How do interviews differ between Lancaster and St George's?

Lancaster uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). St George's 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 (Lancaster); November - February (St George's).

What A-Level grades do Lancaster and St George's require?

Lancaster requires AAA including any two of Biology, Chemistry and Psychology. St George's requires A*AA or AAA including Chemistry and Biology/Human Biology (offer depends on cohort strength). Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school.

Where are Lancaster and St George's located, and how does that affect cost?

Lancaster is in Lancaster, UK. St George's is in London, 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?

Lancaster typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. St George's releases medicine decisions Rolling-basis after Interviews have finished. 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

Lancaster vs St George's

Lancaster and St George's are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Lancaster is based in Lancaster (England) while St George's sits in London (London), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination. Their A-Level requirements (AAA vs A*AA) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers.

St George's is the older institution (founded 1733); the other (founded 2020) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Lancaster and St George's.
Comparison field	LancasterLancaster	St George'sLondon
Quick comparison
Location	Lancaster, UK	London, 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	A*AA or AAA at A-level (offer depends on cohort strength). Predicted AAA required including Chemistry and Biology / Human Biology.
TrueScore	Lancaster TrueScore 1950	St George's TrueScore 1950
UCAT home cut-off	1920+ /2700 (2026 entry official cut-off, non-contextual)	No predictable threshold. City St George's states that it is not possible to predict what the UCAT thresholds will be in any given year, nor to use previous years' data to predict them. The cut-off is set annually against the strength of that year's scores.
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	Home student: 261/587 = 44%; International: 6/19 = 32%	Home Undergrad (2024): 247/677 = 36% (or 423/686 = 62% inc. deferred); Overseas Undergrad: 25/146 = 17% (or 58/152 = 38% inc. deferred)
Decision date	March onwards	Rolling-basis after Interviews have finished

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	A*AA or AAA at A-level (offer depends on cohort strength). Predicted AAA required including Chemistry and Biology / Human Biology.
Contextual A-Level offer	AAB at A-level for contextual / WP applicants. Predicted ABB also acceptable for those who completed Lancaster Access Programme.	-
Required A-Level subjects	Any two of Biology, Chemistry, Psychology required. Predicted minimum AAB.	Chemistry and Biology (or Human Biology) both required
A-Level resit policy	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	Resits or third year of study accepted with extenuating circumstances only
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.	Minimum 5 GCSEs at grade 6/B or above, including English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics (or 6-6 Dual Award Science). GCSE resits accepted.
GCSE scoring methodology	GCSEs scored /16 across 8 subjects (incl. Maths, English, Bio, Chem, Phys). Minimum 13/16 to clear shortlisting threshold.	Used only as minimum threshold - wholly UCAT-based shortlisting once met
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	36 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level - including any two of HL Biology, Chemistry, Psychology	37 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level including HL Chemistry and HL Biology
Graduate-entry degree requirement	-	2:1 (Upper-second-class Honours) or above in any discipline. Graduate for Undergraduate Programme available - UCAT cut-off applies (~2100+ /2700).
Alternative qualifications	-	-

Contextual cut-off	1870+ /2700 (2026 entry contextual)	-
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	1900+ /2700 (2026 entry overseas)	-
Graduate cut-off	-	~2100+ /2700 (Graduate for Undergraduate Programme)
SJT band	Band 4 autorejected - 1, 2, 3 are fine	SJT used post-interview in offer making. Combined with MMI score → B1=15 pts, B2=10, B3=5, B4=none.
UCAT notes	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…	Once the entry criteria are met, applicants are ranked by UCAT score and interview places are allocated from the top down until they run out. A minimum of 500/900 is required in each individual cognit…

Degree awarded	MBChB	MBBS
Course length	5 years	5 years
Teaching style	Case-based learning	Problem-based learning
Anatomy teaching	Imaging and models	Prosection
First patient contact	Year 2	-
Placement geography	Lancashire, Cumbria and Yorkshire	-
Named placement sites	-	-
Intercalation	Offered between years 4 and 5, at bachelor's or master's level.	-
Course highlight	-	The MBBS puts unusual weight on clinical communication — drawing out a patient’s history, giving clear explanations, and negotiating with patients and relatives.

Interview window	December - March	November - February
Interview details	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…	A six-station MMI, each station around five minutes with a 60-second break between, delivered through SAMMI (Scalable Automated Multiple Mini Interviews) software. Each station is assessed separately…

Specialities	Medicine, Community Medicine, Primary Care	Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Healthcare Sciences
Established	2020	1733
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	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…	Strong holistic-care and soft-skills emphasis. SJT used post-interview in offer making (B1 = 15 pts, B2 = 10, B3 = 5, B4 = nothing). St George's is also generous with deferred-entry offers, often made…
Official course page	https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/medicine-and-surgery-mbchb-a100/2027/	https://www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/prospective-students/courses/undergraduate/medicine

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

St George's

London

Quick comparison

Location: London, UK
A-Level offer: A*AA or AAA at A-level (offer depends on cohort strength). Predicted AAA required including Chemistry and Biology / Human Biology.
TrueScore: St George's TrueScore 1950
UCAT home cut-off: No predictable threshold. City St George's states that it is not possible to predict what the UCAT thresholds will be in any given year, nor to use previous years' data to predict them. The cut-off is set annually against the strength of that year's scores.
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: Home Undergrad (2024): 247/677 = 36% (or 423/686 = 62% inc. deferred); Overseas Undergrad: 25/146 = 17% (or 58/152 = 38% inc. deferred)
Decision date: Rolling-basis after Interviews have finished

Lancaster vs St George's - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

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.

St George's requires A*AA or AAA at A-level (offer depends on cohort strength). Predicted AAA required including Chemistry and Biology / Human Biology.

St George's 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 — 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… St George's: Minimum 5 GCSEs at grade 6/B or above, including English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics (or 6-6 Dual Award Science). GCSE resits accepted. Used only as minimum threshold -…

Interview formats

Both Lancaster and St George's 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: Lancaster interviews in December - March; St George's in November - February.

Post-interview offer rate

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

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.

St George's: Strong holistic-care and soft-skills emphasis. SJT used post-interview in offer making (B1 = 15 pts, B2 = 10, B3 = 5, B4 = nothing). St George's is also generous with deferred-entry offers, often made to borderline applicants in lieu of rejection.

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. Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Lancaster feeds into the England foundation programme network; St George's into the London 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. Lancaster guidance: 1920+ /2700 (2026 entry official cut-off, non-contextual). St George's guidance: No predictable threshold. City St George's states that it is not possible to predict what the UCAT thresholds will be in any given year, nor to use previous years' data to predict them. The cut-off is set annually against the strength of that year's scores..

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. St George's — Minimum 5 GCSEs at grade 6/B or above, including English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics (or 6-6 Dual Award Science). GCSE resits accepted. Used only as minimum threshold - wholly UCAT-based shortlisting once met

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

Lancaster: Home student: 261/587 = 44%; International: 6/19 = 32%. St George's: Home Undergrad (2024): 247/677 = 36% (or 423/686 = 62% inc. deferred); Overseas Undergrad: 25/146 = 17% (or 58/152 = 38% inc. deferred). 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

LancasterEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

St George'sEntry 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.