Dental school comparison

Aston Dental School vs King's College London (KCL)

Aston Dental School and King's College London (KCL) are both UK dental schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Aston Dental School is based in Birmingham (England) while King's College London (KCL) sits in London (London), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination. The interview formats diverge — MMI vs Panel — and the prep approaches for the two are fundamentally different. King's College London (KCL) is the older institution (founded 1829); the other (founded 2022) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

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Aston Dental School

Birmingham

King's College London (KCL)

London

Location

Birmingham, UK

London, UK

A-Level offer

A*AA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology

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.

UCAT home cut-off

UCAT cognitive subtests used for shortlisting; no fixed cut-off published

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

Interview format

Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)

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

February - April

March onwards

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Aston Dental School vs King's College London (KCL) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Aston Dental School requires A*AA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology. 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.. Both demand the same A-Level grade band, so academic prediction is unlikely to differentiate your application between them — provided you meet the required subject combination at each.

Interview formats

Aston Dental School uses MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)); 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, Aston Dental School is the better fit. Interview windows: Aston Dental School interviews in December - February; King's College London (KCL) in January – February.

What makes each distinctive

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. 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?

Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Aston Dental School feeds into the England 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

What UCAT score do I need for Aston Dental School vs King's College London (KCL)?+

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. Aston Dental School guidance: UCAT cognitive subtests used for shortlisting; no fixed cut-off published. King's College London (KCL) guidance: ~2050+/2700 (consider 2050+ minimum threshold with 8+ grade 8/9s and band 1 SJT). 2024 average at interview ≈ 2170+/2700..

How do interviews differ between Aston Dental School and King's College London (KCL)?+

Aston Dental School uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). 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: December - February (Aston Dental School); January – February (King's College London (KCL)).

What A-Level grades do Aston Dental School and King's College London (KCL) require?+

Aston Dental School requires A*AA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology. 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.

Where are Aston Dental School and King's College London (KCL) located, and how does that affect cost?+

Aston Dental School is in Birmingham, UK. King's College London (KCL) is in London, UK. Tuition is £9,250/year at both for UK home applicants; the main cost difference is accommodation (London accommodation typically runs 30-50% above the national average).

When does each school release decisions?+

Aston Dental School typically releases dentistry decisions February - April. 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.

Should I apply to both Aston Dental School and King's College London (KCL)?+

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.