Where are Lincoln Medical School and Surrey (GEM) located, and how does that affect cost?

Lincoln Medical School is in Lincoln, 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?

Lincoln Medical School 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

Lincoln Medical School vs Surrey (GEM)

Q: How are GCSEs weighted at Lincoln Medical School vs Surrey (GEM)?

Lincoln Medical School — At least six GCSEs at grade 7/A or above including Biology and Chemistry (or Double Science), plus a minimum of grade 6/B in English Language and Mathematics. GCSE resits accepted before the time of application. Surrey (GEM) — GCSE Maths and English at grade C/5 or above.

Lincoln Medical School 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: Lincoln Medical School and Surrey (GEM).
Comparison field	Lincoln Medical SchoolLincoln	Surrey (GEM)Guildford
Quick comparison
Location	Lincoln, UK	Guildford, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level which must include Biology (or Human Biology) at grade A. Chemistry is NOT required at A-level.	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject
TrueScore	Lincoln Medical School TrueScore 1700	Surrey (GEM) TrueScore 1700GEM
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)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	All Students (2023): 159/229 = 69%	-
Decision date	March onwards	March onwards

A-Level offer	AAA at A-level which must include Biology (or Human Biology) at grade A. Chemistry is NOT required at A-level.	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject
Contextual A-Level offer	AAB for contextual offers, still including Biology (or Human Biology).	-
Required A-Level subjects	Biology (or Human Biology) required; Chemistry is not required at A-level	-
A-Level resit policy	Resits considered.	Not applicable to graduate entry.
GCSE requirements	At least six GCSEs at grade 7/A or above including Biology and Chemistry (or Double Science), plus a minimum of grade 6/B in English Language and Mathematics. GCSE resits accepted before the time of application.	GCSE Maths and English at grade C/5 or above
GCSE scoring methodology	-	-
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	36 points overall with Higher Level Biology at grade 6. Chemistry is required at GCSE level rather than Higher Level.	-
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	~1500+ /2700 with WP uplifts (MEM2 Q1 = 8pts; care experienced = 15pts; UCAT bursary = 6pts)	-
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	-	-
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 automatically rejected. SJT scored heavily: B1=15, B2=10, B3=5, B4=0.	-
UCAT notes	NEW scoring system for 2026 entry: UCAT cognitive /15 (5pts per subsection 801+), SJT /15 (B1=15), GCSE /30 (top 6, grade 9 = 5pts). Personal statement not used. SJT B4 auto-rejected.	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	Prosection	Prosection
First patient contact	Year 3	Year 1
Placement geography	Lincolnshire	Surrey and the surrounding area
Named placement sites	Lincoln County Hospital, Grantham and District Hospital, Pilgrim Hospital, Boston	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	-	-
Course highlight	Lincoln Medical School was established in 2018 specifically to improve doctor recruitment and retention in Lincolnshire.	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 format with stations covering motivation, ethical reasoning, prioritisation scenarios and role-play. Mix of traditional medical-school questions and broader problem-solving.	MMI format with multiple stations assessing communication, ethical reasoning and problem-solving.

Specialities	Medicine, Community Medicine	Medicine, Healthcare Technology, Clinical Practice
Established	2019	2024
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	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.	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.lincoln.ac.uk/course/mdcmbcub/	https://www.surrey.ac.uk/undergraduate/medicine-graduate-entry

Lincoln Medical School

Lincoln

Quick comparison

Location: Lincoln, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level which must include Biology (or Human Biology) at grade A. Chemistry is NOT required at A-level.
TrueScore: Lincoln Medical School 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

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

Lincoln Medical School vs Surrey (GEM) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Lincoln Medical School requires AAA at A-level which must include Biology (or Human Biology) at grade A. Chemistry is NOT required at A-level.

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

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Lincoln Medical School: At least six GCSEs at grade 7/A or above including Biology and Chemistry (or Double Science), plus a minimum of grade 6/B in English Language and Mathematics. GCSE resits accepted before the time of… Surrey (GEM): GCSE Maths and English at grade C/5 or above.

Interview formats

Both Lincoln Medical School 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: Lincoln Medical School interviews in December - March; Surrey (GEM) in December - March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Lincoln Medical School runs a Integrated curriculum; Surrey (GEM) runs a PBL curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Lincoln Medical School delivers more didactic lectures with structured systems-based progression, while Surrey (GEM) centres learning around clinical cases.

Specifics: Five-year MBBChir partnered with Nottingham. Lincoln-based teaching with Lincolnshire NHS clinical placements (Lincoln County Hospital, Pilgrim Hospit Four-year accelerated graduate-entry MBChB. Surrey-based with South-East NHS placements.

Intake size: Lincoln Medical School — ~80 places per year (small cohort, focused on Lincolnshire placements).; 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

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.

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. If you learn best in small-group case discussion, prefer Surrey (GEM); if you prefer lecture-led foundations, the other suits better.

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. Lincoln Medical School guidance: ~1700+ /2700 with B1 SJT and 6× grade 9s at GCSE (combined ~51/60 target). Lower UCAT viable with stronger GCSE/SJT mix.. 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..

Lincoln Medical School 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 (Lincoln Medical School); December - March (Surrey (GEM)).

Lincoln Medical School requires AAA including Biology (or Human Biology). Chemistry is not required at A-level.. 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: Lincoln Medical School — Resits considered.. Surrey (GEM) — Not applicable to graduate entry..

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). 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.

Lincoln Medical School runs a Integrated curriculum. Surrey (GEM) runs a PBL curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Lincoln Medical School specifics: Five-year MBBChir partnered with Nottingham. Lincoln-based teaching with Lincolnshire NHS clinical placements (Lincoln County Hospital, Pilgrim Hospital Boston, Grantham). 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

Lincoln Medical SchoolEntry 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.

Lincoln Medical School vs Surrey (GEM)

Side-by-side comparison

Lincoln Medical School vs Surrey (GEM) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Interview formats

Curriculum and teaching style

What makes each distinctive

Which is right for you?

Common questions

What UCAT score do I need for Lincoln Medical School vs Surrey (GEM)?

How do interviews differ between Lincoln Medical School and Surrey (GEM)?

What A-Level grades do Lincoln Medical School and Surrey (GEM) require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Lincoln Medical School vs Surrey (GEM)?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Where are Lincoln Medical School and Surrey (GEM) located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Lincoln Medical School and Surrey (GEM) use?

Should I apply to both Lincoln Medical School and Surrey (GEM)?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons