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

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) is in Belfast, 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?

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) typically releases medicine decisions April 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

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

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

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

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and Warwick (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 Warwick (GEM) sits in Coventry (England), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) is the older institution (founded 1849); the other (founded 2000) 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 Warwick (GEM).
Comparison field	Queen's University Belfast (QUB)Belfast	Warwick (GEM)Coventry
Quick comparison
Location	Belfast, UK	Coventry, UK
A-Level offer	A*AA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (or Maths/Physics - see subject rules)	Graduate entry only - minimum 2:1 honours degree. Warwick runs no undergraduate (A100) route.
TrueScore	Queen's University Belfast (QUB) TrueScore 1700	Warwick (GEM) TrueScore 2150intl
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)	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	January onwards

A-Level offer	A*AA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (or Maths/Physics - see subject rules)	Graduate entry only - minimum 2:1 honours degree. Warwick runs no undergraduate (A100) route.
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 - degree class is the academic measure.
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 - applicant academic competence shown through 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	-	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	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…	Graduate entry only. UCAT used to rank graduate applicants. SJT considered.

Degree awarded	MB BCh BAO	MB ChB
Course length	5 years	4 years (graduate entry)
Teaching style	Traditional / lecture-led + Integrated	Integrated
Anatomy teaching	Dissection	Plastinated specimens
First patient contact	Year 1	-
Placement geography	Across Northern Ireland	Coventry and Warwickshire
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	University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, Warwick Hospital, George Eliot Hospital, Alexandra Hospital
Intercalation	-	-
Course highlight	-	The UK’s largest graduate-entry medical programme, with around 203 graduates a year.

Interview window	January - February	December
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.	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, Pharmacy	Medicine, Graduate Entry Medicine, Medical Research
Established	1849	2000
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 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.qub.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/medicine-mb-a100/	https://warwick.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/courses/mbchb-medicine/

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

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

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) vs Warwick (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).

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

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

Interview formats

Both Queen's University Belfast (QUB) 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: Queen's University Belfast (QUB) interviews in January - February; Warwick (GEM) in December.

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.

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?

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

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) 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: January - February (Queen's University Belfast (QUB)); December (Warwick (GEM)).

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

Queen's University Belfast (QUB)'s selection methodology: shortlisting weight not fully disclosed; check the official admissions page. 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.

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

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.

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

Side-by-side comparison

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

A-Level and academic profile

Interview formats

What makes each distinctive

Which is right for you?

Common questions

What UCAT score do I need for Queen's University Belfast (QUB) vs Warwick (GEM)?

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

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

How are GCSEs weighted at Queen's University Belfast (QUB) vs Warwick (GEM)?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

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

When does each school release decisions?

Should I apply to both Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and Warwick (GEM)?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons