Where are Cardiff and Newcastle located, and how does that affect cost?

Cardiff is in Cardiff, UK. Newcastle is in Newcastle, 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?

Cardiff typically releases dentistry decisions Spring. Newcastle releases dentistry decisions Spring. 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

Cardiff vs Newcastle

Cardiff and Newcastle are both UK dental schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Cardiff is based in Cardiff (Wales) while Newcastle sits in Newcastle (England), 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.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Cardiff and Newcastle.
Comparison field	CardiffCardiff	NewcastleNewcastle
Quick comparison
Location	Cardiff, UK	Newcastle, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level (offer only — no prediction requirement) including Biology and Chemistry. Practical pass required for any science A-level taken.	AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology
TrueScore	Cardiff TrueScore 1510	Newcastle TrueScore 2080
UCAT home cut-off	~2080+/2700 for non-contextual RUK (interview-receiver minimum ~1510+/2700); average interviewee ~2030+/2700	-
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), in person (overseas online)	Online semi-structured panel interview with two selectors (~20 min)
Post-interview chance	Total: 128/319 = 40% (2025). Home: 117/298 = 39%. International: 11/21 = 52%.	2025: ~126/328 = 38%. Partners (2024): 59/164 = 36%. Home non-partners (2024): 47/179 = 26%. International (2024): 9/10 = 90%.
Decision date	Spring	Spring

A-Level offer	AAA at A-level (offer only — no prediction requirement) including Biology and Chemistry. Practical pass required for any science A-level taken.	AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology
Contextual A-Level offer	Welsh-domiciled and contextually eligible applicants get additional consideration plus 2 extra points in the scoring system. Some widening-participation programmes receive guaranteed interviews.	Two-grade reduction (ABB offer) for the Partners programme, on a BBB prediction.
Required A-Level subjects	Biology and Chemistry both required	Chemistry and Biology both required
A-Level resit policy	A-level resits not considered (2026 entry), except for firm offer-holders who miss offers — they are given one year to resit while retaining the offer	Resits accepted if A-Level score increases.
GCSE requirements	Minimum 7 GCSEs at grade 4/C or above. Grade 6/B required in English Language. Biology and Chemistry both required at GCSE level. GCSE resits accepted (English Language any time).	Top 8 GCSE grades scored; not used if the A-level academic criteria are already met.
GCSE scoring methodology	GCSEs scored /28: top 7 GCSEs (must include Biology + Chemistry) — 8/9/A* = 4 pts, 7/A = 3 pts, 6/B = 2 pts, 4/5 = 1 pt. Achieved A-level points add to max +1 (A* = 3, A = 2). 27–28/28 typically requi…	-
Scottish Highers	AAAAA at Higher including two sciences from Biology, Chemistry or Physics	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	AA at Advanced Higher including Biology and Chemistry	-
International Baccalaureate	35 points overall, 766 at Higher Level (Chemistry required)	36 points overall.
Graduate-entry degree requirement	-	-
Alternative qualifications	-	-

Contextual cut-off	-	-
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	Different scoring system for overseas	-
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	Not used any more	No use of SJT in selection
UCAT notes	UCAT used as tiebreaker when number of equally-scoring applicants exceeds interview places (most recent years). 28/28 GCSE score generally guarantees consideration regardless of UCAT.	All applicants must sit the UCAT in the year of application. Newcastle explicitly does NOT publish its dental UCAT threshold - it varies by cycle with the applicant pool, so no cut-off should be infer…

Degree awarded	BDS	BDS
Course length	5 years	5 years
Teaching style	Integrated	Integrated
Anatomy teaching	-	-
First patient contact	Year 2	Year 3
Placement geography	Cardiff and across Wales	Newcastle and the north east
Named placement sites	University Dental Hospital	Newcastle Dental Hospital
Intercalation	-	Intercalated BSc degrees in Biomedical Science, or master's degrees.
Course highlight	Clinical skills are practised in a £2.2 million dental simulation suite on mannequins known as "phantom heads".	£5.5 million has been invested in clinical simulation facilities.

Interview window	February	February – March
Interview details	MMI format with stations testing motivation for dentistry, communication, ethics and understanding of the Welsh healthcare context. Topics often signposted in advance.	Online interview conducted via Zoom in February-March. Six domains assessed: preparation and motivation for dental school, communication, problem solving, professionalism, teamwork and reflection.

Specialities	Dentistry (BDS)	Dentistry (BDS)
Established	1883	1834
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	Application score calculated /28 from 7 GCSEs (8/9/A* = 4 pts, etc.) - must include biology and chemistry. Welsh-domiciled and contextually eligible applicants get extra consideration.	No use of SJT. Partners (contextual) programme accepts ethnic-minority and private-school students (recently expanded eligibility). 2026 admissions policy expects a minimum of 10 days relevant work ex…
Official course page	https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2026/dental-surgery-bds	https://www.ncl.ac.uk/undergraduate/degrees/a206/

Cardiff

Quick comparison

Location: Cardiff, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level (offer only — no prediction requirement) including Biology and Chemistry. Practical pass required for any science A-level taken.
TrueScore: Cardiff TrueScore 1510
UCAT home cut-off: ~2080+/2700 for non-contextual RUK (interview-receiver minimum ~1510+/2700); average interviewee ~2030+/2700
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), in person (overseas online)
Post-interview chance: Total: 128/319 = 40% (2025). Home: 117/298 = 39%. International: 11/21 = 52%.
Decision date: Spring

Newcastle

Quick comparison

Location: Newcastle, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology
TrueScore: Newcastle TrueScore 2080
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Online semi-structured panel interview with two selectors (~20 min)
Post-interview chance: 2025: ~126/328 = 38%. Partners (2024): 59/164 = 36%. Home non-partners (2024): 47/179 = 26%. International (2024): 9/10 = 90%.
Decision date: Spring

Cardiff vs Newcastle - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Cardiff requires AAA at A-level (offer only — no prediction requirement) including Biology and Chemistry. Practical pass required for any science A-level taken.

