How do interviews differ between Glasgow and Swansea (GEM)?

Glasgow uses Panel interview: Panel interview. Swansea (GEM) uses Assessment day: Assessment Day. 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 - February (Glasgow); March (Swansea (GEM)).

Where are Glasgow and Swansea (GEM) located, and how does that affect cost?

Glasgow is in Glasgow, UK. Swansea (GEM) is in Swansea, UK. Scottish-domiciled applicants funded by SAAS pay no tuition fees at Scottish medical schools — a substantial funding advantage worth tens of thousands of pounds over the degree. Rest-of-UK applicants still pay £9,250/year.

When does each school release decisions?

Glasgow typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. Swansea (GEM) releases medicine decisions Until 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

Glasgow vs Swansea (GEM)

Q: How are GCSEs weighted at Glasgow vs Swansea (GEM)?

Glasgow — GCSE English Literature or English Language at grade 6/B or above. GCSE Biology at grade 6/B if not studied at A-level. GCSE retakes are accepted. Swansea (GEM) — No specific GCSE requirements published for graduate-entry MBBCh - academic competence is shown through the degree.

Glasgow and Swansea (GEM) are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Glasgow is based in Glasgow (Scotland) while Swansea (GEM) sits in Swansea (Wales), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.

Glasgow is the older institution (founded 1451); the other (founded 2004) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Glasgow and Swansea (GEM).
Comparison field	GlasgowGlasgow	Swansea (GEM)Swansea
Quick comparison
Location	Glasgow, UK	Swansea, UK
A-Level offer	AAA including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics. International A-level applicants need AAA including Chemistry, Biology and one of Physics or Mathematics. Grades must be achieved at one sitting and at the first attempt - resits and extra time to sit qualifications are not permitted, and a mix of qualifications at the same level is not accepted.	Graduate entry programme - degree required
TrueScore	Glasgow TrueScore 1870	-
UCAT home cut-off	-	-
Interview format	Panel interview	Assessment Day
Post-interview chance	Scottish: 473/565 = 84% (2025); RUK: 128/216 = 59%; International: 114/161 = 71%	-
Decision date	March onwards	Until May

A-Level offer	AAA including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics. International A-level applicants need AAA including Chemistry, Biology and one of Physics or Mathematics. Grades must be achieved at one sitting and at the first attempt - resits and extra time to sit qualifications are not permitted, and a mix of qualifications at the same level is not accepted.	Graduate entry programme - degree required
Contextual A-Level offer	-	-
Required A-Level subjects	Chemistry plus one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics	-
A-Level resit policy	Resits or additional time to sit qualifications not permitted - required grades and subjects must be obtained at one sitting and at the first attempt	Not applicable to graduate entry.
GCSE requirements	GCSE English Literature or English Language at grade 6/B or above. GCSE Biology at grade 6/B if not studied at A-level. GCSE retakes are accepted.	No specific GCSE requirements published for graduate-entry MBBCh - academic competence is shown through the degree.
GCSE scoring methodology	-	-
Scottish Highers	AAAAB at Higher in S5 including Chemistry, Biology and one of Physics or Mathematics, plus BB at Advanced Higher in S6 and National 5 English at grade B. Offers are conditional on S6 performance, and Highers taken in S4 do not count towards the S5 requirement.	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	BB at Advanced Higher in S6 (in addition to S5 AAAAB Highers above)	-
International Baccalaureate	38 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level including HL Chemistry and Biology, plus SL Physics or Mathematics at 6 and SL English at 6	-
Graduate-entry degree requirement	2:1 or above in a relevant science degree, obtained within 7 years of the entry date. UCAT still required.	Minimum 2:1 in any subject; OR a Merit in an integrated master's; OR a 2:2 combined with a Pass in a postgraduate higher degree.
Alternative qualifications	-	Graduate-entry only, open to home and international applicants. Admission test may be UCAT (min 1900), GAMSAT (min 50 overall and 50 in Paper 3) or, for international applicants, MCAT (min 500). Selection day is three face-to-face stations; there is no separate written or SJT exercise. Pathways to Medicine applicants are not eligible.

Contextual cut-off	-	-
Scottish (where applicable)	1870+ /2700 (2026 entry threshold for interview)	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	1990+ /2700 (2026 entry threshold for interview)	-
International cut-off	2150+ /2700 (2026 entry threshold, International and EU)	International applicants may alternatively submit an MCAT score, minimum 500.
Graduate cut-off	-	1900+ /2700 minimum considered. Swansea accepts EITHER UCAT or GAMSAT - it is not a GAMSAT-only school.
SJT band	Not considered	-
UCAT notes	Glasgow states plainly that it does not consider the SJT. Thresholds differ by applicant group because intake numbers for Home, Rest of UK and International are set by the Scottish Government and Scot…	Three routes in: UCAT (min 1900), GAMSAT (min 50 overall AND 50 in Paper 3), or MCAT (min 500, international only). Selection day is three 20-30 minute face-to-face stations - there is no separate wri…

Degree awarded	MBChB	MB BCh
Course length	5 years	4 years (graduate entry)
Teaching style	Spiral + Problem-based learning	Case-based learning
Anatomy teaching	-	-
First patient contact	Year 1	Year 1
Placement geography	Glasgow and the west of Scotland	Across Wales
Named placement sites	Glasgow Royal Infirmary (New Lister Building), Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (Teaching & Learning Centre)	-
Intercalation	A one-year intercalated BSc with over 20 options, or a two-year BSc (Hons), taken between years 3 and 4.	-
Course highlight	The COMET scheme funds an enhanced, immersive general-practice experience for selected students.	Unique in Wales, and one of just a handful of similar programmes open to graduates of any discipline.

Interview window	December - February	March
Interview details	One 30-minute session split into two parts, Panel A and Panel B, with the same two interviewers covering both. Panel A explores your motivation for medicine and teamwork; Panel B covers communication…	Two 20-minute panel interviews preceded by a 30-minute written situational judgement assessment. Panels cover personal statement, course-specific motivation and clinical reasoning.

Specialities	Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine	Medicine, Graduate Entry Medicine, Rural Healthcare
Established	1451	2004
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	One of the oldest medical schools in the English-speaking world. Your personal statement and reference are screened early, alongside achieved and predicted grades; UCAT scores arrive later in the cycl…	Graduate entry programme with a written SJT exercise as part of the selection day. Personal statement and detailed course knowledge feature prominently - applicants should know Swansea's programme str…
Official course page	https://www.gla.ac.uk/undergraduate/degrees/medicine/	https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/medicine/medicine-graduate-entry-mbbch/

Glasgow

Quick comparison

Location: Glasgow, UK
A-Level offer: AAA including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics. International A-level applicants need AAA including Chemistry, Biology and one of Physics or Mathematics. Grades must be achieved at one sitting and at the first attempt - resits and extra time to sit qualifications are not permitted, and a mix of qualifications at the same level is not accepted.
TrueScore: Glasgow TrueScore 1870
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Panel interview
Post-interview chance: Scottish: 473/565 = 84% (2025); RUK: 128/216 = 59%; International: 114/161 = 71%
Decision date: March onwards

Swansea (GEM)

Swansea

Quick comparison

Location: Swansea, UK
A-Level offer: Graduate entry programme - degree required
TrueScore: -
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Assessment Day
Post-interview chance: -
Decision date: Until May

Glasgow vs Swansea (GEM) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Glasgow requires AAA including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics. International A-level applicants need AAA including Chemistry, Biology and one of Physics or Mathematics.

Grades must be achieved at one sitting and at the first attempt - resits and extra time to sit qualifications are not permitted, and a mix of qualifications at the same level is not accepted.

Swansea (GEM) requires Graduate entry programme - degree required.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Glasgow: GCSE English Literature or English Language at grade 6/B or above. GCSE Biology at grade 6/B if not studied at A-level. GCSE retakes are accepted. Swansea (GEM): No specific GCSE requirements published for graduate-entry MBBCh - academic competence is shown through the degree.

Interview formats

Both Glasgow and Swansea (GEM) use Panel 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.

That said, the specifics differ slightly: Glasgow runs panel interview; Swansea (GEM) runs assessment day. Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep.

Interview windows: Glasgow interviews in December - February; Swansea (GEM) in March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Both schools deliver a PBL-style curriculum, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar across years 1-3.

Specifics: Five-year MBChB built around problem-based learning groups, with early clinical exposure from Year 1. Four-year accelerated graduate-entry MBBCh. Swansea-based with South Wales NHS placements (Swansea Bay UHB, Hywel Dda UHB).

Intake size: Glasgow — ~40-50 RUK + ~22 international + ~190 Scottish places per year (A100).; Swansea (GEM) — ~70 home + ~10 international places per year (4-year accelerated MBBCh).. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

What makes each distinctive

Glasgow: One of the oldest medical schools in the English-speaking world. Your personal statement and reference are screened early, alongside achieved and predicted grades; UCAT scores arrive later in the cycle and are then used to allocate interviews among applicants who have already cleared that screen. Glasgow does not use the SJT at all.

Swansea (GEM): Graduate entry programme with a written SJT exercise as part of the selection day. Personal statement and detailed course knowledge feature prominently - applicants should know Swansea's programme structure in detail.

Which is right for you?

Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Glasgow feeds into the Scotland foundation programme network; Swansea (GEM) into the Wales 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. Glasgow guidance: Glasgow states plainly that it does not consider the SJT. Thresholds differ by applicant group because intake numbers for Home, Rest of UK and International are set by the Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council, and they move each year with the strength of the cohort. Personal statement and reference are screened before UCAT is applied, not afterwards.. Swansea (GEM) guidance: Three routes in: UCAT (min 1900), GAMSAT (min 50 overall AND 50 in Paper 3), or MCAT (min 500, international only). Selection day is three 20-30 minute face-to-face stations - there is no separate written or SJT paper..

Glasgow requires AAA including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics. Swansea (GEM) requires Graduate entry programme - degree required. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Glasgow — Resits permitted only with exceptional circumstances; standard expectation is one-sitting AAA.. Swansea (GEM) — Not applicable to graduate entry..

Glasgow's selection methodology: A staged process running October to March. Applications are first assessed on achieved and predicted qualifications, personal statement and reference; UCAT scores are released to the admissions team later in the cycle and used to allocate interviews among those who cleared that screen. Interview scores are then accumulated and offers made, with most processed by the end of March. Applicants who narrowly miss may be revisited if places free up. Swansea (GEM)'s selection methodology: GAMSAT-based selection (UCAT alternative for graduate-entry). Strong Welsh/regional focus. 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.

Glasgow runs a PBL curriculum. Swansea (GEM) runs a PBL curriculum. Both schools deliver teaching in the same broad style, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar. Glasgow specifics: Five-year MBChB built around problem-based learning groups, with early clinical exposure from Year 1. Swansea (GEM) specifics: Four-year accelerated graduate-entry MBBCh. Swansea-based with South Wales NHS placements (Swansea Bay UHB, Hywel Dda UHB).

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

GlasgowEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Swansea (GEM)Entry 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.