to clear shortlisting threshold.

Exeter's selection methodology: shortlisting weight not fully disclosed; check the official admissions page. Lancaster's selection methodology: Combined UCAT + academic profile + interview. Smaller cohort, problem-based learning environment. 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.

Exeter: International (2026 policy): ~33% (10 places, ~30 interviews); UK Undergrad: 366/696 = 53%. Lancaster: Home student: 261/587 = 44%; International: 6/19 = 32%. 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%.

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

ExeterEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

LancasterEntry 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.