Medical school guide · 2027 entry
Lancaster Medicine
Lancaster Medical School, Lancaster University
An integrated MBChB that invites to interview on UCAT rank alone, with an online MMI deciding offers.
Health Innovation Campus, Lancaster University
- Course
- A100 · 5 yearsMBChB
- Typical offer
- AAA
- Interview
- MMI
- Halls from
- £138/wk
- Local private rent
- £830/mo
- Location
- Lancaster
Preparing for Lancaster
What matters most at Lancaster.
- 01
Interview invitations depend only on UCAT ranking, once academic requirements are met.
- 02
Offers go to the highest total MMI scores, with a reserve list.
- 03
Interviews for 2027 entry are online via Microsoft Teams in January and February, so set up a quiet space and test your connection in advance.
Notes by Dr S Farooq, MBChB, BSc (Hons). Checked October 2026.
The interview
The Lancaster medicine interview.
MMI
Format
MMI (2027 entry).
Stations and timing
For 2027 entry: several stations, most five minutes long: short interviews, read or watch then discuss, communication and group-work tasks. Detailed information is sent a week before the interview.
In person or online
Online via Microsoft Teams (2027 entry). No applicant is offered a place without an interview.
Dates
For 2027 entry, MMIs are usually held in January and February, with at least two weeks' notice of your date; outcomes are normally given by the end of March.
How it counts
Applicants are ranked by overall MMI score (the sum of station scores). Offers go to the highest scorers, and a reserve list is used.
What Lancaster assesses
- Skills, values and attributes for medicine
- Background and experiences
- Reasons for applying
- Fitness to practise (GMC requirements)
What the tasks involve
- Motivation and career choice
- Work experience reflection
- Read or watch, then discuss
- Communication skills
- Group work
Preparation advice from Lancaster
The personal statement (unscored) is framed as preparation for interview questions; virtual work experience is considered as valuable as shadowing.
Six complimentary mock MMIs with reading time, timed answers and marking points, written by a doctor.
Entry and UCAT
Getting an interview at Lancaster.
Typical requirements for school leavers. Always check the full requirements on the Lancaster website.
Typical A-level offer
AAA (predicted AAB or above accepted); or AAB plus EPQ, a fourth AS-level or a fourth A-level at B
Required subjects
Two of Biology, Chemistry or Psychology; three A-levels at one sitting; only one of Maths or Further Maths counts
How the UCAT is used
Applicants meeting the academic requirements are ranked by overall UCAT score, and interview invitations are based on this ranking (SJT Band 4 is not considered, and contextual information is used for borderline WP applicants) (latest published guidance, undated).
Situational judgement (SJT)
For 2027 entry Lancaster expects to select from the top 7 UCAT deciles with SJT Band 1–3 (A104: top 8 deciles, Band 1–4).
Published UCAT scores
2026 entry interview cut-offs: 1920 (UK non-contextual), 1870 (UK contextual), 1900 (overseas), 1870 (A104). Some applicants up to 10 points below were invited from a borderline pool.
GCSEs
Eight GCSEs scoring at least 13 points (7-9 = 2, 6 = 1), with 6/B in Maths, English Language, Biology, Chemistry and Physics (or Combined Science); Biology and Chemistry at 7/A if not taken at A-level.
Other qualifications
IB 36 with three HL subjects at 6 or above, including two of Biology, Chemistry and Psychology.
Contextual offers
Contextually lowered offer of ABB for applicants meeting WP criteria (one of care experienced or refugee, or two or more of, for example, low-participation or deprived area, low-income household); lower UCAT threshold for borderline WP applicants; Lancaster Access to Medicine programme.
The course
Studying medicine at Lancaster.
At a glance
- Intake
- 130 Home and 4 international places (2027 entry)
- Teaching
- Integrated, systems-based, small-group
- Anatomy
- Anatomy teaching with Anatomage digital tables
- Intercalation
- Optional between Years 4 and 5
- Main campus
- Health Innovation Campus, Lancaster University
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
- Year 1Foundation Block to bridge from A-levels, then body systems through lectures, small groups and clinical skills at the Health Innovation Campus; simulated patients.
- Year 2More body systems with clinical placements linked to what you have just studied.
