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Medical school comparison

King's College London (KCL) vs Lincoln Medical School

King's College London (KCL) and Lincoln Medical School are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. King's College London (KCL) is based in London (London) while Lincoln Medical School sits in Lincoln (England), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination. On UCAT alone there is roughly a 430-point gap between them — a substantial difference that should shape which you list as firm choice vs. insurance. Their A-Level requirements (A*AA vs AAB) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers. King's College London (KCL) is the older institution (founded 1829); the other (founded 2019) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

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

Lincoln Medical School

Lincoln

Quick comparison

Location
Lincoln, UK
A-Level offer
AAA at A-level including Biology (or Human Biology) and Chemistry
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
Compare different schools

King's College London (KCL) vs Lincoln Medical School - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

King's College London (KCL)'s published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 2130, while Lincoln Medical School sits at approximately 1700. That's a 430-point gap — large enough to put the two schools in completely different competitiveness tiers. An applicant scoring in the 1800-2000 band would be competitive at Lincoln Medical School but borderline at King's College London (KCL). Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — King's College London (KCL): ~1900+ /2700 with WP flags (POLAR/ACORN/IMD, care experienced, K+ participation); Lincoln Medical School: ~1500+ /2700 with WP uplifts (MEM2 Q1 = 8pts; care experienced = 15pts; UCAT bursary = 6pts). Eligible applicants should weight this heavily when choosing.

A-Level and academic profile

King's College London (KCL) requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology. Lincoln Medical School requires AAB including Chemistry and Biology. King's College London (KCL) is the stricter A-Level offer; Lincoln Medical School is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, Lincoln Medical School carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

Interview formats

Both King's College London (KCL) 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: King's College London (KCL) interviews in December - February; Lincoln Medical School in December - March.

Post-interview offer rate

King's College London (KCL): All Students: 760/981 = 77% (2024); Overall undergraduate (2023): 645/1115 = 58%. Lincoln Medical School: All Students (2023): 159/229 = 69%. 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

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

If your UCAT lands below the UK median (~2500/3600), Lincoln Medical School is the more realistic firm-choice option. For applicants with predicted A-Level grades at the lower end of the AAA-A*AA range, Lincoln Medical School is the lower-risk academic option. Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — King's College London (KCL) feeds into the London foundation programme network; Lincoln Medical School into the England 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

King's College London (KCL)'s typical home cut-off is around 2130, while Lincoln Medical School sits at approximately 1700 — a 430-point spread. That's a meaningful gap; Lincoln Medical School is materially more accessible for an average-to-good UCAT, while King's College London (KCL) expects performance closer to the top 41% of test-takers. Cut-offs change year on year and vary by tier — check each school's latest published threshold before submitting your UCAS form.

King's College London (KCL) 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 - February (King's College London (KCL)); December - March (Lincoln Medical School).

King's College London (KCL) requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology. Lincoln Medical School requires AAB including Chemistry and Biology. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school.

King's College London (KCL) — GCSE performance considered as part of the broader academic profile; specific scoring not published. Lincoln Medical School — Min 6 GCSEs at grade 6 including Maths, English Language, Biology, Chemistry, Physics (or dual-award Science).

King's College London (KCL)'s selection methodology: shortlisting weight not fully disclosed; check the official admissions page. 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.

King's College London (KCL): All Students: 760/981 = 77% (2024); Overall undergraduate (2023): 645/1115 = 58%. Lincoln Medical School: All Students (2023): 159/229 = 69%. 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%.

King's College London (KCL) is in London, 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).

King's College London (KCL) 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.

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.

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 20 June 2026.