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Dental school comparison

Aston Dental School vs Queen's University Belfast

Aston Dental School and Queen's University Belfast 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 Queen's University Belfast sits in Belfast (Northern Ireland), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination. Their A-Level requirements (A*AA vs AAA) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers. Queen's University Belfast is the older institution (founded 1845); the other (founded 2022) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Aston Dental School

Birmingham

Quick comparison

Location
Birmingham, UK
A-Level offer
A*AA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (A* in Chemistry or Biology)
TrueScore
-
UCAT home cut-off
UCAT cognitive subtests used for shortlisting; no fixed cut-off published
Interview format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance
-
Decision date
February - April

Queen's University Belfast

Belfast

Quick comparison

Location
Belfast, UK
A-Level offer
AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (or Human Biology)
TrueScore
1750
UCAT home cut-off
School-leaver threshold 36+ points (out of 42) for 2025; 38, 37 needed in 2024, 2023 - translates approx to 5×9s + 4×8s + ~1850+/2700 UCAT. Equivalent ~36/45 also gets in 2026 cycle.
Interview format
MMI / panel format
Post-interview chance
All applicants (2024): 87/204 = 43%.
Decision date
March onwards
Compare different schools

Aston Dental School vs Queen's University Belfast - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Aston Dental School requires A*AA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology. Queen's University Belfast requires AAA including chemistry and biology/human biology. Resit: only those who applied to QUB Dentistry on first attempt and held an offer (if made) as conditional firm - then awarded 36/36 on academics.. Aston Dental School is the stricter A-Level offer; Queen's University Belfast is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, Queen's University Belfast carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

Interview formats

Both Aston Dental School and Queen's University Belfast 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: Aston Dental School runs multiple mini interviews (mmi); Queen's University Belfast runs mmi / panel format. Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep. Interview windows: Aston Dental School interviews in December - February; Queen's University Belfast in December – 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. Queen's University Belfast: Scoring system changed: total now /45 (UCAT /9 not /6). UK students scored on UCAT decile + best 9 GCSEs (9 = 4 pts, 7/8 = 3 pts, 6 = 2 pts, 4/5 = 1 pt). Achieved A-levels meeting requirements = 36/36. International students: no UCAT needed; assessed holistically. 15 overseas places.

Which is right for you?

For applicants with predicted A-Level grades at the lower end of the AAA-A*AA range, Queen's University Belfast is the lower-risk academic option. Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Aston Dental School feeds into the England foundation programme network; Queen's University Belfast into the Northern Ireland 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.

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