- Year 3Mainly learning on placement, with university teaching weeks and a four-week research module.
- Year 4Placements and teaching weeks; final exams including the MLA at the end of the year.
- Year 5Assistantship-style placements that mirror a new doctor's role, assessed by portfolio, plus a four-week elective.
How it is taught
Integrated, systems-based curriculum with small-group interactive teaching, case-based learning, workshops, clinical skills and simulation. Problem-based learning (PBL) is also listed, and the curriculum is being refreshed.
Patient contact
Simulated patients from Year 1; real patients on placement from Year 2.
Intercalation
Encouraged; taken between Years 4 and 5 (Bachelor's or Master's).
Placements
From Year 2, 70+ health and care organisations across Lancashire, Cumbria and North Yorkshire (rural GP practices, urban hospitals and coastal communities).
Distinctive features
- Anatomage virtual dissection tables and ultrasound in the Clinical Anatomy Learning Centre
- All MLA components completed in Year 4 (no formal Year 5 finals)
- Four-week self-arranged, self-funded elective in the UK or abroad
- Values-led curriculum (social justice, inclusion, sustainability)
How you are assessed
Written exams and clinical exams including OSCEs in Years 1–4, with finals and the MLA at the end of Year 4. Year 5 is assessed through an online portfolio and reviews with a clinical education supervisor.
Elective
Four-week elective in the UK or abroad, self-arranged and self-funded, around the end of Year 4 and Year 5.
Placements and travel
Placements run across 70+ providers in Lancashire, Cumbria and North Yorkshire, including rural and coastal areas. Students pay their own travel and placement accommodation costs, mostly within Lancashire and South Cumbria.
Student life
Living in Lancaster 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
Lancaster is a small historic city. The university is a collegiate campus at Bailrigg, just south of the city, and every student belongs to a college.
Accommodation
Full-time first years are guaranteed a campus room if Lancaster is their firm choice and they apply before 5 August. Most first years live on campus in their college.
Medical society
Students' union
Medic societies and clubs
- Wilderness and Emergency Medicine Society
- MedTech Society
Sport and gyms
Sport Lancaster on campus has three fitness suites, a pool and climbing. A 12-month student Peak membership is £371.20, or £184.50 off-peak (current price list).
Getting around
Up to 14 buses an hour link campus and Lancaster city centre (service 1/1A every 10 minutes), and buses 4/4X run from Lancaster station, on the West Coast Main Line, in about 25 minutes.
Support for medics
Each student has an academic tutor from the start and a peer mentor from an older year during welcome week, plus support through their college.
Cars and parking
Student permits are mainly for the Alexandra Park car park and campus residents only qualify in set categories, such as course activity or work that public transport cannot reasonably reach; an annual permit costs £173 in 2026/27 (£67.20 a term, £45.15 a month, free for Blue Badge holders). Year 2 placements are with the Morecambe Bay, Blackpool and East Lancashire trusts, and you should ask the medical school how placement travel works before assuming you need a car.
Food and essentials
There is a SPAR at the heart of campus with a deli counter and fresh food, plus outlets such as Wong's Oriental Market and Sultan's; the large Sainsbury's for weekly shops is in Lancaster city centre.
Going out
LUSU runs The Sugarhouse, the biggest nightclub in Lancaster (Sugar House Alley, city centre, students only), and each college has its own bar.
Costs and living
Lancaster medicine fees and living costs.
Fees, university accommodation and local private rents, from official sources.
University halls
From £138/wk£138.88–£278.05 per week (2026/27, campus colleges); contracts generally 40 weeks (catered 39 or 40)
Accommodation pricesLocal rent, whole homes (ONS)
£830/mo£830 per month, Lancaster, ONS Price Index of Private Rents (Sept 2026 data, published 21 Oct 2026)
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)
Bursaries and funding
English students can apply for the NHS Bursary from Year 5 (Years 5 and 6 if intercalating). Lancaster considers applicants automatically for its main scholarships and bursaries.
Other routes in
Graduate, gateway and international routes.
