How do interviews differ between Surrey (GEM) and UCL?

Surrey (GEM) uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). UCL uses Multiple Mini Interviews: MMI (Home), Traditional (International). 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 (Surrey (GEM)); December - March (UCL).

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

Surrey (GEM) requires Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject. UCL requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Surrey (GEM) — Not applicable to graduate entry.. UCL — A-Level resits not accepted..

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

Surrey (GEM) is in Guildford, UK. UCL is in London, 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?

Surrey (GEM) typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. UCL releases medicine decisions Decisions are made after all the Interviews have been completed. 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.

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Medical school comparison

Surrey (GEM) vs UCL

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

Surrey (GEM) — GCSE Maths and English at grade C/5 or above. UCL — Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE English Language and Mathematics. No score or assessment of other GCSEs. GCSE resits accepted. Used only as minimum threshold (Eng + Maths grade 6/B). Other GCSEs not scored or assessed.

Surrey (GEM) and UCL are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Surrey (GEM) is based in Guildford (England) while UCL sits in London (London), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.

UCL is the older institution (founded 1826); the other (founded 2024) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Surrey (GEM) and UCL.
Comparison field	Surrey (GEM)Guildford	UCLLondon
Quick comparison
Location	Guildford, UK	London, UK
A-Level offer	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject	AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) with the A in Chemistry or Biology
TrueScore	1700GEM	2120
UCAT home cut-off	-	~2100+ /2700 (2025 entry cut-off ≈ 2100, first UCAT cycle replacing BMAT)
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	MMI (Home), Traditional (International)
Post-interview chance	-	Home Fee Status (2024): 562/1032 = 54%; Contextual (2025): 58%; International (2023): 55/131 = 42%
Decision date	March onwards	Decisions are made after all the Interviews have been completed

A-Level offer	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject	AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) with the A in Chemistry or Biology
Contextual A-Level offer	-	AAB at A-level for Access UCL contextual applicants - Biology and Chemistry both at grade A
Required A-Level subjects	-	Chemistry and Biology both required
A-Level resit policy	Not applicable to graduate entry.	Resits not accepted
GCSE requirements	GCSE Maths and English at grade C/5 or above	Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE English Language and Mathematics. No score or assessment of other GCSEs. GCSE resits accepted.
GCSE scoring methodology	-	Used only as minimum threshold (Eng + Maths grade 6/B). Other GCSEs not scored or assessed.
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	-	39 points overall, 19 at Higher Level - including HL 7,6,6 with HL Chemistry and HL Biology
Graduate-entry degree requirement	Minimum 2:1 UK honours degree (or equivalent) in any subject - all disciplines are given equal consideration.	Graduate applicants accepted on the standard 6-year MBBS BSc - typically holding 2:1 or above with required A-level Chemistry and Biology
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	-	~1950+ /2700 (Access UCL - 2025 cut-off ≈ 1950)
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	-	~2300+ /2700 (2025 cut-off ≈ 2295)
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	-	Only used where candidates are on the same UCAT score
UCAT notes	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.	2024/25 was UCL's first cycle using UCAT (replacing BMAT). Wholly UCAT-based shortlisting. SJT only for tie-breaks. Personal statement not used in shortlisting.

Interview window	December - March	December - March
Interview details	MMI format with multiple stations assessing communication, ethical reasoning and problem-solving.	Eight-station MMI run online, with one station serving as a five-minute rest. Stations are conversational and probe motivation, real-world medical and social issues, communication skills and your scie…

Specialities	Medicine, Healthcare Technology, Clinical Practice	Medicine, Medical Sciences, Global Health
Established	2024	1826
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	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…	Cut-offs differ from Imperial - UCL's home threshold is lower while its international threshold is higher, partly because UCL holds more interviews relative to offers. SJT is only used as a tie-breake…
Official course page	https://www.surrey.ac.uk/undergraduate/medicine-graduate-entry	https://www.ucl.ac.uk/study/prospective-students/undergraduate/courses/medicine-mbbs-bsc

Surrey (GEM)

Guildford

Quick comparison

Location: Guildford, UK
A-Level offer: Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any subject
TrueScore: 1700GEM
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: -
Decision date: March onwards

UCL

London

Quick comparison

Location: London, UK
A-Level offer: A*AA at A-level (offer and prediction) with the A* in Chemistry or Biology
TrueScore: 2120
UCAT home cut-off: ~2100+ /2700 (2025 entry cut-off ≈ 2100, first UCAT cycle replacing BMAT)
Interview format: MMI (Home), Traditional (International)
Post-interview chance: Home Fee Status (2024): 562/1032 = 54%; Contextual (2025): 58%; International (2023): 55/131 = 42%
Decision date: Decisions are made after all the Interviews have been completed

Compare different schools

Surrey (GEM) vs UCL - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

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

UCL requires A*AA at A-level (offer and prediction) with the A* in Chemistry or Biology.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Surrey (GEM): GCSE Maths and English at grade C/5 or above. UCL: Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE English Language and Mathematics. No score or assessment of other GCSEs. GCSE resits accepted. Used only as minimum threshold (Eng + Maths grade 6/B). Other GCSEs not scored…

Interview formats

Both Surrey (GEM) and UCL 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.

That said, the specifics differ slightly: Surrey (GEM) runs multiple mini interviews (mmi); UCL runs mmi (home), traditional (international). Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep.

Interview windows: Surrey (GEM) interviews in December - March; UCL in December - March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Surrey (GEM) runs a PBL curriculum; UCL runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Surrey (GEM) leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while UCL uses a more traditional lecture-led structure.

Specifics: Four-year accelerated graduate-entry MBChB. Surrey-based with South-East NHS placements. Six-year MBBS BSc with compulsory intercalated BSc in Year 3. Clinical placements at UCL-affiliated NHS sites including UCLH, Royal Free, and Whitting

Intake size: Surrey (GEM) — ~30-50 places per year (small newer cohort).; UCL — ~310 home + ~24 overseas fee status places per year.. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

What makes each distinctive

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.

UCL: Cut-offs differ from Imperial - UCL's home threshold is lower while its international threshold is higher, partly because UCL holds more interviews relative to offers. SJT is only used as a tie-breaker between equally scored candidates.

Which is right for you?

Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Surrey (GEM) feeds into the England foundation programme network; UCL into the London network. If you learn best in small-group case discussion, prefer Surrey (GEM); if you prefer lecture-led foundations, the other suits better.

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. 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.. UCL guidance: ~2100+ /2700 (2025 entry cut-off ≈ 2100, first UCAT cycle replacing BMAT).

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. UCL's selection methodology: Beyond minimum academic requirements, shortlisting is wholly by UCAT total score. Higher post-interview offer rate (more interviews relative to offers) than Imperial. 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.

Surrey (GEM) runs a PBL curriculum. UCL runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Surrey (GEM) specifics: Four-year accelerated graduate-entry MBChB. Surrey-based with South-East NHS placements. UCL specifics: Six-year MBBS BSc with compulsory intercalated BSc in Year 3. Clinical placements at UCL-affiliated NHS sites including UCLH, Royal Free, and Whittington.

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

Surrey (GEM)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in full UCLEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

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School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 7 September 2026.