Which has a higher post-interview offer rate, Birmingham or Queen's University Belfast?

Birmingham: Home: 131/302 = 43% (2025). Overseas: 10/15 = 67%.. Queen's University Belfast: All applicants (2024): 87/204 = 43%.. 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%.

Where are Birmingham and Queen's University Belfast located, and how does that affect cost?

Birmingham is in Birmingham, UK. Queen's University Belfast is in Belfast, 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?

Birmingham typically releases dentistry decisions After all interviews complete. Queen's University Belfast 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

Birmingham vs Queen's University Belfast

Birmingham and Queen's University Belfast are both UK dental schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Birmingham 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.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Birmingham and Queen's University Belfast.
Comparison field	BirminghamBirmingham	Queen's University BelfastBelfast
Quick comparison
Location	Birmingham, UK	Belfast, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Biology / Human Biology and Chemistry	AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (or Human Biology)
TrueScore	Birmingham TrueScore 2130	Queen's University Belfast TrueScore 1750
UCAT home cut-off	~2130+/2700 (mean offer holder); minimum threshold ~2130+	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	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), in person	MMI / panel format
Post-interview chance	Home: 131/302 = 43% (2025). Overseas: 10/15 = 67%.	All applicants (2024): 87/204 = 43%.
Decision date	After all interviews complete	March onwards

A-Level offer	AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Biology / Human Biology and Chemistry	AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (or Human Biology)
Contextual A-Level offer	ABB at A-level (with BBB predicted) for Pathways to Birmingham contextual applicants — must include Chemistry and Biology	-
Required A-Level subjects	Biology (or Human Biology) and Chemistry both required	Chemistry and Biology (or Human Biology) both required
A-Level resit policy	Resits not routinely considered (extenuating circumstances only). Those applying with achieved A-levels need not meet GCSE criteria.	Resits only for applicants who applied to QUB Dentistry on first attempt and held an offer (if made) as conditional firm — then awarded 36/36 on academics
GCSE requirements	Seven GCSEs in total, to include grade 8/A* in Biology and Chemistry and grade 7/A in Mathematics and in English Language or Literature. GCSE resits are not considered. Worth knowing: if you apply after your A-level results are achieved - for example by taking a year out - Birmingham assesses your A-level attainment instead and does not assess the GCSE profile at all.	Minimum 9 GCSEs scored — best 9 GCSEs are used in shortlisting
GCSE scoring methodology	High GCSE minimum requirements form the academic gate — once met, the bottom 25% of candidates by UCAT are rejected, the rest considered holistically	Best 9 GCSEs scored /36: A*/9 = 4 pts, A/7-8 = 3 pts, B/6 = 2 pts, C/4-5 = 1 pt. GCSE = 80% of pre-interview score (UCAT 20%). Half points for GCSE short courses. Additional grade As may distinguish e…
Scottish Highers	AAAAA at Higher in S5 including Chemistry and Biology	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	AA at Advanced Higher in Chemistry and Biology (no requirement for a third Advanced Higher)	-
International Baccalaureate	32 points minimum overall, 666 at Higher Level including Chemistry and Biology	36 points overall, 666 at Higher Level including Chemistry and Biology
Graduate-entry degree requirement	2:1 (Upper-second-class Honours) in a health-science-related degree (or 65% average if unclassified) + ABB at A-level including Chemistry, Biology and one other subject	-
Alternative qualifications	-	International applicants: no UCAT needed; assessed holistically (PS + reference + academic). 15 overseas places.

Contextual cut-off	~1850+/2700 (A2B programme - ~10% lower than standard)	Different combinations valid - very low deciles accepted with 9× grade 9s at GCSE
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	Used in shortlisting; specific cut-off not published	No UCAT needed; assessed holistically. 15 overseas places.
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	No use of SJT in selection	No use of SJT in selection
UCAT notes	No use of SJT. UCAT score may be reduced by up to 10% for high-performance athletes.	Old system: UCAT /6 (lower deciles = 0 pts; top decile = 6 pts). New: UCAT /9 by decile (≤10th = 0 pts, >90th = 9 pts). Half points for GCSE short courses. Additional A grades may distinguish equal sc…

Degree awarded	BDS	BDS
Course length	5 years	5 years
Teaching style	Integrated	Integrated
Anatomy teaching	-	-
First patient contact	Year 1	Year 1
Placement geography	Birmingham and the West Midlands	Belfast
Named placement sites	Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry	Royal Victoria Hospital, Grosvenor Road, Belfast
Intercalation	-	-
Course highlight	Birmingham Dental Hospital and School is the first integrated, stand-alone dental hospital and school to be built in the UK for almost 40 years.	-

