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

Peninsula (Plymouth) is in Plymouth, 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?

Peninsula (Plymouth) typically releases medicine decisions Not available. 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

Peninsula (Plymouth) vs Surrey (GEM)

Q: How are GCSEs weighted at Peninsula (Plymouth) vs Surrey (GEM)?

Peninsula (Plymouth) — Seven GCSEs at grade 4/C or above, including English Language, Mathematics and two science subjects (or Dual Award). Used only as minimum threshold - wholly UCAT-based shortlisting once academic minimums met. Personal statement and work experience explicitly NOT considered. Surrey (GEM) — GCSE Maths and English at grade C/5 or above.

Peninsula (Plymouth) 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: Peninsula (Plymouth) and Surrey (GEM).
Comparison field	Peninsula (Plymouth)Plymouth	Surrey (GEM)Guildford
Quick comparison
Location	Plymouth, UK	Guildford, UK
A-Level offer	A*AA or AAA at A-level (offer depends on strength of applicant pool - historically usually AAA prediction required) including A in Biology and A in a second science from Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Psychology	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject
TrueScore	Peninsula (Plymouth) TrueScore 1900	Surrey (GEM) TrueScore 1700GEM
UCAT home cut-off	Not published in advance. Peninsula states the threshold alters each year with the number and quality of applications, and that it cannot confirm the cut-off until all applications have been received and assessed.	-
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	All Applicants: 434/761 = 57% (2025)	-
Decision date	Not available	March onwards

A-Level offer	A*AA or AAA at A-level (offer depends on strength of applicant pool - historically usually AAA prediction required) including A in Biology and A in a second science from Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Psychology	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject
Contextual A-Level offer	AAB at A-level for UKWPMED widening-access applicants	-
Required A-Level subjects	Biology required at grade A, plus a second science from Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology at grade A	-
A-Level resit policy	Resits accepted with ABB at first attempt (ABC for widening access). If achieved A-level resit grades held, first-sitting requirements waived.	Not applicable to graduate entry.
GCSE requirements	Seven GCSEs at grade 4/C or above, including English Language, Mathematics and two science subjects (or Dual Award)	GCSE Maths and English at grade C/5 or above
GCSE scoring methodology	Used only as minimum threshold - wholly UCAT-based shortlisting once academic minimums met. Personal statement and work experience explicitly NOT considered.	-
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	36 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level - including Biology and a second science / Maths / 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	-	-
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	No use of SJT	-
UCAT notes	Shortlisting is UCAT-led once the academic minimum is met, and the Admissions Advisory Panel reserves the right to consider any aspect of the UCAT when shortlisting. The personal statement and work ex…	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	BMBS	BMBS
Course length	5 years	4 years (graduate entry)
Teaching style	Case-based learning	Team-based learning
Anatomy teaching	-	Prosection
First patient contact	Year 1	Year 1
Placement geography	The south west of England	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	-	-
Course highlight	Plymouth graduates consistently report the highest measures of feeling prepared for professional practice in GMC Foundation doctor surveys.	AI is integrated into the curriculum, and virtual reality surgical training runs through the VRiMS collaboration.

Interview window	Not available	December - March
Interview details	Five stations of around 5 minutes each, with a single assessor at each station. Total interview lasts about 50 minutes. Stations cover communication, ethical reasoning, GMC-aligned values and motivati…	MMI format with multiple stations assessing communication, ethical reasoning and problem-solving.

Specialities	Medicine, Dentistry, Community Medicine	Medicine, Healthcare Technology, Clinical Practice
Established	2000	2024
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	Plymouth publishes the qualities they assess: communication, decision making, reflection and self-insight, motivation and commitment, integrity and inclusivity, resilience and adaptability, and teamwo…	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.plymouth.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/bmbs-bachelor-of-medicine-bachelor-of-surgery	https://www.surrey.ac.uk/undergraduate/medicine-graduate-entry

Peninsula (Plymouth)

Plymouth

Quick comparison

Location: Plymouth, UK
A-Level offer: A*AA or AAA at A-level (offer depends on strength of applicant pool - historically usually AAA prediction required) including A in Biology and A in a second science from Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Psychology
TrueScore: Peninsula (Plymouth) TrueScore 1900
UCAT home cut-off: Not published in advance. Peninsula states the threshold alters each year with the number and quality of applications, and that it cannot confirm the cut-off until all applications have been received and assessed.
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: All Applicants: 434/761 = 57% (2025)
Decision date: Not available

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

Peninsula (Plymouth) vs Surrey (GEM) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Peninsula (Plymouth) requires A*AA or AAA at A-level (offer depends on strength of applicant pool - historically usually AAA prediction required) including A in Biology and A in a second science from Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Psychology.

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

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Peninsula (Plymouth): Seven GCSEs at grade 4/C or above, including English Language, Mathematics and two science subjects (or Dual Award). Used only as minimum threshold - wholly UCAT-based shortlisting once academic… Surrey (GEM): GCSE Maths and English at grade C/5 or above.

Interview formats

Both Peninsula (Plymouth) 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: Peninsula (Plymouth) interviews in Not available; 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 with PBL and case-based learning. Distinctive rural/coastal placement strand across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset. Four-year accelerated graduate-entry MBChB. Surrey-based with South-East NHS placements.

Intake size: Peninsula (Plymouth) — ~140 home + ~25 international places per year (Plymouth University Peninsula MBChB).; 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

Peninsula (Plymouth): Plymouth publishes the qualities they assess: communication, decision making, reflection and self-insight, motivation and commitment, integrity and inclusivity, resilience and adaptability, and teamwork. Personal statement and work experience are NOT considered in interview selection.

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. Peninsula (Plymouth) guidance: Not published in advance. Peninsula states the threshold alters each year with the number and quality of applications, and that it cannot confirm the cut-off until all applications have been received and assessed.. 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..

Peninsula (Plymouth) 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: Not available (Peninsula (Plymouth)); December - March (Surrey (GEM)).

Peninsula (Plymouth) requires A*AA or AAA including Biology and a second science from Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or 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: Peninsula (Plymouth) — Resits accepted.. Surrey (GEM) — Not applicable to graduate entry..

Peninsula (Plymouth)'s selection methodology: UCAT + academic + Multiple Mini Interview. Strong South-West focus with rural/community placement strand. 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.

Peninsula (Plymouth) 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. Peninsula (Plymouth) specifics: Five-year MBBS with PBL and case-based learning. Distinctive rural/coastal placement strand across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset. 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

Peninsula (Plymouth)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.

Peninsula (Plymouth) vs Surrey (GEM)

Side-by-side comparison

Peninsula (Plymouth) 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 Peninsula (Plymouth) vs Surrey (GEM)?

How do interviews differ between Peninsula (Plymouth) and Surrey (GEM)?

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

How are GCSEs weighted at Peninsula (Plymouth) vs Surrey (GEM)?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

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

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Peninsula (Plymouth) and Surrey (GEM) use?

Should I apply to both Peninsula (Plymouth) and Surrey (GEM)?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons