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

Peninsula (Plymouth) is in Plymouth, 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?

Peninsula (Plymouth) typically releases medicine decisions Not available. 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

Peninsula (Plymouth) vs Warwick (GEM)

Peninsula (Plymouth) 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: Peninsula (Plymouth) and Warwick (GEM).
Comparison field	Peninsula (Plymouth)Plymouth	Warwick (GEM)Coventry
Quick comparison
Location	Plymouth, UK	Coventry, 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 only - minimum 2:1 honours degree. Warwick runs no undergraduate (A100) route.
TrueScore	Peninsula (Plymouth) TrueScore 1900	Warwick (GEM) TrueScore 2150intl
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	January 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 only - minimum 2:1 honours degree. Warwick runs no undergraduate (A100) route.
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 - degree class is the academic measure.
GCSE requirements	Seven GCSEs at grade 4/C or above, including English Language, Mathematics and two science subjects (or Dual Award)	No specific GCSE requirements published for graduate-entry - applicant academic competence shown through degree
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	-	2:1 (Upper-second-class Honours) or above in any honours degree (Arts, Science, etc.) - completed by entry
Alternative qualifications	-	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	-	~2080+ /2700 minimum (typically 2170+ for safer chances). Graduate-entry only.
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…	Graduate entry only. UCAT used to rank graduate applicants. SJT considered.

Degree awarded	BMBS	MB ChB
Course length	5 years	4 years (graduate entry)
Teaching style	Case-based learning	Integrated
Anatomy teaching	-	Plastinated specimens
First patient contact	Year 1	-
Placement geography	The south west of England	Coventry and Warwickshire
Named placement sites	-	University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, Warwick Hospital, George Eliot Hospital, Alexandra Hospital
Intercalation	-	-
Course highlight	Plymouth graduates consistently report the highest measures of feeling prepared for professional practice in GMC Foundation doctor surveys.	The UK’s largest graduate-entry medical programme, with around 203 graduates a year.

Interview window	Not available	December
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…	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, Dentistry, Community Medicine	Medicine, Graduate Entry Medicine, Medical Research
Established	2000	2000
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…	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://www.plymouth.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/bmbs-bachelor-of-medicine-bachelor-of-surgery	https://warwick.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/courses/mbchb-medicine/

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

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

Peninsula (Plymouth) vs Warwick (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.

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

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… Warwick (GEM): No specific GCSE requirements published for graduate-entry - applicant academic competence shown through degree.

Interview formats

Both Peninsula (Plymouth) 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: Peninsula (Plymouth) interviews in Not available; 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: Five-year MBBS with PBL and case-based learning. Distinctive rural/coastal placement strand across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset. Four-year accelerated MBChB for graduate entrants. Problem-based learning with significant clinical exposure from Year 1.

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

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.

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. 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.. Warwick (GEM) guidance: Graduate entry only. UCAT used to rank graduate applicants. SJT considered..

Peninsula (Plymouth) 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: Not available (Peninsula (Plymouth)); December (Warwick (GEM)).

Peninsula (Plymouth) requires A*AA or AAA including Biology and a second science from Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Psychology. 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: Peninsula (Plymouth) — Resits accepted.. Warwick (GEM) — Not applicable to graduate entry - degree class is the academic measure..

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. Warwick (GEM) — No specific GCSE requirements published for graduate-entry - applicant academic competence shown through degree.

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

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

Peninsula (Plymouth)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.

Peninsula (Plymouth) vs Warwick (GEM)

Side-by-side comparison

Peninsula (Plymouth) 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 Peninsula (Plymouth) vs Warwick (GEM)?

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

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

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

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

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

When does each school release decisions?

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

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

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons