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UK Medicine · 2027 Entry
Pears Cumbria (GEM) Medical School2027 Entry Requirements & Interview Format
Location Carlisle, UKEstablished 2023Interviews (2027 entry) December 2026 - March 2027Decisions (2027 entry) March 2027 onwards
Photo: Tom Edwards · Public domain · cropped
Photo: Tilman2007 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Tilman2007 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Schminnte · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Full guide
How to get into Pears Cumbria (GEM) medicine
Step-by-step: entry requirements, UCAT prep, personal statement, interview format and the key deadlines.
Open the guide →Interview guide
Prepare for the Pears Cumbria (GEM) interview
Format breakdown, school-specific sample questions, FAQs and prep tips from tutors who interviewed here.
Read the guide →The course
What the Pears Cumbria (GEM) medicine course is like
Integrated, 4 years (graduate entry), placements across North and south Cumbria.
See the course →Overview
About Pears Cumbria (GEM)
Home-fee applicants only. Home-fee applicants only (all UK nations qualify); there is no international route.
Pears Cumbria is a four-year graduate-entry MBBS (A102) awarded by Imperial College London and taught in Carlisle, built around rural and community healthcare and the regional workforce shortage.
What makes Pears Cumbria (GEM) different
The only medicine route in Carlisle, and graduate-entry only — there is no school-leaver course here. Restricted to home-fee applicants holding a 2:1 in biosciences or allied healthcare, with the MBBS awarded by Imperial College London.
Pears Cumbria (GEM) course & teaching
PBL curriculum. Four-year accelerated graduate-entry programme. Imperial College London partner. Clinical placements across Cumbria NHS sites (UHMBT, North Cumbria Integrated Care).
Pears Cumbria (GEM) research strengths
Pears Cumbria (GEM) is strong in these research areas:
- Rural & remote medicine
- Population health
- Primary care research
Intercalation at Pears Cumbria (GEM)
Not standard (4-year accelerated graduate-entry).
How the Pears Cumbria (GEM) interview runs
Format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Graduate-entry MMI format with stations focused on clinical reasoning, ethics, communication and motivation for rural and community healthcare.
Pears Cumbria (GEM) intake
~58 places per year. Imperial reported an 11:1 applications-to-places ratio for 2025.
Pears Cumbria (GEM) at a glance
Founded in 2023. Based in Carlisle.
Programmes offered:
- Medicine
- Rural Healthcare
- Community Medicine
TrueScore
Predicted UCAT for Pears Cumbria (GEM)
TrueScore
What is TrueScore?
A data-driven estimate of the UCAT score you'll likely need to be invited to interview at Pears Cumbria (GEM) for 2027 entry entry — based on its published cut-offs and recent admissions data. Treat it as a target to aim past, not a guarantee.
- Graduate1700
Pears Cumbria (GEM)'s graduate-tier TrueScore is 1700. Build a week-by-week UCAT plan that works back from your test date — free for the first two weeks.
Entry requirements
What you need to apply to Pears Cumbria (GEM)
A-Level requirements
Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in a biosciences or allied healthcare degree
GCSE requirements
GCSE English Language and Mathematics at minimum grade 4/C - assessed alongside degree
Graduate-entry degree requirement
2:1 (Upper-second-class Honours) or above in a biosciences or allied healthcare degree — e.g. anatomy, biochemistry, biomedical science, biology, nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy, paramedic science, pharmacy, dentistry or veterinary science. NOT open to any-discipline graduates.
Alternative qualifications
Graduate-entry only, home fee status required (international applicants are not eligible). UCAT or GAMSAT accepted — the applicant chooses one; MCAT is not accepted. MBBS awarded by Imperial College London and taught at the University of Cumbria Fusehill Street campus, Carlisle.
UCAT Selection at Pears Cumbria (GEM)
UCAT or GAMSAT — the applicant chooses one; MCAT is NOT accepted. Both are minimum-threshold hurdles rather than ranked scores. The UCAT must be sat in the same year as the UCAS submission; the GAMSAT within the two years before it.
Specialities offered
Medicine, Rural Healthcare, Community Medicine
Interview
How Pears Cumbria (GEM) interviews applicants
Format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Interview window (2027 entry)
December 2026 - March 2027
Decision date (2027 entry)
March 2027 onwards
Tutor insight
Check the degree-subject gate first — this is not an any-discipline graduate course. You need a 2:1 in biosciences or allied healthcare (nursing, physiotherapy, pharmacy, paramedic science, biomedical science and similar), and it is open to home-fee applicants only. If you clear those, the admission test is a pass/fail hurdle rather than a ranked score, so there is no advantage in a very high UCAT — put the effort into the MMI and into speaking credibly about rural and community healthcare, which is the whole point of the school.
Practice
Practise for your Pears Cumbria (GEM) interview
PrometheusQuestion Bank621 medicine questions inside
Interview questions matched to Pears Cumbria (GEM)
Two questions our tutors flagged as a strong fit for Pears Cumbria (GEM)’s interview style. Try answering them out loud, then open Prometheus for the model answers and follow-up tips.
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Apply to Pears Cumbria (GEM) with confidence
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UCAT Tutoring
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Learn moreInterview preparation
Practise the Multiple Mini Interviews format with students who interviewed at Pears Cumbria (GEM).
Learn morePersonal statement help
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Learn moreSources
Where Pears Cumbria (GEM)'s figures come from
Checked field-by-field against University of Cumbria - Pears Medical School's official course page in our August 2026 source review.
FAQ
Pears Cumbria (GEM) — frequently asked questions
Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in a biosciences or allied healthcare degree
Apply to Pears Cumbria (GEM) with confidence
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