How do interviews differ between Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and Swansea (GEM)?

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). Swansea (GEM) uses Assessment day: Assessment Day. The two formats reward different skill sets. Plan separate prep streams for each, with at least 3 full mock interviews per format before sitting either. Interview windows: January - February (Queen's University Belfast (QUB)); March (Swansea (GEM)).

Where are Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and Swansea (GEM) located, and how does that affect cost?

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) is in Belfast, UK. Swansea (GEM) is in Swansea, 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?

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) typically releases medicine decisions April onwards. Swansea (GEM) releases medicine decisions Until May. 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

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) vs Swansea (GEM)

Q: What A-Level grades do Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and Swansea (GEM) require?

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology (or Maths/Physics - see subject rules). Swansea (GEM) requires Graduate entry programme - degree required. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school.

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and Swansea (GEM) are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Queen's University Belfast (QUB) is based in Belfast (Northern Ireland) 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. Queen's University Belfast (QUB) is the older institution (founded 1849); the other (founded 2004) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and Swansea (GEM).
Comparison field	Queen's University Belfast (QUB)Belfast	Swansea (GEM)Swansea
Quick comparison
Location	Belfast, UK	Swansea, UK
A-Level offer	A*AA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (or Maths/Physics - see subject rules)	Graduate entry programme - degree required
TrueScore	Queen's University Belfast (QUB) TrueScore 1700	-
UCAT home cut-off	No cut-off published. Queen's ranks applicants on cognitive performance, with the overall UCAT score contributing points alongside GCSE attainment, and invites roughly the top 700 to interview.	-
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Assessment Day
Post-interview chance	Good. Queen's states that once you reach interview it anticipates at least a one-in-two chance of an offer, so the hard part is being among the roughly 700 selected.	-
Decision date	April onwards	Until May

A-Level offer	A*AA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (or Maths/Physics - see subject rules)	Graduate entry programme - degree required
Contextual A-Level offer	-	-
Required A-Level subjects	Standard offer: A*AA inc Chemistry and Biology, OR Chemistry and Maths/Physics with grade B in AS Biology. Alternative: AAA + grade A in 4th AS-level/EPQ (Chemistry + one of Biology/Maths/Physics; if Maths or Physics chosen, AS Biology grade A required).	-
A-Level resit policy	Resits accepted only for previous Belfast applicants who held a conditional firm offer and must have achieved AAA or A*AB on first attempt	Not applicable to graduate entry.
GCSE requirements	Minimum grade C/4 in GCSE Mathematics, English and Physics (or 4-4 in Double Science) if not offered at AS-level or A-level	No specific GCSE requirements published for graduate-entry MBBCh - academic competence is shown through the degree.
GCSE scoring methodology	Top 9 GCSEs scored /36: A*/9 = 4 pts, A/7-8 = 3 pts, B/6 = 2 pts, C/4-5 = 1 pt. GCSEs are 80% of pre-interview score under the 2026 system (UCAT 20%).	-
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	36 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level including Chemistry and Biology (or Chemistry plus Maths/Physics)	-
Graduate-entry degree requirement	-	Minimum 2:1 in any subject; OR a Merit in an integrated master's; OR a 2:2 combined with a Pass in a postgraduate higher degree.
Alternative qualifications	-	Graduate-entry only, open to home and international applicants. Admission test may be UCAT (min 1900), GAMSAT (min 50 overall and 50 in Paper 3) or, for international applicants, MCAT (min 500). Selection day is three face-to-face stations; there is no separate written or SJT exercise. Pathways to Medicine applicants are not eligible.

Contextual cut-off	-	-
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	-	International applicants may alternatively submit an MCAT score, minimum 500.
Graduate cut-off	-	1900+ /2700 minimum considered. Swansea accepts EITHER UCAT or GAMSAT - it is not a GAMSAT-only school.
SJT band	May be used if borderline before/after interview. 2025: anyone with 30/42 received interview, didn't matter. 2024: 38/42 cut off, or 37/42 with B1 or B2.	-
UCAT notes	Because UCAT is only part of a combined score, a lower UCAT can still be carried by a strong GCSE profile and vice versa. Queen's publishes the exact scoring system each cycle in its "How we choose ou…	Three routes in: UCAT (min 1900), GAMSAT (min 50 overall AND 50 in Paper 3), or MCAT (min 500, international only). Selection day is three 20-30 minute face-to-face stations - there is no separate wri…

Degree awarded	MB BCh BAO	MB BCh
Course length	5 years	4 years (graduate entry)
Teaching style	Traditional / lecture-led + Integrated	Case-based learning
Anatomy teaching	Dissection	-
First patient contact	Year 1	Year 1
Placement geography	Across Northern Ireland	Across Wales
Named placement sites	Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Northern Health and Social Care Trust, South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, Southern Health and Social Care Trust, Western Health and Social Care Trust	-
Intercalation	-	-
Course highlight	-	Unique in Wales, and one of just a handful of similar programmes open to graduates of any discipline.

