Hull York (HYMS) vs Swansea (GEM)

Hull York (HYMS) requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology.

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

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Hull York (HYMS): Min 6 GCSEs at grade 6 including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science. Swansea (GEM): Not applicable - graduate-entry programme. Requires a 2:1 honours degree.

Hull York (HYMS) uses MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)); Swansea (GEM) uses Panel (Assessment Day). These two formats reward different skills — MMI emphasises breadth, station-recovery and structured answers under time pressure, while Panel rewards depth and consistency.

If your strengths lie in conversational depth, Swansea (GEM) may suit you more. If you prefer discrete capsule answers under time pressure, Hull York (HYMS) is the better fit.

Interview windows: Hull York (HYMS) interviews in December - March; Swansea (GEM) in March.

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

Specifics: Five-year MBBS jointly run by Hull and York universities. Clinical placements across Hull, York, Scarborough, and Yorkshire NHS sites. Four-year accelerated graduate-entry MBBCh. Swansea-based with South Wales NHS placements (Swansea Bay UHB, Hywel Dda UHB).

Intake size: Hull York (HYMS) — ~165 home + ~25 international places per year.; 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.

Hull York (HYMS): Points-based shortlisting: UCAT decile (/35) + SJT (/15) + GCSE top 6 subjects (/35) + contextual data (/15). The PBL group exercise is unusual among UK medical schools and reflects HYMS's problem-based curriculum.

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.