Where are Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) and King's College London (KCL) located, and how does that affect cost?

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) is in Aberdeen, UK. King's College London (KCL) is in London, UK. Scottish-domiciled applicants funded by SAAS pay no tuition fees at Scottish medical schools — a substantial funding advantage worth tens of thousands of pounds over the degree. Rest-of-UK applicants still pay £9,250/year.

When does each school release decisions?

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) typically releases dentistry decisions Spring. King's College London (KCL) releases dentistry decisions March onwards. If one is earlier than the other, you may need to hold a decision while waiting for the second school — be ready to compare in real time.

Dental school comparison

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) vs King's College London (KCL)

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) and King's College London (KCL) 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 King's College London (KCL) sits in London (London), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.

On UCAT alone there is roughly a 1780-point gap between them — a substantial difference that should shape which you list as firm choice vs. insurance. The interview formats diverge — MMI vs Panel — and the prep approaches for the two are fundamentally different.

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) is the older institution (founded 1495); the other (founded 1829) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) and King's College London (KCL).
Comparison field	Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry)Aberdeen	King's College London (KCL)London
Quick comparison
Location	Aberdeen, UK	London, UK
A-Level offer	2:1 in biosciences or allied healthcare profession. UK applicants only. A-levels not used.	AAA at A-level — A in Biology or Chemistry, plus A in another of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology
TrueScore	Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) TrueScore 1170	King's College London (KCL) TrueScore 2050
UCAT home cut-off	~1820+ RUK lowest 2023 entry; Scottish ~1560+	No threshold published. King's does not release its dentistry UCAT cut-off, and its published admissions statistics run on the retired /3600 scale, so they cannot be restated on the current /2700 one.
Interview format	90-minute MMI; offers made on interview performance only	Two-interviewer panel, remote (no longer 6-station MMI)
Post-interview chance	Approximately 30 offers from 60 interviews (~50%) for 20 places.	Non-contextual home students without degree: 98/171 = 57% (2025). Overall 2025: 175/350 = 50%.
Decision date	Spring	March onwards

A-Level offer	2:1 in biosciences or allied healthcare profession. UK applicants only. A-levels not used.	AAA at A-level — A in Biology or Chemistry, plus A in another of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology
Contextual A-Level offer	-	-
Required A-Level subjects	-	Biology or Chemistry at grade A*, plus another of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology at grade A
A-Level resit policy	Not applicable to graduate entry.	Resits accepted for applicants resitting their Level 3 qualifications for the first time. Second resits only with mitigating circumstances.
GCSE requirements	No specific GCSE requirements published — competence demonstrated via the degree	Minimum grade 6/B (National 5 grade B or Intermediate 2 / Standard Credit Grade 1 or 2) in Mathematics and English Language. 8+ grade 8/9s typically required to be competitive.
GCSE scoring methodology	-	GCSE = ~40% of pre-interview score: 8+ grade 8/9s = 40/40, 7s = 30, 6s = 20, 5s = 10. A grades may be counted as A* for applicants from lower-performing schools.
Scottish Highers	-	Three Scottish Highers in combination with two Advanced Highers (no subject counted at both Higher and Advanced Higher levels)
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	A at Advanced Higher Biology or Chemistry, plus A at an additional Advanced Higher in one of Biology / Chemistry / Mathematics / Physics / Psychology
International Baccalaureate	-	38 points overall (including TOK/EE), with HL 6 in Chemistry or Biology, plus HL 6 in one of Biology / Chemistry / Mathematics / Physics / Psychology. Either Maths Analysis & Approaches or Applications & Interpretation accepted.
Graduate-entry degree requirement	2:1 (Upper-second-class Honours) or above in Biosciences or an Allied Healthcare Profession (Nursing, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, etc.). Predicted grades acceptable for current-year graduates.	2:1 (Upper-second-class Honours) or above. An accelerated 4-year Graduate/Professional Entry Dentistry programme is available. The lowest UCAT invited that King's has published for this route (2,330 for 2024 entry) was measured on the retired /3600 four-subtest test and has no equivalent on the current /2700 scale.
Alternative qualifications	UK applicants only — international students not accepted. UCAT contributes 40% of pre-interview ranking; degree class 60%. A-levels not used in graduate ranking.	-