Interview window	January - February	March
Interview details	MMI format with stations centred around the qualities of a good doctor - for example, "describe a time you have shown resilience" rather than NHS-policy or current-affairs questions.	Two 20-minute panel interviews preceded by a 30-minute written situational judgement assessment. Panels cover personal statement, course-specific motivation and clinical reasoning.

Specialities	Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy	Medicine, Graduate Entry Medicine, Rural Healthcare
Established	1849	2004
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	Less weight on NHS hot topics than most schools. Stronger emphasis on reflective examples of personal qualities. SJT may be used if borderline before or after interview, but in 2025 anyone with 30/42…	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 str…
Official course page	https://www.qub.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/medicine-mb-a100/	https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/medicine/medicine-graduate-entry-mbbch/

Queen's University Belfast (QUB)

Belfast

Quick comparison

Location: Belfast, UK
A-Level offer: A*AA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (or Maths/Physics - see subject rules)
TrueScore: Queen's University Belfast (QUB) TrueScore 1700
UCAT home cut-off: No cut-off published. Queen's ranks applicants on cognitive performance, with the overall UCAT score contributing points alongside GCSE attainment, and invites roughly the top 700 to interview.
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: Good. Queen's states that once you reach interview it anticipates at least a one-in-two chance of an offer, so the hard part is being among the roughly 700 selected.
Decision date: April onwards

Swansea (GEM)

Swansea

Quick comparison

Location: Swansea, UK
A-Level offer: Graduate entry programme - degree required
TrueScore: -
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Assessment Day
Post-interview chance: -
Decision date: Until May

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) vs Swansea (GEM) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) requires A*AA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (or Maths/Physics - see subject rules).

Swansea (GEM) requires Graduate entry programme - degree required.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Queen's University Belfast (QUB): Minimum grade C/4 in GCSE Mathematics, English and Physics (or 4-4 in Double Science) if not offered at AS-level or A-level.

Top 9 GCSEs scored /36: A*/9 = 4 pts, A/7-8 = 3 pts, B/6 = 2 pts, C/4-5 =… Swansea (GEM): No specific GCSE requirements published for graduate-entry MBBCh - academic competence is shown through the degree.

Interview formats

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) 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, Queen's University Belfast (QUB) is the better fit.

Interview windows: Queen's University Belfast (QUB) interviews in January - February; Swansea (GEM) in March.

What makes each distinctive

Queen's University Belfast (QUB): Less weight on NHS hot topics than most schools. Stronger emphasis on reflective examples of personal qualities. SJT may be used if borderline before or after interview, but in 2025 anyone with 30/42 received an interview regardless.

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.

Which is right for you?

Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Queen's University Belfast (QUB) feeds into the Northern Ireland 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.

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. Queen's University Belfast (QUB) guidance: No cut-off published. Queen's ranks applicants on cognitive performance, with the overall UCAT score contributing points alongside GCSE attainment, and invites roughly the top 700 to interview.. Swansea (GEM) guidance: Three routes in: UCAT (min 1900), GAMSAT (min 50 overall AND 50 in Paper 3), or MCAT (min 500, international only). Selection day is three 20-30 minute face-to-face stations - there is no separate written or SJT paper..

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) — Minimum grade C/4 in GCSE Mathematics, English and Physics (or 4-4 in Double Science) if not offered at AS-level or A-level. Top 9 GCSEs scored /36: A*/9 = 4 pts, A/7-8 = 3 pts, B/6 = 2 pts, C/4-5 = 1 pt. GCSEs are 80% of pre-interview score under the 2026 system (UCAT 20%). Swansea (GEM) — No specific GCSE requirements published for graduate-entry MBBCh - academic competence is shown through the degree.

Queen's University Belfast (QUB)'s selection methodology: shortlisting weight not fully disclosed; check the official admissions page. Swansea (GEM)'s selection methodology: GAMSAT-based selection (UCAT alternative for graduate-entry). Strong Welsh/regional focus. 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.

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

Queen's University Belfast (QUB)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Swansea (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.