Where are Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) and Leeds located, and how does that affect cost?

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) is in Aberdeen, UK. Leeds is in Leeds, 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. Leeds 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 Leeds

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) and Leeds 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 Leeds sits in Leeds (England), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.

Their UCAT thresholds are remarkably close (within ~30 points), so the deciding factors are GCSE weighting, interview format and personal-statement use. Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) is the older institution (founded 1495); the other (founded 1831) 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 Leeds.
Comparison field	Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry)Aberdeen	LeedsLeeds
Quick comparison
Location	Aberdeen, UK	Leeds, UK
A-Level offer	2:1 in biosciences or allied healthcare profession. UK applicants only. A-levels not used.	AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology
TrueScore	Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) TrueScore 1170	Leeds TrueScore 1850
UCAT home cut-off	~1820+ RUK lowest 2023 entry; Scottish ~1560+	~1850+/2700 minimum
Interview format	90-minute MMI; offers made on interview performance only	Five-station MMI (online)
Post-interview chance	Approximately 30 offers from 60 interviews (~50%) for 20 places.	All applicants (2025): 76/547 = 14% headline, but ~25% in reality (the 547 includes Dental Hygiene & Therapy applicants - likely ~400 dentistry interviews for 76 places + waitlist offers).
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 including Chemistry and Biology
Contextual A-Level offer	-	-
Required A-Level subjects	-	Chemistry and Biology both required
A-Level resit policy	Not applicable to graduate entry.	One resit attempt at full A-levels accepted (unless mitigating circumstances allow further). Extenuating circumstances for resit candidates should be highlighted in the reference.
GCSE requirements	No specific GCSE requirements published — competence demonstrated via the degree	Minimum 6 GCSEs (or National 5 at grade B) including English Language, Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology (or Dual Science). 8 grade 8/9s ideal — closer to Cardiff-style profile.
GCSE scoring methodology	-	GCSE forms part of total ranking score alongside achieved/predicted A-levels and UCAT. A high academic score can compensate for a lower UCAT, and vice versa. Personal statement is also scored.
Scottish Highers	-	Option (a) AABBB at Higher (with AA at Advanced Higher in Biology + Chemistry); option (b) AAABB at Higher with A in Chemistry or Biology (plus A at Advanced Higher in the other); or option (c) AAAAAA at Higher including Biology and Chemistry
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	AA at Advanced Higher in Biology and Chemistry (option a); or A at Advanced Higher in Biology or Chemistry (option b combined with Higher specification)
International Baccalaureate	-	35 points overall, including HL 6 in Chemistry and HL 6 in Biology plus a further Higher Level at grade 6. English required at Higher or Standard Level (grade 5 minimum if not at GCSE).
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 in any honours degree. UCAT still required.
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	-	~1670+/2700
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	~1690+/2700
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	No use of SJT in selection	No use of SJT in selection (academic + UCAT + PS scoring)
UCAT notes	UCAT contributes 40% of selection. Personal statement requirements posted on the Aberdeen website.	2024 thresholds were notably higher. Personal statement scored.

Degree awarded	BDS	BChD
Course length	4 years (graduate entry, direct into year 2)	5 years
Teaching style	Integrated	Integrated
Anatomy teaching	-	-
First patient contact	Year 2	Year 1
Placement geography	-	Leeds, Bradford and Hull
Named placement sites	-	Leeds Dental Institute
Intercalation	-	-
Course highlight	Only 20 places are available each year.	Clinical areas covered include restorative dentistry, oral surgery, children’s dentistry, oral radiography and radiology, and oral medicine.

Interview window	Spring	December – 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…	Five-station MMI format, currently virtual. Familiarity with key benefits and challenges of NHS dentistry expected, plus practising ethical scenarios and beyond a dentistry-specific context. Successfu…

Specialities	Graduate Entry Dentistry (BDS)	Dentistry (BDS)
Established	1495	1831
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…	Total score combines UCAT, academic record (achieved/predicted A-levels + GCSEs) and personal statement. Personal statement is also scored, so it is worth tailoring specifically for Leeds.
Official course page	https://www.abdn.ac.uk/dental/study/bds/	https://courses.leeds.ac.uk/course-search/undergraduate-courses?query=dentistry

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

Leeds

Quick comparison

Location: Leeds, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology
TrueScore: Leeds TrueScore 1850
UCAT home cut-off: ~1850+/2700 minimum
Interview format: Five-station MMI (online)
Post-interview chance: All applicants (2025): 76/547 = 14% headline, but ~25% in reality (the 547 includes Dental Hygiene & Therapy applicants - likely ~400 dentistry interviews for 76 places + waitlist offers).
Decision date: March onwards

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) vs Leeds - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry)'s published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 1820, while Leeds sits at approximately 1850.

