Imperial's graduate entry MBBS is delivered entirely in Cumbria, for home students with a bioscience or allied healthcare degree, and its interview asks what you would bring to the region.
By Dr Akash Gandhi · Last checked: 22 September 2026
Imperial graduate entry medicine is the four-year MBBS Medicine (Graduate Entry), UCAS code A102, taught at the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine in Carlisle, and you need home fee status, a 2:1 or above in a biosciences or allied healthcare degree, and a GAMSAT or UCAT score that meets Imperial's minimum threshold.
Imperial College London has no graduate entry medicine course in London: its London MBBS (A100) is a six-year course, and Imperial states that the graduate course is located entirely in Cumbria. The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine is a partnership between Imperial and the University of Cumbria, and successful students graduate with an MBBS awarded by Imperial.
Pears Cumbria shortlists by admissions test score and interviews by multiple mini interview, where applicants are assessed on their understanding of and interest in improving health outcomes for the people of Cumbria. There are no GCSE or A-level requirements.
If you search for Imperial graduate entry medicine, this is the course you will find. Imperial's Faculty of Medicine lists two MBBS routes: the six-year MBBS/BSc Medicine (A100) in London, and a graduate course run with the University of Cumbria. Imperial states that the graduate degree is for home students only and is located entirely in Cumbria.
| Course | UCAS code | Length | Where | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medicine MBBS/BSc | A100 | 6 years | London (Charing Cross and South Kensington) | Undergraduate entry |
| Medicine (Graduate Entry) MBBS | A102 | 4 years | Carlisle and across Cumbria | Graduates with home fee status |
The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine is a partnership between Imperial College London and the University of Cumbria, supported by the Pears Foundation. It was formally launched in November 2023, and the graduate programme opened in 2025 with a planned first cohort of 58 students. The programme was created with regional NHS partners, and you graduate with an MBBS awarded by Imperial College London. Imperial has not published the number of places for 2027 entry.
Source: Imperial College London Faculty of Medicine, Medicine (MBBS) programmes (no year stated); Imperial College London, Imperial and Cumbria partnership page (2025 launch (forward-looking)); Imperial College London, Medicine MBBS/BSc (A100) course page (2027 entry); Imperial College London, Medicine (Graduate Entry) MBBS course page (2027 entry (applications per place stated for 2025))
Pears Cumbria asks for a 2:1 or above in a biosciences or allied healthcare degree. It publishes a list of example subjects and says the list is not exhaustive. If your degree title is not listed, or was awarded outside the UK, Imperial asks you to contact the admissions team before applying.
| Examples listed by Imperial | More examples listed by Imperial |
|---|---|
| Anatomy / Anatomical Science | Nursing |
| Biochemistry | Midwifery |
| Bioengineering | Physiotherapy |
| Biology | Paramedic Practice / Science |
| Biomedical / Healthcare Science | Pharmacy |
| Cell and / or Molecular Biology | Radiography |
| Genetics | Dietetics and Nutrition |
| Microbiology | Occupational Therapy / Health |
| Neuroscience | Health and Social Care |
| Pharmacology | Public Health |
| Physiology | Dentistry |
| Psychology | Sports Science / Rehabilitation |
| Veterinary Science / Medicine |
If your degree falls outside biosciences and allied healthcare, courses that accept any degree subject are compared in our graduate entry medicine hub.
Source: Imperial College London, Medicine (Graduate Entry) MBBS course page (2027 entry (applications per place stated for 2025))
Which test suits you depends on your degree, your timeline and your other choices. We tutor both, and a free call is enough to work out which one to sit.
Apply through UCAS by 15 October 2026
Home fee status applicants add A102 (institution code I50) by 18:00 UK time on 15 October 2026.
Test scores reach the admissions team in November
Your GAMSAT must be taken within the two years before your UCAS submission, and your UCAT in the same year as your UCAS submission. Applicants who do not apply for the correct sitting by the required date are not considered.
Ranked on test score
Applicants who meet or are predicted to meet the academic requirement are ranked and shortlisted for interview according to their admissions test scores.
Multiple mini interviews
Interviewers are staff and students with admissions experience, and their decisions are ratified by the admissions tutors.
| Test | Home applicants | Contextual applicants |
|---|---|---|
| UCAT (out of 2700) | 1960 | 1910 |
| GAMSAT | 59 | 53 |
These are last cycle's cut-offs, and 2027 thresholds are unpublished
The figures above apply to 2025/26 applications only. Imperial has not published its thresholds for 2027 entry.
Applicants who meet Imperial's contextual admissions criteria need a lower minimum score. The Medical Schools Council entry lists criteria such as being a care leaver, a home postcode in England's most deprived quintile, current or past eligibility for free school meals, or a POLAR4 quintile 1 or 2 postcode combined with a second indicator such as being first in your family to attend university. Check Imperial's admissions schemes page for the full rules before relying on the contextual threshold. If UCAT is your route, our UCAT tutoring page covers preparation.
Source: Imperial College London, Medicine (Graduate Entry) MBBS course page (2027 entry (applications per place stated for 2025)); Medical Schools Council, Pears Cumbria MBBS Medicine Graduate Entry (A102) (Start date September 2027; cut-offs for 2025/26 applications); UCAS, 2027 entry deadline for most courses in medicine (2027 entry)
Imperial says its multiple mini interviews may be conducted in a blended format with in-person interviews. It has not published a station count or dates for 2027 entry. The MMI stations assess six areas:
You do not need to live in Cumbria, but you do need to know about it
Admissions are open to home students from anywhere in the UK. During the MMI, though, candidates are assessed on their understanding of and interest in improving health outcomes for the people of Cumbria. Reading about health and healthcare in Cumbria before your interview can help you speak to this.
Imperial strongly recommends work experience with service users, and assesses it at interview together with your personal statement. It lists the criteria that may be considered: degree classification, GAMSAT or UCAT scores, commitment to the values of the NHS Constitution, motivation and understanding of medicine, community activities, leadership and teamwork, extracurricular interests and the referee's report. For station practice, see our interview coaching.
Source: Imperial College London, Medicine (Graduate Entry) MBBS course page (2027 entry (applications per place stated for 2025))
The programme is based at the University of Cumbria's Fusehill Street Campus, a 10-minute walk from Carlisle city centre, where you study alongside students on other courses. From early in Year 1 you go on clinical placements and simulation across North and South Cumbria, in community, primary and secondary care and mental health settings. Imperial warns that this may mean travel and temporary accommodation.
| Year | Focus |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | Medical Sciences 1, Clinical Skills and Professional Practice 1, Prevention and Healthcare Delivery 1; early placements and simulation |
| Year 2 | Medical sciences for patients with multiple long-term conditions; more primary and secondary care placements; a group project on health and healthcare delivery |
| Year 3 | Clinical placements across the region in a range of specialties, community and secondary care |
| Year 4 | Preparation for the Medical Licensing Assessment, a pre-foundation assistantship in a local clinical team, and an elective in the UK or abroad |
Source: Imperial College London, Medicine (Graduate Entry) MBBS course page (2027 entry (applications per place stated for 2025))
Imperial expects the home fee for 2027 entry to be £10,050 a year, in line with the government fee cap and subject to parliamentary approval; the page marks the figure as to be confirmed. Home students can take a Tuition Fee Loan and a means-tested Maintenance Loan.
Imperial has introduced an Imperial Bursary for students on this course. From 2026 entry, MBBS students in their clinical years receive additional bursary funding, and for graduate entry students at Pears Cumbria the clinical years are years 2, 3 and 4, compared with years 5 and 6 on the London course.
Source: Imperial College London, Medicine (Graduate Entry) MBBS course page (2027 entry (applications per place stated for 2025))
15 October 2026, 18:00
UCAS deadline for A102
Imperial College London, Medicine (Graduate Entry) MBBS course page (2027 entry (applications per place stated for 2025))
November 2026
GAMSAT and UCAT results made available to the admissions team
Imperial College London, Medicine (Graduate Entry) MBBS course page (2027 entry (applications per place stated for 2025))
After shortlisting
Multiple mini interviews; 2027 dates not published
Imperial College London, Medicine (Graduate Entry) MBBS course page (2027 entry (applications per place stated for 2025))
September 2027
Course starts in Carlisle
Imperial College London, Medicine (Graduate Entry) MBBS course page (2027 entry (applications per place stated for 2025))
Manchester GEM
Another north-west option that also limits entry to life sciences and health professions degrees.
ScotGEM GEM
Another graduate course built around regional placements, in its case rural Highland and Dumfries and Galloway.
St George's GEM
A London graduate entry course, for applicants who want to stay in the capital.
See every UK course side by side in the graduate entry medicine comparison table, or read the full Pears Cumbria medical school profile for the five-year course, rankings and admissions statistics.
Graduate entry guides
Help with a graduate application
Practise in the format this school uses, with mock MMI and panel interviews and written feedback after every session.
Yes, but only in Cumbria. Imperial's graduate entry MBBS (A102) is taught at the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine in Carlisle, and Imperial's London MBBS (A100) is a six-year course.
Graduates of the Cumbria course receive an MBBS awarded by Imperial College London.
Usually not. Pears Cumbria requires a 2:1 or above in a biosciences or allied healthcare degree. Its example list includes psychology, public health, health and social care and sports science, and it asks applicants with an unlisted degree to contact admissions.
Imperial has not published a 2027 threshold. For 2025/26 applications the Medical Schools Council reported a UCAT cut-off of 1960 for home applicants and 1910 for contextual applicants.
The UCAT must be taken in the same year as your UCAS application.
For 2025/26 applications the reported GAMSAT cut-off was 59, or 53 for contextual applicants. The GAMSAT must be taken within the two years before your UCAS submission, and 2027 thresholds are not published.
No. Admissions are open to home students from across the UK, but the MMI assesses your understanding of and interest in improving health outcomes for the people of Cumbria.
No. The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine currently accepts applications only from students who are home students for fee purposes.
No. The course has no GCSE or A-level requirements; selection rests on your degree, your admissions test score and the MMI.
Last checked: 22 September 2026. Universities update entry requirements during the cycle, so confirm on Pears Cumbria's own pages before you apply.
Photo: University of Cumbria, Brampton Road, Carlisle by Tom Edwards, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.
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