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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 230-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

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

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
2050
UCAT home cut-off
~2050+/2700 (consider 2050+ minimum threshold with 8+ grade 8/9s and band 1 SJT). 2024 average at interview ≈ 2170+/2700.
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 2050.

The 230-point spread matters: Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) offers slightly more headroom for an average-strong UCAT, while King's College London (KCL) expects performance closer to the national 75th-90th percentile.

Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry): not separately disclosed; King's College London (KCL): Lower thresholds for POLAR/ACORN/IMD-flagged, care-experienced, or KCL WP scheme attendees.. Eligible applicants should weight this heavily when choosing.

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 - 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.

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