Contextual cut-off	-	-
Scottish (where applicable)	~1560+ lowest score to receive interview (2023 entry)	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	~1820+ lowest score to receive interview (2023 entry)	-
International cut-off	UK applicants only - international students not accepted	A target of around 15 overseas places.
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	No use of SJT in selection	Band 1 ideal; band 4 appears to be automatically rejected. SJT contributes ~5% of scoring.
UCAT notes	UCAT contributes 40% of selection. Personal statement requirements posted on the Aberdeen website.	King's has declined to publish the exact weightings it applies. Any precise UCAT/GCSE/SJT formula quoted for King's dentistry is inferred from Freedom of Information responses rather than published po…

Degree awarded	BDS	BDS
Course length	4 years (graduate entry, direct into year 2)	5 years
Teaching style	Integrated	Integrated
Anatomy teaching	-	-
First patient contact	Year 2	-
Placement geography	-	London
Named placement sites	-	Guy's Hospital, St Thomas' Hospital, King's College Hospital
Intercalation	-	Opportunity to intercalate a BSc.
Course highlight	Only 20 places are available each year.	The largest dental school in the UK, graduating around 150 dentists a year.

Interview window	Spring	January – February
Interview details	90-minute MMI interview. Once you reach interview, performance alone determines your offer - academic attainment determines who is invited, but the interview score determines who is accepted. Highly c…	Two-interviewer panel format conducted remotely. Tests communication skills while exploring general health-related social and ethical issues. Many questions overlap with the SJT-style scenarios. Build…

Specialities	Graduate Entry Dentistry (BDS)	Dentistry (BDS), Graduate Entry Dentistry (4-year), Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (3-year, post-FY2)
Established	1495	1829
Course type	Graduate Entry	Undergraduate
What makes it different	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 candi…	Combined scoring: ~45% UCAT + 5% SJT + 40% GCSE + 10% contextual factors (FOI-derived; subject to change). 8+ grade 8/9s at GCSE typically required. SJT band 4 appears to be automatically rejected. Al…
Official course page	https://www.abdn.ac.uk/dental/study/bds/	https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/dentistry-bds

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: Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) 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

King's College London (KCL)

London

Quick comparison

Location: London, UK
A-Level offer: A*AA at A-level — A* in Biology or Chemistry, plus A in another of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology
TrueScore: King's College London (KCL) TrueScore 2050
UCAT home cut-off: No threshold published. King's does not release its dentistry UCAT cut-off, and its published admissions statistics run on the retired /3600 scale, so they cannot be restated on the current /2700 one.
Interview format: Two-interviewer panel, remote (no longer 6-station MMI)
Post-interview chance: Non-contextual home students without degree: 98/171 = 57% (2025). Overall 2025: 175/350 = 50%.
Decision date: March onwards

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) vs King's College London (KCL) - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry)'s published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 1820, while King's College London (KCL) sits at approximately 3600.

That's a 1780-point gap — large enough to put the two schools in completely different competitiveness tiers. An applicant scoring in the 2400-3000 band would be competitive at Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) but borderline at King's College London (KCL).

A-Level and academic profile

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) requires 2:1 in biosciences or allied healthcare profession. UK applicants only. A-levels not used.

King's College London (KCL) requires A*AA at A-level — A* in Biology or Chemistry, plus A in another of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry): No specific GCSE requirements published — competence demonstrated via the degree. King's College London (KCL): Minimum grade 6/B (National 5 grade B or Intermediate 2 / Standard Credit Grade 1 or 2) in Mathematics and English Language. 8+ grade 8/9s typically required to be competitive. GCSE = ~40% of…

Interview formats

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) uses MMI (90-minute MMI; offers made on interview performance only); King's College London (KCL) uses Panel (Two-interviewer panel, remote (no longer 6-station MMI)). These two formats reward different skills — MMI emphasises breadth, station-recovery and structured answers under time pressure, while Panel rewards depth and consistency.

If your strengths lie in conversational depth, King's College London (KCL) may suit you more. If you prefer discrete capsule answers under time pressure, Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) is the better fit.

Interview windows: Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) interviews in Spring; King's College London (KCL) in January – February.

