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Dental school comparison

Bristol vs King's College London (KCL)

Bristol and King's College London (KCL) are both UK dental schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Bristol is based in Bristol (England) while King's College London (KCL) sits in London (London), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.

On UCAT alone there is roughly a 1320-point gap between them — a substantial difference that should shape which you list as firm choice vs. insurance. Their A-Level requirements (AAA vs A*AA) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers.

Side-by-side comparison

Bristol

Bristol

Quick comparison

Location
Bristol, UK
A-Level offer
AAA at A-level including Chemistry and one of Biology / Physics / Mathematics / Further Mathematics
TrueScore
Bristol TrueScore 2280
UCAT home cut-off
~2280+/2700
Interview format
Structured panel-style interview (Zoom, remote)
Post-interview chance
UK applicants: 89/169 = 53% (2025).
Decision date
March onwards

King's College London (KCL)

London

Quick comparison

Location
London, UK
A-Level offer
A*AA at A-level — A* in Biology or Chemistry, plus A in another of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology
TrueScore
King's College London (KCL) TrueScore 2050
UCAT home cut-off
No threshold published. King's does not release its dentistry UCAT cut-off, and its published admissions statistics run on the retired /3600 scale, so they cannot be restated on the current /2700 one.
Interview format
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
March onwards

Bristol vs King's College London (KCL) - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

Bristol's published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 2280, while King's College London (KCL) sits at approximately 3600.

That's a 1320-point gap — large enough to put the two schools in completely different competitiveness tiers. An applicant scoring in the 2700-3200 band would be competitive at Bristol but borderline at King's College London (KCL).

A-Level and academic profile

Bristol requires AAA at A-level including Chemistry and one of Biology / Physics / Mathematics / Further Mathematics.

King's College London (KCL) requires A*AA at A-level — A* in Biology or Chemistry, plus A in another of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology.

King's College London (KCL) is the stricter A-Level offer; Bristol is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, Bristol carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Bristol: Mathematics at grade 7/A or higher. English Language or English Literature at grade 4/C or higher.

Used as minimum threshold only — Bristol BDS is wholly UCAT-based for shortlisting once academic… King's College London (KCL): Minimum grade 6/B (National 5 grade B or Intermediate 2 / Standard Credit Grade 1 or 2) in Mathematics and English Language. 8+ grade 8/9s typically required to be competitive. GCSE = ~40% of…

Interview formats

Both Bristol and King's College London (KCL) use Panel 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: Bristol runs structured panel-style interview (zoom, remote); King's College London (KCL) runs two-interviewer panel, remote (no longer 6-station mmi). Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep.

Interview windows: Bristol interviews in December – February; King's College London (KCL) in January – February.

Post-interview offer rate

Bristol: UK applicants: 89/169 = 53% (2025). King's College London (KCL): Non-contextual home students without degree: 98/171 = 57% (2025). Overall 2025: 175/350 = 50%.

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

Bristol: Entirely UCAT-based shortlisting (work experience encouraged, not required). No SJT use. No significant personal-statement scoring - medical applicants often get offers with a medical statement.

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?

If your UCAT lands below the UK median (~1880/2700), Bristol is the more realistic firm-choice option. For applicants with predicted A-Level grades at the lower end of the AAA-A*AA range, Bristol is the lower-risk academic option.

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

Bristol's typical home cut-off is around 2280, while King's College London (KCL) sits at approximately 3600 — a 1320-point spread. That's a meaningful gap; Bristol is materially more accessible for an average-to-good UCAT, while King's College London (KCL) expects performance closer to the top -33% of test-takers. Cut-offs change year on year and vary by tier — check each school's latest published threshold before submitting your UCAS form.

Where to go next

BristolEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full
King's College London (KCL)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Other dental school comparisons

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed .