How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Cardiff's selection methodology: GCSE points + A-Level achievement points + UCAT. MMI interview format. Plymouth's selection methodology: UCAT + academic + MMI. Strong South-West focus. 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.

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

Cardiff is in Cardiff, UK. Plymouth is in Plymouth, 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. Plymouth 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 Plymouth

Cardiff and Plymouth are both UK dental schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Cardiff is based in Cardiff (Wales) while Plymouth sits in Plymouth (England), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.

Their UCAT thresholds are remarkably close (within ~57 points), so the deciding factors are GCSE weighting, interview format and personal-statement use. Their A-Level requirements (AAA vs A*AA) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers. Cardiff is the older institution (founded 1883); the other (founded 2007) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Cardiff and Plymouth.
Comparison field	CardiffCardiff	PlymouthPlymouth
Quick comparison
Location	Cardiff, UK	Plymouth, 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.	A*AA – AAB at A-level (offer depends on cohort strength) including grade A in Biology and grade A in a second science from Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology
TrueScore	Cardiff TrueScore 1510	Plymouth TrueScore 1990
UCAT home cut-off	~2080+/2700 for non-contextual RUK (interview-receiver minimum ~1510+/2700); average interviewee ~2030+/2700	Not published on the current scale. The average thresholds Plymouth published for the 2023-2025 cycles were measured on the retired /3600 four-subtest test and cannot be converted to /2700 - removing a subtest does not scale a score.
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), in person (overseas online)	Five-station MMI (online), ~55 minutes
Post-interview chance	Total: 128/319 = 40% (2025). Home: 117/298 = 39%. International: 11/21 = 52%.	Home: 132/499 = 26% (2025). Overseas: 8/28 = 29%. Home Foundation Year: 17/104 = 16%.
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.	A*AA – AAB at A-level (offer depends on cohort strength) including grade A in Biology and grade A in a second science from Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology
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.	AAB at A-level for widening-access applicants — A in Biology and A in a second science from Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology
Required A-Level subjects	Biology and Chemistry both required	Biology required at grade A, plus a second science from Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology at grade A
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: with predicted grades, minimum ABB on first sitting (ABC for widening access). If applying with achieved A-level resit grades, first-sitting requirements waived.
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).	Seven GCSEs at grade 4/C or above, must include English Language, Mathematics, and either 4-4 Dual Science or two from Biology / Chemistry / Physics
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…	Used as minimum threshold only — Plymouth does not consider personal statements or work experience when selecting for interview
Scottish Highers	AAAAA at Higher including two sciences from Biology, Chemistry or Physics	Scottish Highers NOT accepted — Plymouth Dental School requires Advanced Highers only
Scottish Advanced Highers	AA at Advanced Higher including Biology and Chemistry	AAA at Advanced Higher including grade A in Biology and grade A in one further science from Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology
International Baccalaureate	35 points overall, 766 at Higher Level (Chemistry required)	36–38 points overall, with HL 6 in Biology and HL 6 in one further science from Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology
Graduate-entry degree requirement	-	Applicants must have achieved or be predicted to achieve a 1st (70%) or higher in a University of Plymouth School of Biomedical Science programme
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.	The SJT is not used under the selection policy. The UCAT must be sat in the year of application and is used by the Admissions Advisory Panel alongside academic qualifications to select for interview;…

Degree awarded	BDS	BDS
Course length	5 years	5 years
Teaching style	Integrated	Integrated
Anatomy teaching	-	-
First patient contact	Year 2	Year 1
Placement geography	Cardiff and across Wales	Devon and Cornwall
Named placement sites	University Dental Hospital	Portland Square (Plymouth main campus), Devonport Dental Education Facility, Derriford (Plymouth), Exeter Dental Education Facility, Truro Dental Education Facility
Intercalation	-	Selected students may intercalate between year 3 and year 4, taking a one-year MSc in the Plymouth research laboratories.
Course highlight	Clinical skills are practised in a £2.2 million dental simulation suite on mannequins known as "phantom heads".	Won a Times Higher Education Award in 2023 for contribution to the community.

Interview window	February	February – April
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 MMI format. 5 stations of ~11 minutes each by 4 different interviewers. Each station has a 'red flag' section - Yes/No reflecting suitability for the programme. One MMI station dedicated to a m…

Specialities	Dentistry (BDS)	Dentistry (BDS)
Established	1883	2007
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.	Interview-score-based offer making. Personal statements and work experience are NOT considered for interview selection - UCAT and academic minimums alone determine who reaches interview.
Official course page	https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2026/dental-surgery-bds	https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/bds-dental-surgery

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

Plymouth

Quick comparison

Location: Plymouth, UK
A-Level offer: A*AA – AAB at A-level (offer depends on cohort strength) including grade A in Biology and grade A in a second science from Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology
TrueScore: Plymouth TrueScore 1990
UCAT home cut-off: Not published on the current scale. The average thresholds Plymouth published for the 2023-2025 cycles were measured on the retired /3600 four-subtest test and cannot be converted to /2700 - removing a subtest does not scale a score.
Interview format: Five-station MMI (online), ~55 minutes
Post-interview chance: Home: 132/499 = 26% (2025). Overseas: 8/28 = 29%. Home Foundation Year: 17/104 = 16%.
Decision date: Spring

Cardiff vs Plymouth - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

Cardiff's published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 2080, while Plymouth sits at approximately 2023.

Their UCAT bars are statistically indistinguishable (within 57 points), so the UCAT is unlikely to be your differentiator between them.

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.

Plymouth requires A*AA – AAB at A-level (offer depends on cohort strength) including grade A in Biology and grade A in a second science from Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology.

Plymouth is the stricter A-Level offer; Cardiff is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, Cardiff carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

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… Plymouth: Seven GCSEs at grade 4/C or above, must include English Language, Mathematics, and either 4-4 Dual Science or two from Biology / Chemistry / Physics. Used as minimum threshold only — Plymouth does…

Interview formats

Both Cardiff and Plymouth 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: Cardiff runs multiple mini interviews (mmi), in person (overseas online); Plymouth runs five-station mmi (online), ~55 minutes. Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep.

Interview windows: Cardiff interviews in February; Plymouth in February – April.

Curriculum and teaching style

Cardiff runs a Case-based curriculum; Plymouth runs a PBL curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Cardiff leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while Plymouth centres learning around clinical cases.

Specifics: Five-year BDS with case-based learning. Clinical placements at Cardiff University Dental Hospital and South Wales community sites. Five-year BDS with PBL. Plymouth Peninsula Dental School - clinical placements across South-West community sites.

Intake size: Cardiff — ~70 home + ~10 international places per year for BDS Dentistry.; Plymouth — ~75 home places per year for BDS Dentistry (smaller cohort, regional focus).. 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%. Plymouth: Home: 132/499 = 26% (2025). Overseas: 8/28 = 29%. Home Foundation Year: 17/104 = 16%.

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.

Plymouth: Interview-score-based offer making. Personal statements and work experience are NOT considered for interview selection - UCAT and academic minimums alone determine who reaches interview.

Which is right for you?

For applicants with predicted A-Level grades at the lower end of the AAA-A*AA range, Cardiff is the lower-risk academic option. Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Cardiff feeds into the Wales foundation programme network; Plymouth into the England network.

If you learn best in small-group case discussion, prefer Cardiff; if you prefer lecture-led foundations, the other suits better. 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

Cardiff's typical home cut-off is around 2080, while Plymouth sits at approximately 2023 — a 57-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.

Cardiff uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), in person (overseas online). Plymouth uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Five-station MMI (online), ~55 minutes. 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 (Cardiff); February – April (Plymouth).

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.. Plymouth requires A*AA – AAA offer (AAB widening access - A in biology + second science). Including biology and a second science from chemistry/physics/maths/psychology. Resit (with predicted grades): minimum ABB on first sitting (or ABC WP).. 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.. Plymouth — Resits accepted..

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. Plymouth — Seven GCSEs at grade 4/C or above, must include English Language, Mathematics, and either 4-4 Dual Science or two from Biology / Chemistry / Physics. Used as minimum threshold only — Plymouth does not consider personal statements or work experience when selecting for interview

Cardiff: Total: 128/319 = 40% (2025). Home: 117/298 = 39%. International: 11/21 = 52%.. Plymouth: Home: 132/499 = 26% (2025). Overseas: 8/28 = 29%. Home Foundation Year: 17/104 = 16%.. 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. Plymouth runs a PBL curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Cardiff specifics: Five-year BDS with case-based learning. Clinical placements at Cardiff University Dental Hospital and South Wales community sites. Plymouth specifics: Five-year BDS with PBL. Plymouth Peninsula Dental School - clinical placements across South-West 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

PlymouthEntry 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.