How do interviews differ between Lancaster and Surrey (GEM)?

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

What A-Level grades do Lancaster and Surrey (GEM) require?

Lancaster requires AAA including any two of Biology, Chemistry and Psychology. Surrey (GEM) requires Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Lancaster — Resits considered with mitigating circumstances.. Surrey (GEM) — Not applicable to graduate entry..

Where are Lancaster and Surrey (GEM) located, and how does that affect cost?

Lancaster is in Lancaster, UK. Surrey (GEM) is in Guildford, 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. Surrey (GEM) 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

Lancaster vs Surrey (GEM)

Lancaster and Surrey (GEM) 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.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Lancaster and Surrey (GEM).
Comparison field	LancasterLancaster	Surrey (GEM)Guildford
Quick comparison
Location	Lancaster, UK	Guildford, 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	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject
TrueScore	Lancaster TrueScore 1950	Surrey (GEM) TrueScore 1700GEM
UCAT home cut-off	1920+ /2700 (2026 entry official cut-off, non-contextual)	-
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	Home student: 261/587 = 44%; International: 6/19 = 32%	-
Decision date	March onwards	March onwards

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	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject
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.	-
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	Not applicable to graduate entry.
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 Maths and English at grade C/5 or above
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	36 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level - including any two of HL Biology, Chemistry, Psychology	-
Graduate-entry degree requirement	-	Minimum 2:1 UK honours degree (or equivalent) in any subject - all disciplines are given equal consideration.
Alternative qualifications	-	Graduate-entry only (4-year BMBS). GAMSAT is the general admission test; UCAT is accepted only from Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedical Science, Chemistry or Natural Sciences graduates. Open to UK and international applicants (IELTS 7.0 overall and in every component). The University of Exeter is the contingency awarding body while Surrey completes GMC accreditation.

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	-	GAMSAT is the general route. UCAT is accepted ONLY from applicants holding a degree in Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedical Science, Chemistry or Natural Sciences.
SJT band	Band 4 autorejected - 1, 2, 3 are fine	-
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…	No numeric cut-off is published; scores sort applicants into interview, waitlist or rejection. Do not assume a UCAT route - for most degree subjects GAMSAT is the only option.

Degree awarded	MBChB	BMBS
Course length	5 years	4 years (graduate entry)
Teaching style	Case-based learning	Team-based learning
Anatomy teaching	Imaging and models	Prosection
First patient contact	Year 2	Year 1
Placement geography	Lancashire, Cumbria and Yorkshire	Surrey and the surrounding area
Named placement sites	-	Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, Surrey Heartlands ICS, Frimley Health and Care ICS
Intercalation	Offered between years 4 and 5, at bachelor's or master's level.	-
Course highlight	-	AI is integrated into the curriculum, and virtual reality surgical training runs through the VRiMS collaboration.

Interview window	December - March	December - March
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…	MMI format with multiple stations assessing communication, ethical reasoning and problem-solving.

Specialities	Medicine, Community Medicine, Primary Care	Medicine, Healthcare Technology, Clinical Practice
Established	2020	2024
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…	New graduate-entry school taking a technology-forward approach to teaching. Still under GMC review, so the University of Exeter acts as the contingency awarding body until Surrey's own accreditation c…
Official course page	https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/medicine-and-surgery-mbchb-a100/2027/	https://www.surrey.ac.uk/undergraduate/medicine-graduate-entry

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

Surrey (GEM)

Guildford

Quick comparison

Location: Guildford, UK
A-Level offer: Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject
TrueScore: Surrey (GEM) TrueScore 1700GEM
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: -
Decision date: March onwards

Lancaster vs Surrey (GEM) - 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.

Surrey (GEM) requires Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject.

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… Surrey (GEM): GCSE Maths and English at grade C/5 or above.

Interview formats

Both Lancaster and Surrey (GEM) 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; Surrey (GEM) in December - 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. Distinct rural/community placement strand in Cumbria, Lancashire and Morecambe Bay. Four-year accelerated graduate-entry MBChB. Surrey-based with South-East NHS placements.

Intake size: Lancaster — ~64 home + ~10 international places per year (small intake).; Surrey (GEM) — ~30-50 places per year (small newer cohort).. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

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.

Surrey (GEM): New graduate-entry school taking a technology-forward approach to teaching. Still under GMC review, so the University of Exeter acts as the contingency awarding body until Surrey's own accreditation completes - worth confirming before you accept an offer.

Which is right for you?

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

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). Surrey (GEM) guidance: No numeric cut-off is published; scores sort applicants into interview, waitlist or rejection. Do not assume a UCAT route - for most degree subjects GAMSAT is the only option..

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. Surrey (GEM) — GCSE Maths and English at grade C/5 or above.

Lancaster's selection methodology: Combined UCAT + academic profile + interview. Smaller cohort, problem-based learning environment. Surrey (GEM)'s selection methodology: Degree class hurdle (2:1, any subject), then GAMSAT - or UCAT for bioscience/chemistry graduates only - sorting applicants into interview, waitlist or reject, then a virtual MMI lasting under an hour. 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 runs a PBL curriculum. Surrey (GEM) runs a PBL curriculum. Both schools deliver teaching in the same broad style, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar. Lancaster specifics: Five-year MBChB built around problem-based learning. Distinct rural/community placement strand in Cumbria, Lancashire and Morecambe Bay. Surrey (GEM) specifics: Four-year accelerated graduate-entry MBChB. Surrey-based with South-East NHS placements.

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

Surrey (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.