Interview window	February half-term	December – February
Interview details	5-10 MMI stations of 5-10 minutes each, with different selectors at each station. Reading time provided before each. Stations cover communication, ethical reasoning, motivation for dentistry and perso…	-

Specialities	Dentistry (BDS)	Dentistry (BDS)
Established	1825	1845
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	Either before or after the interview, applicants are offered a tour of the Dental School by current students - a useful opportunity to gauge whether the school suits you and to ask candid questions ab…	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…
Official course page	https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/subjects/dentistry-courses	-

Birmingham

Quick comparison

Location: Birmingham, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Biology / Human Biology and Chemistry
TrueScore: Birmingham TrueScore 2130
UCAT home cut-off: ~2130+/2700 (mean offer holder); minimum threshold ~2130+
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), in person
Post-interview chance: Home: 131/302 = 43% (2025). Overseas: 10/15 = 67%.
Decision date: After all interviews complete

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: Queen's University Belfast 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

Birmingham vs Queen's University Belfast - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

Birmingham's published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 2130, while Queen's University Belfast sits at approximately 2025.

The 105-point spread is within year-on-year noise — for most applicants the two thresholds are effectively interchangeable, and other selection factors (GCSE weighting, interview score) will dominate.

Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — Birmingham: ~1850+/2700 (A2B programme - ~10% lower than standard); Queen's University Belfast: Different combinations valid - very low deciles accepted with 9× grade 9s at GCSE. Eligible applicants should weight this heavily when choosing.

A-Level and academic profile

Birmingham requires AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Biology / Human Biology and Chemistry.

Queen's University Belfast requires AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (or Human Biology).

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.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Birmingham: Seven GCSEs in total, to include grade 8/A* in Biology and Chemistry and grade 7/A in Mathematics and in English Language or Literature. GCSE resits are not considered. Worth knowing: if you apply… Queen's University Belfast: Minimum 9 GCSEs scored — best 9 GCSEs are used in shortlisting.

Best 9 GCSEs scored /36: A*/9 = 4 pts, A/7-8 = 3 pts, B/6 = 2 pts, C/4-5 = 1 pt. GCSE = 80% of pre-interview score (UCAT 20%). Half…

Interview formats

Both Birmingham 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: Birmingham runs multiple mini interviews (mmi), in person; Queen's University Belfast runs mmi / panel format. Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep.

Interview windows: Birmingham interviews in February half-term; Queen's University Belfast in December – February.

Post-interview offer rate

Birmingham: Home: 131/302 = 43% (2025). Overseas: 10/15 = 67%. Queen's University Belfast: All applicants (2024): 87/204 = 43%.

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

Birmingham: Either before or after the interview, applicants are offered a tour of the Dental School by current students - a useful opportunity to gauge whether the school suits you and to ask candid questions about the course.

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?

Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Birmingham 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.

Common questions

Birmingham's typical home cut-off is around 2130, while Queen's University Belfast sits at approximately 2025 — a 105-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.

Birmingham uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), in person. Queen's University Belfast uses Multiple Mini Interviews: MMI / panel format. 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: February half-term (Birmingham); December – February (Queen's University Belfast).

Birmingham requires AAA including biology/human biology and chemistry. Resits not routinely considered.. 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.. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school.

Birmingham — Seven GCSEs in total, to include grade 8/A* in Biology and Chemistry and grade 7/A in Mathematics and in English Language or Literature. GCSE resits are not considered. Worth knowing: if you apply after your A-level results are achieved - for example by taking a year out - Birmingham assesses your A-level attainment instead and does not assess the GCSE profile at all. High GCSE minimum requirements form the academic gate — once met, the bottom 25% of candidates by UCAT are rejected, the rest considered holistically Queen's University Belfast — Minimum 9 GCSEs scored — best 9 GCSEs are used in shortlisting. Best 9 GCSEs scored /36: A*/9 = 4 pts, A/7-8 = 3 pts, B/6 = 2 pts, C/4-5 = 1 pt. GCSE = 80% of pre-interview score (UCAT 20%). Half points for GCSE short courses. Additional grade As may distinguish equal scores.

Birmingham's selection methodology: MMI in February-March. Strict GCSE thresholds (similar to medicine). Three days of NHS-dental work experience strongly encouraged. Queen's University Belfast's selection methodology: shortlisting weight not fully disclosed; check the official admissions page. 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.

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

BirminghamEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Queen's University BelfastEntry 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.