Graduate entry
Lancaster does not run a separate graduate-entry course for 2027. Graduates can usually apply to the standard course. See graduate-entry courses
Gateway or foundation
Medicine and Surgery with a Gateway Year (A104), 6 years: for UK applicants meeting WP criteria (care experienced/refugee, or two or more others) with no prior degree or Access qualification; typical BBB (predicted ABB-BBC) including Biology and Chemistry.
International applicants
Accepts international applicants. International places: 4 (2027 entry).
2027 admissions policy: A100 has 130 home and 4 international places. A104 Gateway Year is home only (up to 15).
Places
130 Home and 4 International places on A100, plus up to 15 on the A104 Gateway Year (2027 entry). In 2026, 132 Home and 3 International students enrolled on A100.
Applications, interviews and offers
2026 entry (UK, A100): 959 applications, 669 interview places, 451 offers, 132 enrolled. International: 77 applications, 25 interviews, 11 offers, 3 enrolled.
FAQs
Lancaster medicine FAQs.
What are the entry requirements for Lancaster medicine?
For 2027 entry, the typical offer is AAA (predicted AAB or above accepted), with two of Biology, Chemistry or Psychology among three A-levels studied at the same time. Eight GCSEs must score at least 13 points, with 6/B in Maths, English Language, Biology, Chemistry and Physics (or Combined Science).
What UCAT score do you need for Lancaster medicine?
Applicants meeting the academic requirements are ranked by overall UCAT score, and interview invitations are based on this ranking. For 2026 entry the cut-off was 1920 for UK non-contextual and 1870 for UK contextual applicants.
What is the Lancaster MMI like?
For 2027 entry, Lancaster runs an online MMI via Microsoft Teams with several stations, most five minutes long: short interviews, read or watch then discuss, and communication and group-work tasks. MMIs are held in January and February.
How does Lancaster decide medicine offers?
Applicants are ranked by overall MMI score and offers go to the highest scorers, with a reserve list. No applicant is offered a place without an interview (2027 entry).
What SJT band do you need for Lancaster medicine?
For 2027 entry Lancaster expects to select from the top 7 UCAT deciles with SJT Band 1-3.
How many places does Lancaster medicine have?
130 home and 4 international A100 places, plus up to 15 on the A104 Gateway Year (2027 entry).
Sources
Official sources.
Checked in October 2026 for 2027 entry. Requirements and dates change each cycle, so always confirm on the Lancaster website before applying.
Open days: Next undergraduate open days are in June and July 2027; register on the open days page to be told when dates are confirmed. Check dates
Show 20 sources
- lancaster.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/medicine-and-surgery-mbchb-a100/2027
- lancaster.ac.uk/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/documents/medical-scho
- lancaster.ac.uk/lms/medicine-and-surgery/how-to-apply
- lancaster.ac.uk/lms/medicine-and-surgery/how-to-apply/medicine-and-surgery
- lancaster.ac.uk/lms/medicine-and-surgery/how-to-apply/medicine-and-surgery-with-
- lancaster.ac.uk/lms/medicine/mbchb-medicine-and-surgery/entry-requirements
- medschools.ac.uk/courses/lancaster-medicine-a100
- lancaster.ac.uk/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/documents/medical-scho
- lancaster.ac.uk/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/documents/fhm/lms/lms-
- lancaster.ac.uk/lms/medicine-and-surgery/admissions-data
- lancaster.ac.uk/accommodation/undergraduate/frequently-asked-questions
- lancaster.ac.uk/sport/news/a-freshers-guide-to-sport-lancaster-1
- lancaster.ac.uk/about-us/maps-and-travel
- lancaster.ac.uk/study/open-days/undergraduate-open-days
- lancastersu.co.uk/groups/lancaster-university-medical-society-lancaster-medsoc
- lancastersu.co.uk/groups/wilderness-and-emergency-medicine-society
- lancastersu.co.uk/groups/medtech-society-acd2
- lancaster.ac.uk/accommodation/undergraduate
- ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/datasets/priceindexofprivaterentsukm
- lancaster.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/medicine-and-surgery-mbchb-a100/2027
Photo: Health Innovation Campus, Lancaster University, shikari (geograph.org.uk), CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Vetta Education is independent and not affiliated with Lancaster or any university. No offer, interview or admission outcome is guaranteed.
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