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

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

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

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) is the older institution (founded 1495); the other (founded 1903) 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 Liverpool.
Comparison field	Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry)Aberdeen	LiverpoolLiverpool
Quick comparison
Location	Aberdeen, UK	Liverpool, UK
A-Level offer	2:1 in biosciences or allied healthcare profession. UK applicants only. A-levels not used.	AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry and Biology — all three subjects taken at first sitting after two years of study
TrueScore	Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) TrueScore 1170	Liverpool TrueScore 1800
UCAT home cut-off	~1820+ RUK lowest 2023 entry; Scottish ~1560+	-
Interview format	90-minute MMI; offers made on interview performance only	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), online
Post-interview chance	Approximately 30 offers from 60 interviews (~50%) for 20 places.	Non-widening participation (2024): 89/402 = 22%.
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 (offer and prediction) including Chemistry and Biology — all three subjects taken at first sitting after two years of study
Contextual A-Level offer	-	Up to a two-grade reduction in entry requirements for eligible contextual / widening-participation applicants (ABB equivalent — assessed via personal circumstances)
Required A-Level subjects	-	Chemistry and Biology both required
A-Level resit policy	Not applicable to graduate entry.	A-level resits not normally accepted. Only considered for applicants who narrowly fail academic criteria due to significant extenuating circumstances — would not consider an applicant who achieved less than BBB.
GCSE requirements	No specific GCSE requirements published — competence demonstrated via the degree	Minimum 8 GCSEs including at least 5 subjects at grade 7/A and 3 at grade 6/B. Grade 6/B required in English Language, Mathematics and Science (dual science or Biology). GCSE requirements must be in place at the time of application — no pending grades accepted.
GCSE scoring methodology	-	Used only as minimum threshold beyond meeting the floor — UCAT + SJT + non-academic information form drive the ranking
Scottish Highers	-	AAAAA at Higher including Chemistry and Biology
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	AA at Advanced Higher including Chemistry and Biology
International Baccalaureate	-	36 points overall, 666 at Higher Level including Chemistry and Biology
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.	-
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	-
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	No use of SJT in selection	Band 4 automatically rejected. Band 1 or 2 ideal.
UCAT notes	UCAT contributes 40% of selection. Personal statement requirements posted on the Aberdeen website.	Liverpool School of Dentistry states it has NO set UCAT cut-off. Scores are considered alongside the non-academic information form and academic attainment, so no threshold should be inferred or estima…

Degree awarded	BDS	BDS
Course length	4 years (graduate entry, direct into year 2)	5 years
Teaching style	Integrated	Enquiry-based learning
Anatomy teaching	-	-
First patient contact	Year 2	Year 1
Placement geography	-	Liverpool and Merseyside
Named placement sites	-	Aintree University Hospital (oral and maxillofacial surgery), Alder Hey Children's Hospital (paediatric dentistry)
Intercalation	-	-
Course highlight	Only 20 places are available each year.	Students share a three-year Collaborative Learning Core with dental therapy students.

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…	Long MMI lasting over an hour with 10–12 stations. Format demands quick thinking and ability to adapt, as each new station is a fresh scenario. Sample questions: "How would you explain the importance…

Specialities	Graduate Entry Dentistry (BDS)	Dentistry (BDS)
Established	1495	1903
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…	No set UCAT cut-off - UCAT considered alongside non-academic information form (sent shortly after UCAS deadline, 2 weeks to complete). SJT band 4 is automatically rejected.
Official course page	https://www.abdn.ac.uk/dental/study/bds/	https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/courses/2026/dental-surgery-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

Liverpool

Quick comparison

Location: Liverpool, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry and Biology — all three subjects taken at first sitting after two years of study
TrueScore: Liverpool TrueScore 1800
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), online
Post-interview chance: Non-widening participation (2024): 89/402 = 22%.
Decision date: March onwards

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) vs Liverpool - 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.

Liverpool requires AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry and Biology — all three subjects taken at first sitting after two years of study.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry): No specific GCSE requirements published — competence demonstrated via the degree. Liverpool: Minimum 8 GCSEs including at least 5 subjects at grade 7/A and 3 at grade 6/B. Grade 6/B required in English Language, Mathematics and Science (dual science or Biology). GCSE requirements must be in…

Interview formats

Both Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) and Liverpool 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; Liverpool runs multiple mini interviews (mmi), online. Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep.

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

Curriculum and teaching style

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) runs a PBL curriculum; Liverpool runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while Liverpool 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 BDS. Clinical placements at Liverpool University Dental Hospital and Cheshire & Merseyside community sites.

Intake size: Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) — ~30-40 places per year (small graduate-entry cohort).; Liverpool — ~75 home + ~15 international places per year for BDS 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. Liverpool: Non-widening participation (2024): 89/402 = 22%.

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.

Liverpool: No set UCAT cut-off - UCAT considered alongside non-academic information form (sent shortly after UCAS deadline, 2 weeks to complete). SJT band 4 is automatically rejected.

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; Liverpool 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

Neither school publishes a single fixed UCAT cut-off; both use UCAT as part of a composite shortlisting score alongside GCSE and personal-statement weighting. Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) guidance: ~1820+ RUK lowest 2023 entry; Scottish ~1560+. Liverpool guidance: Liverpool School of Dentistry states it has NO set UCAT cut-off. Scores are considered alongside the non-academic information form and academic attainment, so no threshold should be inferred or estimated..

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) uses Multiple Mini Interviews: 90-minute MMI; offers made on interview performance only. Liverpool uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (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 (Liverpool).

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) requires 2:1 in biosciences or allied healthcare profession. UK applicants only. A-levels not used.. Liverpool requires AAA prediction and offer. Must include biology and chemistry, all 3 subjects taken in one sitting. Contextual: ABB offer. A-level resits not normally accepted.. 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.. Liverpool — Resits accepted with explanation..

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) — No specific GCSE requirements published — competence demonstrated via the degree. Liverpool — Minimum 8 GCSEs including at least 5 subjects at grade 7/A and 3 at grade 6/B. Grade 6/B required in English Language, Mathematics and Science (dual science or Biology). GCSE requirements must be in place at the time of application — no pending grades accepted. Used only as minimum threshold beyond meeting the floor — UCAT + SJT + non-academic information form drive the ranking

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry)'s selection methodology: UCAT + degree class + interview. Aberdeen's distinctive remote/rural placement strand applies. Liverpool's selection methodology: GCSE attainment plus UCAT, considered together with the non-academic information form, then MMI. There is no UCAT cut-off to clear - only the GCSE minimum operates as a hard gate. 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.. Liverpool: Non-widening participation (2024): 89/402 = 22%.. 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. Liverpool 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. Liverpool specifics: Five-year BDS. Clinical placements at Liverpool University Dental Hospital and Cheshire & Merseyside 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

LiverpoolEntry 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 Liverpool

Side-by-side comparison

Aberdeen (Graduate Dentistry) vs Liverpool - in detail

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 Liverpool?

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

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

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

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

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

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

When does each school release decisions?

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

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

Where to go next

Other dental school comparisons