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

Norwich (UEA) requires AAA including Biology or Chemistry. 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: Norwich (UEA) — Resits accepted with explanation.. Surrey (GEM) — Not applicable to graduate entry..

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

Norwich (UEA) is in Norwich, 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?

Norwich (UEA) typically releases medicine decisions March. 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

Norwich (UEA) vs Surrey (GEM)

Q: How are GCSEs weighted at Norwich (UEA) vs Surrey (GEM)?

Norwich (UEA) — Six GCSEs at grade 7/A or above, including Mathematics and either two science subjects or Double Science. English Language at grade 5/B minimum. GCSE retakes tolerated. GCSE used only as minimum threshold - pre-interview shortlisting is wholly UCAT-based once GCSE met Surrey (GEM) — GCSE Maths and English at grade C/5 or above.

Norwich (UEA) 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: Norwich (UEA) and Surrey (GEM).
Comparison field	Norwich (UEA)Norwich	Surrey (GEM)Guildford
Quick comparison
Location	Norwich, UK	Guildford, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level including Biology or Chemistry	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject
TrueScore	Norwich (UEA) TrueScore 1700	Surrey (GEM) TrueScore 1700GEM
UCAT home cut-off	No cut-off. UEA states it does not have a cut-off score: a high score is advantageous, and a low score does not disqualify an applicant from consideration.	-
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	UK Undergraduate: 539/638 = 84%; UK Graduate: 29/39 = 74%; International: 24/69 = 35%	-
Decision date	March	March onwards

A-Level offer	AAA at A-level including Biology or Chemistry	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject
Contextual A-Level offer	-	-
Required A-Level subjects	Biology or Chemistry required (only one is essential)	-
A-Level resit policy	Resits permitted but require ABB or AAC at first sitting and at least one A* in subjects being resat	Not applicable to graduate entry.
GCSE requirements	Six GCSEs at grade 7/A or above, including Mathematics and either two science subjects or Double Science. English Language at grade 5/B minimum. GCSE retakes tolerated.	GCSE Maths and English at grade C/5 or above
GCSE scoring methodology	GCSE used only as minimum threshold - pre-interview shortlisting is wholly UCAT-based once GCSE met	-
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	36 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level including Biology or Chemistry	-
Graduate-entry degree requirement	2:1 (Upper-second-class Honours) or above in any honours degree. Graduate-entry candidates still required to sit UCAT.	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	-	-
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	SJT is part of interview score. 27 students with band 3 got offers in 2024 out of total ~600.	-
UCAT notes	All on-time applications go through primary screening for the academic minimums, a satisfactory personal statement and reference, and a UCAT sat in the summer before applying. If applications exceed i…	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	MBBS	BMBS
Course length	5 years	4 years (graduate entry)
Teaching style	Problem-based learning	Team-based learning
Anatomy teaching	-	Prosection
First patient contact	Year 1	Year 1
Placement geography	Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire	Surrey and the surrounding area
Named placement sites	Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital	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	The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital is just 100 metres from Norwich Medical School.	AI is integrated into the curriculum, and virtual reality surgical training runs through the VRiMS collaboration.

Interview window	November - February	December - March
Interview details	An on-campus MMI, each station with a different interviewer and roughly 5 minutes per station with a short changeover between. Heavy focus on personal suitability for medicine - empathy, insight into…	MMI format with multiple stations assessing communication, ethical reasoning and problem-solving.

Specialities	Medicine, Medical Sciences, Problem-Based Learning	Medicine, Healthcare Technology, Clinical Practice
Established	1963	2024
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	UCAT plays a major role both pre- and post-interview (50/50 with interview score). SJT forms part of the interview score - band 3 students have received offers in past cycles. Strong focus on suitabil…	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.uea.ac.uk/course/undergraduate/mbbs-medicine	https://www.surrey.ac.uk/undergraduate/medicine-graduate-entry

Norwich (UEA)

Norwich

Quick comparison

Location: Norwich, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level including Biology or Chemistry
TrueScore: Norwich (UEA) TrueScore 1700
UCAT home cut-off: No cut-off. UEA states it does not have a cut-off score: a high score is advantageous, and a low score does not disqualify an applicant from consideration.
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: UK Undergraduate: 539/638 = 84%; UK Graduate: 29/39 = 74%; International: 24/69 = 35%
Decision date: March

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

Norwich (UEA) vs Surrey (GEM) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Norwich (UEA) requires AAA at A-level including Biology or Chemistry.

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

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Norwich (UEA): Six GCSEs at grade 7/A or above, including Mathematics and either two science subjects or Double Science. English Language at grade 5/B minimum. GCSE retakes tolerated. GCSE used only as minimum… Surrey (GEM): GCSE Maths and English at grade C/5 or above.

Interview formats

Both Norwich (UEA) 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: Norwich (UEA) interviews in November - February; 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 MBBS built around problem-based learning. Strong emphasis on consultation skills from Year 1. Clinical placements across Norfolk, Suffolk, a Four-year accelerated graduate-entry MBChB. Surrey-based with South-East NHS placements.

Intake size: Norwich (UEA) — ~167 home + ~22 international places per year (A100 Standard Entry Medicine).; 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

Norwich (UEA): UCAT plays a major role both pre- and post-interview (50/50 with interview score). SJT forms part of the interview score - band 3 students have received offers in past cycles. Strong focus on suitability rather than academic 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. 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. Norwich (UEA) guidance: No cut-off. UEA states it does not have a cut-off score: a high score is advantageous, and a low score does not disqualify an applicant from consideration.. 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..

Norwich (UEA) 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: November - February (Norwich (UEA)); December - March (Surrey (GEM)).

Norwich (UEA)'s selection methodology: UCAT-banded interview invites once the academic minimums are met. 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.

Norwich (UEA) 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. Norwich (UEA) specifics: Five-year MBBS built around problem-based learning. Strong emphasis on consultation skills from Year 1. Clinical placements across Norfolk, Suffolk, and the East of England. 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

Norwich (UEA)Entry 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.