Pears Cumbria (GEM) and Swansea (GEM) are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Pears Cumbria (GEM) is based in Carlisle (England) while Swansea (GEM) sits in Swansea (Wales), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.
The interview formats diverge — MMI vs Panel — and the prep approaches for the two are fundamentally different.
| Comparison field | Pears Cumbria (GEM)Carlisle | Swansea (GEM)Swansea |
|---|---|---|
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| Location | Carlisle, UK | Swansea, UK |
| A-Level offer | Graduate entry - degree required | Graduate entry programme - degree required |
| TrueScoreTrueScore is our prediction of the UCAT score required to be invited to interview at this school for the upcoming cycle. Built from multi-year FOI data and applicant trends. Click any badge to see the full breakdown. | 1700GEM | - |
| UCAT home cut-off | - | - |
| Interview format | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) | Assessment Day |
| Post-interview chance | - | - |
| Decision date | March onwards | Until May |
Carlisle
Quick comparison
Swansea
Quick comparison
Pears Cumbria (GEM) requires Graduate entry - degree required.
Swansea (GEM) requires Graduate entry programme - degree required.
GCSE profile matters at both schools — Pears Cumbria (GEM): Not applicable - graduate-entry programme. Requires a 2:1 honours degree. Swansea (GEM): Not applicable - graduate-entry programme. Requires a 2:1 honours degree.
Pears Cumbria (GEM) uses MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)); Swansea (GEM) uses Panel (Assessment Day). These two formats reward different skills — MMI emphasises breadth, station-recovery and structured answers under time pressure, while Panel rewards depth and consistency.
If your strengths lie in conversational depth, Swansea (GEM) may suit you more. If you prefer discrete capsule answers under time pressure, Pears Cumbria (GEM) is the better fit.
Interview windows: Pears Cumbria (GEM) interviews in December - March; Swansea (GEM) in March.
Both schools deliver a PBL-style curriculum, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar across years 1-3.
Specifics: Four-year accelerated graduate-entry programme. Imperial College London partner. Clinical placements across Cumbria NHS sites (UHMBT, North Cumbria In Four-year accelerated graduate-entry MBBCh. Swansea-based with South Wales NHS placements (Swansea Bay UHB, Hywel Dda UHB).
Intake size: Pears Cumbria (GEM) — ~50 places per year (small newer cohort).; Swansea (GEM) — ~70 home + ~10 international places per year (4-year accelerated MBBCh).. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.
Pears Cumbria (GEM): Graduate entry programme focusing on rural and community healthcare. Newer course oriented around regional workforce needs in Cumbria.
Swansea (GEM): Graduate entry programme with a written SJT exercise as part of the selection day. Personal statement and detailed course knowledge feature prominently - applicants should know Swansea's programme structure in detail.
Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Pears Cumbria (GEM) feeds into the England foundation programme network; Swansea (GEM) into the Wales 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.
School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 4 August 2026.