Post-interview offer rate

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry): Approximately 30 offers from 60 interviews (~50%) for 20 places. King's College London (KCL): Non-contextual home students without degree: 98/171 = 57% (2025). Overall 2025: 175/350 = 50%.

Post-interview odds give you the clearest signal of how competitive each school is at the final stage — a school with a 60% post-interview success rate is structurally easier to convert than one at 25%, even if the interview thresholds look identical on paper.

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.

King's College London (KCL): Combined scoring: ~45% UCAT + 5% SJT + 40% GCSE + 10% contextual factors (FOI-derived; subject to change). 8+ grade 8/9s at GCSE typically required. SJT band 4 appears to be automatically rejected. Also runs a 4-year and 3-year graduate-entry programme (see Graduate Entry section).

Which is right for you?

If your UCAT lands below the UK median (~1880/2700), Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) is the more realistic firm-choice 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; King's College London (KCL) into the London 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.

Common questions

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry)'s typical home cut-off is around 1820, while King's College London (KCL) sits at approximately 3600 — a 1780-point spread. That's a meaningful gap; Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) is materially more accessible for an average-to-good UCAT, while King's College London (KCL) expects performance closer to the top -33% of test-takers. Cut-offs change year on year and vary by tier — check each school's latest published threshold before submitting your UCAS form.

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) uses Multiple Mini Interviews: 90-minute MMI; offers made on interview performance only. King's College London (KCL) uses Panel interview: Two-interviewer panel, remote (no longer 6-station MMI). The two formats reward different skill sets. Plan separate prep streams for each, with at least 3 full mock interviews per format before sitting either. Interview windows: Spring (Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry)); January – February (King's College London (KCL)).

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) requires 2:1 in biosciences or allied healthcare profession. UK applicants only. A-levels not used.. King's College London (KCL) requires A*AA - A* in biology or chemistry, plus A in another of biology/chemistry/physics/maths/psychology. Resit considered for first-time L3 resitters. Second resits only with mitigating circumstances.. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school.

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) — No specific GCSE requirements published — competence demonstrated via the degree. King's College London (KCL) — Minimum grade 6/B (National 5 grade B or Intermediate 2 / Standard Credit Grade 1 or 2) in Mathematics and English Language. 8+ grade 8/9s typically required to be competitive. GCSE = ~40% of pre-interview score: 8+ grade 8/9s = 40/40, 7s = 30, 6s = 20, 5s = 10. A grades may be counted as A* for applicants from lower-performing schools.

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry)'s selection methodology: UCAT + degree class + interview. Aberdeen's distinctive remote/rural placement strand applies. King's College London (KCL)'s selection methodology: shortlisting weight not fully disclosed; check the official admissions page. Understanding each school's exact algorithm is the single highest-leverage piece of pre-application research — it tells you whether your profile is competitive before you spend an application choice.

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry): Approximately 30 offers from 60 interviews (~50%) for 20 places.. King's College London (KCL): Non-contextual home students without degree: 98/171 = 57% (2025). Overall 2025: 175/350 = 50%.. Post-interview odds tell you how competitive each school is at the final stage. Two schools with similar UCAT thresholds can have very different post-interview rates — a school with a 60% post-interview success rate is structurally easier to convert than one at 25%.

You can — UCAS allows 4 medicine/dentistry choices in total, so listing both is feasible if your profile fits each school's selection algorithm. Apply to both only if your UCAT, GCSE and predicted-grade profile is competitive against each school's published weighting. A common mistake is using two of your four slots on similar schools when a more spread-out portfolio (one safe + one stretch) would maximise overall offer probability.

Where to go next

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

King's College London (KCL)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Other dental school comparisons

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 19 September 2026.

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) vs King's College London (KCL)

Side-by-side comparison

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) vs King's College London (KCL) - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

A-Level and academic profile

Interview formats

Post-interview offer rate

What makes each distinctive

Which is right for you?

Common questions

What UCAT score do I need for Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) vs King's College London (KCL)?

How do interviews differ between Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) and King's College London (KCL)?

What A-Level grades do Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) and King's College London (KCL) require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) vs King's College London (KCL)?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Which has a higher post-interview offer rate, Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) or King's College London (KCL)?

Where are Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) and King's College London (KCL) located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

Should I apply to both Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) and King's College London (KCL)?

Where to go next

Other dental school comparisons