A100 MB BChir · 2027 entry · home applicants
Cambridge medicine entry requirements
Cambridge is the holistic outlier: no UCAT cut-off, no formula. Colleges read the whole application by hand, interview about 80% of applicants — twice each — and the interview decides. A solid pre-interview profile gets you in the room; the interview wins or loses the place.
The requirements
Source: Cambridge’s published entry requirements and FOI responses.
How Cambridge actually selects
There is no points table. Applicants are assessed on academic record (GCSEs in school context + predicted grades + statement) plus UCAT, and Cambridge interviews about 80% of applicants — every one at least twice, traditional panel format, in December. The College then makes a holistic decision combining everything; strong applicants missed by their first College are reconsidered through the Winter Pool. Only ~26% of home interviewees are offered, so the interview is the filter.
| Signal | Offer-holders | Field / applicants |
|---|---|---|
| UCAT /2700 (2026) | ~2348 | ~2195 median |
| Predicted A-levels | A*A*A* (96%) | A*A*A+ |
| GCSE grade-9s | ~8 | ~7 |
| Interview /10 | ~7.6 | — |
Offer-holder benchmarks from FOI responses and feedback letters. Offer-holders are stronger on every pre-interview metric — you can see the interview filter in the gap.
First sitting only
A-level resits are not accepted at Cambridge — the grades must come from your first sitting (disruption-to-studies cases aside). And you cannot apply at all if you have failed or been excluded from another medical school.
So what are your actual odds?
Because there is no cut-off, the honest answer is a probability, not a verdict. The offer rate climbs steeply with UCAT — from near-zero at the bottom of the field to most-likely at the top — and your GCSE set and prediction shift the curve. We’ve built that curve from the FOI data:
Interview and offers
Every applicant gets at least two College interviews, each panel including at least one practising medic, scored out of 10 — offer-holders typically average about 7.6/10. The decision combines academic record, UCAT and interview holistically; about 26% of home interviewees receive an offer (roughly 20% of all applicants, ~6 per place). There is no structured contextual offer, but context is weighed individually — offers do go to applicants with modest GCSE profiles from weaker schools.
Cambridge medicine FAQs
What UCAT score do I need for Cambridge medicine?
There is no UCAT cut-off and no formula — the UCAT is the main shortlisting signal, used to rank within a holistic read, not as a threshold. Offer-holders for 2026 entry averaged about 2348/2700, against a field median around 2195. The offer rate climbs steeply with UCAT, but the interview decides — what each score is actually worth in offer probability is what our tool models.
What A-level grades does Cambridge require?
A*A*A, with the A* usually required in Chemistry. You must take Chemistry plus one or two further subjects from Biology, Physics, Maths or Further Maths — the exact mix varies by College. 82% of entrants achieve A*A*A*, and most offer-holders are predicted A*A*A*, so an A*A*A prediction is competitive only with an exceptional UCAT and interview.
Do GCSEs matter for Cambridge medicine?
There is no formal GCSE minimum, but your GCSE profile is weighed holistically — offer-holders average roughly 8 grade-9s against a field average of ~7. Crucially, GCSEs are read in your school's context: a strong set from a weaker school carries as much weight as a stronger set from a top selective.
Does Cambridge accept A-level resits?
No — first sitting only. Extenuating circumstances are considered case-by-case through Cambridge's disruption-to-studies process. You also cannot apply if you have failed or been excluded from another medical school.
Does my College choice affect my chances?
No — pick on fit, not strategy. The Winter Pool levels out differences between Colleges: strong applicants not offered by their first College are reconsidered by others. The SJT is not used at any stage, and there is no structured contextual offer — context is weighed individually instead.
Also free: the UCAT score calculator, decile guide and lowest-requirements guide.
Cambridge is one school. Your UCAS form has four lines.
EDGU scores your full profile against every UK medical school’s own selection system — Cambridge’s probability curve, the UCAT-ranked schools, the points-table ones — and shows where you’d actually get an interview.
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