Their UCAT bars are statistically indistinguishable (within 30 points), so the UCAT is unlikely to be your differentiator between them.

Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry): not separately disclosed; Leeds: ~1670+/2700. 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.

Leeds requires AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry): No specific GCSE requirements published — competence demonstrated via the degree. Leeds: Minimum 6 GCSEs (or National 5 at grade B) including English Language, Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology (or Dual Science). 8 grade 8/9s ideal — closer to Cardiff-style profile. GCSE forms part of…

Interview formats

Both Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) and Leeds 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; Leeds runs five-station mmi (online). Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep.

Interview windows: Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) interviews in Spring; Leeds in December – February.

Curriculum and teaching style

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) runs a PBL curriculum; Leeds runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while Leeds uses a more traditional lecture-led structure.

Specifics: Four-year accelerated graduate-entry BDS. Aberdeen-based with clinical placements across NHS Grampian and remote/rural Scotland. Five-year BChD with integrated science and clinical practice. Clinical placements at Leeds Dental Institute and Yorkshire community sites.

Intake size: Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) — ~30-40 places per year (small graduate-entry cohort).; Leeds — ~80 home + ~10 international places per year for BChD Dentistry.. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Post-interview offer rate

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry): Approximately 30 offers from 60 interviews (~50%) for 20 places. Leeds: All applicants (2025): 76/547 = 14% headline, but ~25% in reality (the 547 includes Dental Hygiene & Therapy applicants - likely ~400 dentistry interviews for 76 places + waitlist offers).

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.

Leeds: Total score combines UCAT, academic record (achieved/predicted A-levels + GCSEs) and personal statement. Personal statement is also scored, so it is worth tailoring specifically for Leeds.

Which is right for you?

Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) feeds into the Scotland foundation programme network; Leeds into the England network. If you learn best in small-group case discussion, prefer Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry); if you prefer lecture-led foundations, the other suits better.

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 Leeds sits at approximately 1850 — a 30-point spread. The spread is small enough that other factors (GCSE weighting, interview score, contextual flags) usually dominate the firm/insurance decision. 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. Leeds uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Five-station MMI (online). The format is the same, so the same prep approach applies — practise ethics frameworks, NHS hot topics, and (for MMI) structured 5-7 minute station answers. Interview windows: Spring (Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry)); December – February (Leeds).

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) requires 2:1 in biosciences or allied healthcare profession. UK applicants only. A-levels not used.. Leeds requires AAA including chemistry and biology. One resit attempt accepted (full A-levels), unless mitigating circumstances. If re-sitting Level 3 qualifications, extenuating circumstances should be highlighted in the reference.. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) — Not applicable to graduate entry.. Leeds — From 2026 entry: one A-Level resit attempt accepted..

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) — No specific GCSE requirements published — competence demonstrated via the degree. Leeds — Minimum 6 GCSEs (or National 5 at grade B) including English Language, Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology (or Dual Science). 8 grade 8/9s ideal — closer to Cardiff-style profile. GCSE forms part of total ranking score alongside achieved/predicted A-levels and UCAT. A high academic score can compensate for a lower UCAT, and vice versa. Personal statement is also scored.

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry)'s selection methodology: UCAT + degree class + interview. Aberdeen's distinctive remote/rural placement strand applies. Leeds's selection methodology: Combined UCAT + GCSE + A-Level prediction score. MMI interview. 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.. Leeds: All applicants (2025): 76/547 = 14% headline, but ~25% in reality (the 547 includes Dental Hygiene & Therapy applicants - likely ~400 dentistry interviews for 76 places + waitlist offers).. 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%.

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) runs a PBL curriculum. Leeds runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) specifics: Four-year accelerated graduate-entry BDS. Aberdeen-based with clinical placements across NHS Grampian and remote/rural Scotland. Leeds specifics: Five-year BChD with integrated science and clinical practice. Clinical placements at Leeds Dental Institute and Yorkshire community sites.

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

LeedsEntry 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 Leeds

Side-by-side comparison

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) vs Leeds - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

A-Level and academic profile

Interview formats

Curriculum and teaching style

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 Leeds?

How do interviews differ between Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) and Leeds?

What A-Level grades do Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) and Leeds require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) vs Leeds?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Which has a higher post-interview offer rate, Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) or Leeds?

Where are Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) and Leeds located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) and Leeds use?

Should I apply to both Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) and Leeds?

Where to go next

Other dental school comparisons