Where are Pears Cumbria (GEM) and Warwick (GEM) located, and how does that affect cost?

Pears Cumbria (GEM) is in Carlisle, UK. Warwick (GEM) is in Coventry, 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?

Pears Cumbria (GEM) typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. Warwick (GEM) releases medicine decisions January 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

Pears Cumbria (GEM) vs Warwick (GEM)

Q: How are GCSEs weighted at Pears Cumbria (GEM) vs Warwick (GEM)?

Pears Cumbria (GEM) — GCSE English Language and Mathematics at minimum grade 4/C - assessed alongside degree. Warwick (GEM) — No specific GCSE requirements published for graduate-entry - applicant academic competence shown through degree.

Pears Cumbria (GEM) and Warwick (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: Pears Cumbria (GEM) and Warwick (GEM).
Comparison field	Pears Cumbria (GEM)Carlisle	Warwick (GEM)Coventry
Quick comparison
Location	Carlisle, UK	Coventry, UK
A-Level offer	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in a biosciences or allied healthcare degree	Graduate entry only - minimum 2:1 honours degree. Warwick runs no undergraduate (A100) route.
TrueScore	Pears Cumbria (GEM) TrueScore 1700GEM	Warwick (GEM) TrueScore 2150intl
UCAT home cut-off	-	-
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	-	-
Decision date	March onwards	January onwards

A-Level offer	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in a biosciences or allied healthcare degree	Graduate entry only - minimum 2:1 honours degree. Warwick runs no undergraduate (A100) route.
Contextual A-Level offer	-	-
Required A-Level subjects	-	-
A-Level resit policy	Not applicable to graduate entry - degree class is the academic measure.	Not applicable to graduate entry - degree class is the academic measure.
GCSE requirements	GCSE English Language and Mathematics at minimum grade 4/C - assessed alongside degree	No specific GCSE requirements published for graduate-entry - applicant academic competence shown through degree
GCSE scoring methodology	-	-
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	-	-
Graduate-entry degree requirement	2:1 (Upper-second-class Honours) or above in a biosciences or allied healthcare degree — e.g. anatomy, biochemistry, biomedical science, biology, nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy, paramedic science, pharmacy, dentistry or veterinary science. NOT open to any-discipline graduates.	2:1 (Upper-second-class Honours) or above in any honours degree (Arts, Science, etc.) - completed by entry
Alternative qualifications	Graduate-entry only, home fee status required (international applicants are not eligible). UCAT or GAMSAT accepted — the applicant chooses one; MCAT is not accepted. MBBS awarded by Imperial College London and taught at the University of Cumbria Fusehill Street campus, Carlisle.	Graduate-entry only (4-year accelerated MBChB). UCAT used to rank applicants. CRITICAL: Verbal Reasoning must be at-or-above the cohort mean regardless of overall score; high overall UCAT will not be considered if VR is below mean. Selection-centre format (2 hours of timed exercises) means UCAT is one factor among several - group performance and individual stations matter.

Contextual cut-off	-	-
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	-	~2170+ /2700
Graduate cut-off	1960+ /2700 for 2026 entry (1910+ contextual). GAMSAT alternative: 59 overall (53 contextual).	~2080+ /2700 minimum (typically 2170+ for safer chances). Graduate-entry only.
SJT band	-	-
UCAT notes	UCAT or GAMSAT — the applicant chooses one; MCAT is NOT accepted. Both are minimum-threshold hurdles rather than ranked scores. The UCAT must be sat in the same year as the UCAS submission; the GAMSAT…	Graduate entry only. UCAT used to rank graduate applicants. SJT considered.

Degree awarded	MBBS (awarded by Imperial College London)	MB ChB
Course length	4 years (graduate entry)	4 years (graduate entry)
Teaching style	Integrated	Integrated
Anatomy teaching	-	Plastinated specimens
First patient contact	Year 1	-
Placement geography	North and south Cumbria	Coventry and Warwickshire
Named placement sites	-	University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, Warwick Hospital, George Eliot Hospital, Alexandra Hospital
Intercalation	-	-
Course highlight	The MBBS is awarded by Imperial College London, delivered in partnership with the University of Cumbria.	The UK’s largest graduate-entry medical programme, with around 203 graduates a year.