Newcastle requires AAA at A-level including Chemistry and 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 — Cardiff: Minimum 7 GCSEs at grade 4/C or above. Grade 6/B required in English Language. Biology and Chemistry both required at GCSE level. GCSE resits accepted (English Language any time). GCSEs scored /28… Newcastle: Top 8 GCSE grades scored; not used if the A-level academic criteria are already met.

Interview formats

Cardiff uses MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), in person (overseas online)); Newcastle uses Panel (Online semi-structured panel interview with two selectors (~20 min)). 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, Newcastle may suit you more. If you prefer discrete capsule answers under time pressure, Cardiff is the better fit.

Interview windows: Cardiff interviews in February; Newcastle in February – March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Both schools deliver a Case-based-style curriculum, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar across years 1-3.

Specifics: Five-year BDS with case-based learning. Clinical placements at Cardiff University Dental Hospital and South Wales community sites. Five-year BDS with case-based learning. Clinical placements at Newcastle Dental Hospital and North-East community sites.

Intake size: Cardiff — ~70 home + ~10 international places per year for BDS Dentistry.; Newcastle — ~85 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

Cardiff: Total: 128/319 = 40% (2025). Home: 117/298 = 39%. International: 11/21 = 52%. Newcastle: 2025: ~126/328 = 38%. Partners (2024): 59/164 = 36%. Home non-partners (2024): 47/179 = 26%. International (2024): 9/10 = 90%.

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

Cardiff: Application score calculated /28 from 7 GCSEs (8/9/A* = 4 pts, etc.) - must include biology and chemistry. Welsh-domiciled and contextually eligible applicants get extra consideration.

Newcastle: No use of SJT. Partners (contextual) programme accepts ethnic-minority and private-school students (recently expanded eligibility). 2026 admissions policy expects a minimum of 10 days relevant work experience - but reasonable alternatives accepted (e.g. free online courses).

Which is right for you?

Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Cardiff feeds into the Wales foundation programme network; Newcastle into the England 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

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. Cardiff guidance: ~2080+/2700 for non-contextual RUK (interview-receiver minimum ~1510+/2700); average interviewee ~2030+/2700. Newcastle guidance: All applicants must sit the UCAT in the year of application. Newcastle explicitly does NOT publish its dental UCAT threshold - it varies by cycle with the applicant pool, so no cut-off should be inferred..

Cardiff uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), in person (overseas online). Newcastle uses Panel interview: Online semi-structured panel interview with two selectors (~20 min). 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: February (Cardiff); February – March (Newcastle).

Cardiff requires AAA including Biology AND Chemistry (both required), with a pass in the science practical element where applicable. No prediction requirement. A-level resits not considered except for firm offer-holders who miss offers.. Newcastle requires AAA including chemistry and biology. Two-grade reduction (ABB offer) for partners programme (BBB prediction). Resit accepted only from candidates who previously applied to Newcastle dentistry; max two exam sittings; one grade higher than the offer they would otherwise have received.. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Cardiff — Resits considered case-by-case.. Newcastle — Resits accepted if A-Level score increases..

Cardiff — Minimum 7 GCSEs at grade 4/C or above. Grade 6/B required in English Language. Biology and Chemistry both required at GCSE level. GCSE resits accepted (English Language any time). GCSEs scored /28: top 7 GCSEs (must include Biology + Chemistry) — 8/9/A* = 4 pts, 7/A = 3 pts, 6/B = 2 pts, 4/5 = 1 pt. Achieved A-level points add to max +1 (A* = 3, A = 2). 27–28/28 typically required for RUK. Newcastle — Top 8 GCSE grades scored; not used if the A-level academic criteria are already met.

Cardiff's selection methodology: GCSE points + A-Level achievement points + UCAT. MMI interview format. Newcastle's selection methodology: Two-stage process (similar to Newcastle medicine): academic screen first, then UCAT-ranked interview invites. MMI format. 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.

Cardiff: Total: 128/319 = 40% (2025). Home: 117/298 = 39%. International: 11/21 = 52%.. Newcastle: 2025: ~126/328 = 38%. Partners (2024): 59/164 = 36%. Home non-partners (2024): 47/179 = 26%. International (2024): 9/10 = 90%.. 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%.

Cardiff runs a Case-based curriculum. Newcastle runs a Case-based curriculum. Both schools deliver teaching in the same broad style, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar. Cardiff specifics: Five-year BDS with case-based learning. Clinical placements at Cardiff University Dental Hospital and South Wales community sites. Newcastle specifics: Five-year BDS with case-based learning. Clinical placements at Newcastle Dental Hospital and North-East 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

CardiffEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

NewcastleEntry 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.

Cardiff vs Newcastle

Side-by-side comparison

Cardiff vs Newcastle - 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 Cardiff vs Newcastle?

How do interviews differ between Cardiff and Newcastle?

What A-Level grades do Cardiff and Newcastle require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Cardiff vs Newcastle?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Which has a higher post-interview offer rate, Cardiff or Newcastle?

Where are Cardiff and Newcastle located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Cardiff and Newcastle use?

Should I apply to both Cardiff and Newcastle?

Where to go next

Other dental school comparisons