Medical school guide · 2027 entry
Cambridge Medicine
School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge
A six-year traditional course with a pre-clinical science degree, college-based panel interviews and holistic decisions.
Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge Biomedical Campus (home of the Clinical School)
- Course
- A100 · 6 yearsMB BChir (plus BA Hons after Year 3)
- Typical offer
- A*A*A
- Interview
- Panel
- Halls from
- See costs
- Local private rent
- £1,805/mo
- Location
- Cambridge
Preparing for Cambridge
What matters most at Cambridge.
- 01
Interviews are academic and conversational: expect to reason through unfamiliar scientific problems aloud rather than recite prepared answers.
- 02
UCAT has no threshold and the SJT is not used for 2027 entry; colleges weigh the whole application.
- 03
Strong applicants may be pooled to another college, so an initial rejection from your chosen college is not always the end of the process.
Notes by Dr S Farooq, MBChB, BSc (Hons). Checked October 2026.
The interview
The Cambridge medicine interview.
Panel
Format
College interviews (latest published guidance). Subject interviews usually involve two or three interviewers, and every College's interview process includes at least one current practitioner.
Stations and timing
Medicine applicants have at least two interviews (latest published, undated guidance). Across all subjects, most applicants' interviews total 35 minutes to an hour (2027 entry guidance).
In person or online
For 2027 entry, online or in person depending on the College, and sometimes on whether the applicant is in the UK or overseas.
Dates
For 2027 entry, the main interview period is 7-18 December 2026. Winter pool interviews take place in mid-to-late January 2027.
How it counts
Colleges decide offers holistically using the interview, UCAT and the rest of the application. Strong applicants may be placed in the winter pool for other colleges.
What Cambridge assesses
- Scientific competencies
- Applying knowledge to new problems
- Communication and personal qualities
- Motivation, empathy and teamwork
- Resilience and handling ambiguity
- Professional and career awareness
- Ethics and NHS issues
- Critical thinking and enthusiasm
What the tasks involve
- Applying science to unfamiliar problems
- Personal statement discussion
- Why Cambridge and medicine
- Vocational aspects of medicine
- Possible pre-interview reading or task
Preparation advice from Cambridge
Official guidance is free, and the university does not endorse paid preparation. The Key Criteria for Medical Admissions PDF is also available.
The Interview Handbook covers every common question type, with a marking rubric and two full mock interviews.
Entry and UCAT
Getting an interview at Cambridge.
Typical requirements for school leavers. Always check the full requirements on the Cambridge website.
Typical A-level offer
A*A*A (colleges usually require A* in Chemistry)
Required subjects
Chemistry plus one or two of Biology, Physics and Maths.
How the UCAT is used
For 2027 entry, UCAT is required and must be sat by 24 September 2026. Colleges use the overall cognitive subtest score as part of selection for interview, and may also use it when making offers. There is no pass mark or minimum threshold.
Situational judgement (SJT)
The SJT score will not be used for 2027 entry.
Published UCAT scores
No threshold is applied (2027 entry).
GCSEs
No specific GCSE requirements.
Other qualifications
IB 41-42 points with 776 at HL.
Contextual offers
No contextual offer scheme is stated on the course pages. Widening participation programmes include HE+ and Apply: Cambridge.
The course
Studying medicine at Cambridge.
At a glance
- Intake
- About 270 a year (A100, 2025 cycle)
- Teaching
- Traditional: lectures, practicals, College supervisions
- Anatomy
- Full-body dissection
- Intercalation
- Compulsory: Year 3 BA (Hons)
- Main campus
- City-centre sites, then Cambridge Biomedical Campus
League tables weight different things, so the same school can sit in different places. Use them as one input, alongside the course, the selection method and where you would like to live.
Year by year
- Years 1–2Core medical sciences (anatomy with dissection, physiology, pharmacology, neurobiology) in 20–25 teaching hours a week, with Preparing for Patients visits to GP and hospital.
- Year 3Specialist BA year in a Natural Sciences subject or a less related subject such as History of Medicine or Philosophy.
- Year 4Core clinical practice at Addenbrooke's and regional hospitals, ending in Final MB Part I.
- Year 5Specialist clinical practice, including paediatrics and obstetrics, ending in Final MB Part II; optional 7-week placement abroad.
- Year 6Applied clinical practice to prepare for foundation training, with an elective and elective report.
How it is taught
Traditional pre-clinical teaching in Years 1-3 (lectures, practicals and college supervisions), followed by clinical teaching in Years 4-6.
Patient contact
Students start in general practice in Year 1 and move to hospital settings from Year 2. Patient contact is extensive in the clinical years.
Intercalation
Compulsory. The Year 3 specialisation year leads to the BA (Hons).
Placements
Cambridge Biomedical Campus and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, plus regional hospitals and GP practices across the East of England.
Distinctive features
- Full-body dissection
- Collegiate system with small-group supervisions
- Progression to clinical school requires the 2nd MB exams and honours standing in Year 3
How you are assessed
Written and practical exams each pre-clinical year, with few resits except professional exams. Clinical years use single best answer papers and OSCEs at Final MB Parts I–III, plus supervisor-assessed portfolios.
Elective
An elective with a written report assessed in Year 6; a separate optional 7-week placement abroad in Year 5 costs about £3,000.
Main teaching hospitals
- Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge
- Peterborough City Hospital
- Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon
- West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds
- Ipswich Hospital
- Lister Hospital, Stevenage
Placements and travel
Clinical students do specialty placements at one of seven partner trusts across the East of England, including Bedford and King's Lynn. The School pays for accommodation near placement hospitals and placement travel; students cover subsistence.
Student life
Living in Cambridge as a medic.
Where you will live, the societies and sport on offer, and how you will get around. Prices and dates change, so check the linked pages.
The city
Cambridge is a compact city with a small-town feel; most University buildings are in or near the centre and students mostly walk or cycle.
Accommodation
No separate application: Colleges guarantee accommodation for 3 or 4 years for students without children. Contracts run about 27 to 39 weeks, and the indicative cost is £880 a month (2027-28).
Students' union
Sport and gyms
The University of Cambridge Sports Centre offers a student membership at £35 a month or £350 a year (2026). Colleges also have their own sports grounds and inter-College leagues.
Getting around
The Universal ('U') bus links University sites. Cambridge is about 60 miles from London, with direct trains to Stansted and Gatwick.
Support for medics
Each College provides a personal tutor and welfare support, alongside University Student Support Services. In clinical years, junior doctors give weekly small-group clinical supervisions.
Cars and parking
Students in residence need a University Motor Licence from the Proctors to keep a car within 10 miles of Great St Mary's Church, and undergraduates are normally eligible only after nine terms of residence or with exceptional circumstances; a licence is not a parking permit. In practice most preclinical medics walk or cycle.
Food and essentials
The city centre has most high-street chains plus Market Square stalls selling food and clothing, and Mill Road on the edge of the centre has a mix of shops, cafés and restaurants.
Going out
Social life centres on Colleges, with Newnham College's guide naming Ballare (formerly Cindies) as the best-loved student club alongside The Fez, Vinyl, Lola Lo and The Junction; Cambridge holds Purple Flag status for its night-time economy.
Costs and living
Cambridge medicine fees and living costs.
Fees, university accommodation and local private rents, from official sources.
University halls
See the universityEach college sets its own rents, so prices vary. The University's indicative accommodation cost is £880 a month for 2027-28, and the minimum college contract length is 27 to 39 weeks (2025-26).
Accommodation pricesRoom in a private house (university estimate)
About £880 a month for accommodation (University indicative cost, 2027-28); most students live in college
University cost guideLocal rent, whole homes (ONS)
£1,805/mo£1,805 per month, Cambridge, ONS Price Index of Private Rents (21 Oct 2026 release, Sept 2026 data)
Average for a whole home of any size; a room in a shared house costs much less.
Home tuition fee
£10,050 per year (2027/28 entry; may rise in later years with government uplift)
International tuition fee
£70,554 per year (2027/28 entry, fixed for the course) plus a separate College fee that varies by College
Fees sourceBursaries and funding
The Cambridge Bursary gives up to £3,500 a year to eligible UK students on their first degree, with no separate application. English students can apply for the NHS Bursary from Year 5.
Other routes in
Graduate, gateway and international routes.
Graduate entry
MB BChir Medicine (Graduate Course) · A101 · 4 years. 2:1 or above in any subject, plus A-level Chemistry (A) and one of Biology/Physics/Maths at A or AS level; offer A*A*A (or ABB with a First). Test: UCAT (overall cognitive score only; SJT not used; no minimum). Places: Cambridge publishes outcomes rather than a fixed quota: 28 students accepted, with around 6 applications per place (2025 cycle).
Gateway or foundation
No gateway or foundation route listed for 2027.
International applicants
Accepts international applicants. International places: 22 (2027 entry).
A100 course page lists 'Overseas fee status places: 22'. UCAT required (2027 entry: cognitive subtests only; SJT not used).
Places
22 overseas fee-status places a year; 270 applicants accepted in the 2025 cycle
Applications, interviews and offers
In the 2025 cycle there were 6 applications per place and 270 accepted applicants.
FAQs
Cambridge medicine FAQs.
What are the entry requirements for Cambridge medicine?
For 2027 entry, the typical offer is A*A*A, and colleges usually require the A* in Chemistry. You need Chemistry plus one or two of Biology (or Human Biology), Physics, Maths and Further Maths, depending on the College; the course page lists no GCSE requirements.
What UCAT score do you need for Cambridge medicine?
For 2027 entry, Cambridge requires the UCAT, sat by 24 September 2026, but has no pass mark or threshold. Colleges use the overall cognitive score to help decide interviews, and the SJT is not used.
What is the Cambridge medicine interview like?
Cambridge holds College interviews, usually with two or three interviewers, not MMIs. Medicine applicants have at least two interviews (latest published guidance), online or in person depending on the College (2027 entry).
When are Cambridge medicine interviews for 2027 entry?
For 2027 entry, the main interview period is 7-18 December 2026, and winter pool interviews take place in mid-to-late January 2027.
How does Cambridge decide medicine offers?
Colleges decide offers holistically using the interview, UCAT and the rest of the application. Strong applicants may be placed in the winter pool for other colleges (2027 entry guidance).
How long is the Cambridge medicine course?
Six years, leading to the MB BChir, with a BA (Hons) awarded after Year 3 (2027 entry course page).
Sources
Official sources.
Checked in October 2026 for 2027 entry. Requirements and dates change each cycle, so always confirm on the Cambridge website before applying.
Official links
Open days: University Open Days are in July 2027, with booking opening in mid-March 2027; a Colleges Open Day follows in September 2027. Check dates
Show 18 sources
- undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/medicine-mb-bchir
- undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/how/medicine-admission-test
- undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/how/admission-tests
- undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/after/cambridge-interviews
- undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/files/publications/key_criteria_for_medical_admiss
- medschools.ac.uk/courses/university-of-cambridge-mb-bchir-medicine-a100
- undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/fees-funding/living-costs
- undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/medicine-graduate-course-mb-bchir
- undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/fees-funding/living-costs
- undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/fees-funding/tuition-fees
- undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/student-life/city-life
- undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/student-life/sport-societies
- undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/student-life/support
- cambridgestudents.cam.ac.uk/cambridge-bursary
- undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/events/open-days
- undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/fees-funding/living-costs
- ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/datasets/priceindexofprivaterentsukm
- undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/international-students/international-fees-and-cost
Photo: Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge Biomedical Campus (home of the Clinical School), Rob Johnson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Vetta Education is independent and not affiliated with Cambridge or any university. No offer, interview or admission outcome is guaranteed.
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