Interview window	December - March	December
Interview details	Graduate-entry MMI format with stations focused on clinical reasoning, ethics, communication and motivation for rural and community healthcare.	Selection-centre format lasting about two hours with several timed exercises observed by assessors. Tasks cover team working, communication, empathy and clinical reasoning. Group exercises sit alongsi…

Specialities	Medicine, Rural Healthcare, Community Medicine	Medicine, Graduate Entry Medicine, Medical Research
Established	2023	2000
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	The only medicine route in Carlisle, and graduate-entry only — there is no school-leaver course here. Restricted to home-fee applicants holding a 2:1 in biosciences or allied healthcare, with the MBBS…	Graduate entry ONLY - there is no A100 school-leaver route at Warwick, so A-level grades are not the entry currency here. All applicants sit the UCAT (not GAMSAT) and need a 2:1 or above.
Official course page	https://cumbriamed.ac.uk/study/	https://warwick.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/courses/mbchb-medicine/

Pears Cumbria (GEM)

Carlisle

Quick comparison

Location: Carlisle, UK
A-Level offer: Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in a biosciences or allied healthcare degree
TrueScore: Pears Cumbria (GEM) TrueScore 1700GEM
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: -
Decision date: March onwards

Warwick (GEM)

Coventry

Quick comparison

Location: Coventry, UK
A-Level offer: Graduate entry only - minimum 2:1 honours degree. Warwick runs no undergraduate (A100) route.
TrueScore: Warwick (GEM) TrueScore 2150intl
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: -
Decision date: January onwards

Pears Cumbria (GEM) vs Warwick (GEM) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Pears Cumbria (GEM) requires Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in a biosciences or allied healthcare degree.

Warwick (GEM) requires Graduate entry only - minimum 2:1 honours degree. Warwick runs no undergraduate (A100) route.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Pears Cumbria (GEM): GCSE English Language and Mathematics at minimum grade 4/C - assessed alongside degree. Warwick (GEM): No specific GCSE requirements published for graduate-entry - applicant academic competence shown through degree.

Interview formats

Both Pears Cumbria (GEM) and Warwick (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: Pears Cumbria (GEM) interviews in December - March; Warwick (GEM) in December.

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: Four-year accelerated graduate-entry programme. Imperial College London partner. Clinical placements across Cumbria NHS sites (UHMBT, North Cumbria In Four-year accelerated MBChB for graduate entrants. Problem-based learning with significant clinical exposure from Year 1.

Intake size: Pears Cumbria (GEM) — ~58 places per year. Imperial reported an 11:1 applications-to-places ratio for 2025.; Warwick (GEM) — ~190 home + ~15 international places per year (4-year accelerated MBChB).. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

What makes each distinctive

Pears Cumbria (GEM): The only medicine route in Carlisle, and graduate-entry only — there is no school-leaver course here. Restricted to home-fee applicants holding a 2:1 in biosciences or allied healthcare, with the MBBS awarded by Imperial College London.

Warwick (GEM): Graduate entry ONLY - there is no A100 school-leaver route at Warwick, so A-level grades are not the entry currency here. All applicants sit the UCAT (not GAMSAT) and need a 2:1 or above.

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. Pears Cumbria (GEM) guidance: UCAT or GAMSAT — the applicant chooses one; MCAT is NOT accepted. Both are minimum-threshold hurdles rather than ranked scores. The UCAT must be sat in the same year as the UCAS submission; the GAMSAT within the two years before it.. Warwick (GEM) guidance: Graduate entry only. UCAT used to rank graduate applicants. SJT considered..

Pears Cumbria (GEM) uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). Warwick (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 (Pears Cumbria (GEM)); December (Warwick (GEM)).

Pears Cumbria (GEM) requires Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in a biosciences or allied healthcare degree. Warwick (GEM) requires Graduate entry only - minimum 2:1 honours degree. Warwick runs no undergraduate (A100) route.. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Pears Cumbria (GEM) — Not applicable to graduate entry - degree class is the academic measure.. Warwick (GEM) — Not applicable to graduate entry - degree class is the academic measure..

Pears Cumbria (GEM)'s selection methodology: Degree subject and class hurdle (2:1 in biosciences or allied healthcare), then a UCAT or GAMSAT threshold, then MMI. Home fee status is an eligibility requirement, not a preference. MBBS awarded by Imperial College London. Warwick (GEM)'s selection methodology: UCAT + degree class + work experience for shortlisting. Personal statement assessed. Multiple Mini Interview format. 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.

Pears Cumbria (GEM) runs a PBL curriculum. Warwick (GEM) runs a PBL curriculum. Both schools deliver teaching in the same broad style, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar. Pears Cumbria (GEM) specifics: Four-year accelerated graduate-entry programme. Imperial College London partner. Clinical placements across Cumbria NHS sites (UHMBT, North Cumbria Integrated Care). Warwick (GEM) specifics: Four-year accelerated MBChB for graduate entrants. Problem-based learning with significant clinical exposure from Year 1.

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

Pears Cumbria (GEM)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Warwick (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.

Pears Cumbria (GEM) vs Warwick (GEM)

Side-by-side comparison

Pears Cumbria (GEM) vs Warwick (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 Pears Cumbria (GEM) vs Warwick (GEM)?

How do interviews differ between Pears Cumbria (GEM) and Warwick (GEM)?

What A-Level grades do Pears Cumbria (GEM) and Warwick (GEM) require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Pears Cumbria (GEM) vs Warwick (GEM)?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Where are Pears Cumbria (GEM) and Warwick (GEM) located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Pears Cumbria (GEM) and Warwick (GEM) use?

Should I apply to both Pears Cumbria (GEM) and Warwick (GEM)?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons