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Dental school comparison

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) vs Aston Dental School

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) and Aston Dental School are both UK dental schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) is based in Aberdeen (Scotland) while Aston Dental School sits in Birmingham (England), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination. Their A-Level requirements (2:1 vs A*AA) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers. Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) is the older institution (founded 1495); the other (founded 2022) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry)

Aberdeen

Quick comparison

Location
Aberdeen, UK
A-Level offer
2:1 in biosciences or allied healthcare profession. UK applicants only. A-levels not used.
TrueScore
1170
UCAT home cut-off
~1820+ RUK lowest 2023 entry; Scottish ~1560+
Interview format
90-minute MMI; offers made on interview performance only
Post-interview chance
Approximately 30 offers from 60 interviews (~50%) for 20 places.
Decision date
Spring

Aston Dental School

Birmingham

Quick comparison

Location
Birmingham, UK
A-Level offer
A*AA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (A* in Chemistry or Biology)
TrueScore
-
UCAT home cut-off
UCAT cognitive subtests used for shortlisting; no fixed cut-off published
Interview format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance
-
Decision date
February - April
Compare different schools

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) vs Aston Dental School - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) requires 2:1 in biosciences or allied healthcare profession. UK applicants only. A-levels not used.. Aston Dental School requires A*AA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology. Aston Dental School is the stricter A-Level offer; Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

Interview formats

Both Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) and Aston Dental School use MMI interviews, so the underlying prep approach is the same — practise ethics frameworks, NHS hot-topic answers and (for MMI) structured station responses against a timer. That said, the specifics differ slightly: Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) runs 90-minute mmi; offers made on interview performance only; Aston Dental School runs multiple mini interviews (mmi). Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep. Interview windows: Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) interviews in Spring; Aston Dental School in December - February.

What makes each distinctive

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry): Academic attainment weighted 60% (predicted/achieved degree result), UCAT 40%. A-levels not used. UK applicants only. ~60 candidates interviewed; ~30 offers made for 20 places - ~7 offers to RUK candidates. Aston Dental School: One of the newest UK dental schools, with a small cohort and a distinctive dexterity-reflection station rare among UK BDS interviews. UCAT cognitive subtests primary shortlisting tool.

Which is right for you?

For applicants with predicted A-Level grades at the lower end of the AAA-A*AA range, Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) is the lower-risk academic option. Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) feeds into the Scotland foundation programme network; Aston Dental School into the England network. Your firm/insurance choice should ultimately weight: where your UCAT and predicted grades sit relative to each school's threshold, which interview format you can prepare for most credibly, and where you'd actually want to live for five years.

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