Where are Cardiff and Queen Mary (QMUL) located, and how does that affect cost?

Cardiff is in Cardiff, UK. Queen Mary (QMUL) is in London, 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. Queen Mary (QMUL) 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 Queen Mary (QMUL)

Cardiff and Queen Mary (QMUL) are both UK dental schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Cardiff is based in Cardiff (Wales) while Queen Mary (QMUL) sits in London (London), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination. Their A-Level requirements (AAA vs A*AA) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers.

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 Queen Mary (QMUL).
Comparison field	CardiffCardiff	Queen Mary (QMUL)London
Quick comparison
Location	Cardiff, UK	London, 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 (offer and prediction) — single sitting, no more than 2 years. UCAS Tariff minimum 152 (AAA delivers this).
TrueScore	Cardiff TrueScore 1510	Queen Mary (QMUL) TrueScore 2210
UCAT home cut-off	~2080+/2700 for non-contextual RUK (interview-receiver minimum ~1510+/2700); average interviewee ~2030+/2700	Expressed as a decile, not a raw score: applications below the fourth decile of the total UCAT do not pass first shortlisting, and clearing it guarantees nothing.
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), in person (overseas online)	Two-interviewer panel, online (January–February)
Post-interview chance	Total: 128/319 = 40% (2025). Home: 117/298 = 39%. International: 11/21 = 52%.	2025 - All applicants: 182/267 = 68%. Overseas: 13/22 = 59%.
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 (offer and prediction) — single sitting, no more than 2 years. UCAS Tariff minimum 152 (AAA delivers this).
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.	Reduced offer available for East London / contextual applicants
Required A-Level subjects	Biology and Chemistry both required	Biology or Chemistry required, plus a second science from Chemistry / Biology / Physics / Mathematics
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 only with extenuating circumstances falling under the Equality and Diversity Act 2010
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).	Six GCSEs at grade 7,7,7,6,6,6 (777666) or above, must include Mathematics, English Language or Literature, Biology and Chemistry (or Double Science). GCSEs are not required for graduate applicants.
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 once met — UCAT and UCAS tariff drive the ranking. No longer at a 50:50 UCAS:UCAT weighting.
Scottish Highers	AAAAA at Higher including two sciences from Biology, Chemistry or Physics	AAA at Higher
Scottish Advanced Highers	AA at Advanced Higher including Biology and Chemistry	AA at Advanced Higher
International Baccalaureate	35 points overall, 766 at Higher Level (Chemistry required)	37 points overall, 666 at Higher Level including Chemistry or Biology, plus one further science from Chemistry / Biology / Physics / Mathematics
Graduate-entry degree requirement	-	2:1 (Upper-second-class Honours) or above. Graduate qualifications scored via QMUL's internal Academic Points system (50/50 UCAT:Academic Points). No GCSE requirement for graduates.
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	Band 4 automatically rejected. Used post-interview in offer-making (likely minimal weighting).
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.	Queen Mary states that thresholds cannot be predicted for any individual year, nor derived from previous years - which is why the bar is published as a decile rather than a score. Applicants above the…

Degree awarded	BDS	BDS
Course length	5 years	5 years
Teaching style	Integrated	Integrated
Anatomy teaching	-	-
First patient contact	Year 2	-
Placement geography	Cardiff and across Wales	East London
Named placement sites	University Dental Hospital	The Royal London Dental Institute
Intercalation	-	-
Course highlight	Clinical skills are practised in a £2.2 million dental simulation suite on mannequins known as "phantom heads".	The Institute of Dentistry moved into the Alexandra Wing of The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel in 2014 — a £78 million building, the first new dental school built in the UK for over 40 years.

Interview window	February	January – February
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 panel interview with two senior academic/clinical staff, a dental student, or sometimes a lay selector. Split into two parts: (1) questions based on an article given 2 weeks prior; (2) personal…

Specialities	Dentistry (BDS)	Dentistry (BDS)
Established	1883	1843
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.	Queen Mary applies a fourth-decile minimum on the total UCAT: below it an application does not pass first shortlisting, and clearing it guarantees nothing. The bar is published as a decile rather than…
Official course page	https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2026/dental-surgery-bds	https://www.qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/coursefinder/courses/2026/dentistry/

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

Queen Mary (QMUL)

London

Quick comparison

Location: London, UK
A-Level offer: A*AA at A-level (offer and prediction) — single sitting, no more than 2 years. UCAS Tariff minimum 152 (A*AA delivers this).
TrueScore: Queen Mary (QMUL) TrueScore 2210
UCAT home cut-off: Expressed as a decile, not a raw score: applications below the fourth decile of the total UCAT do not pass first shortlisting, and clearing it guarantees nothing.
Interview format: Two-interviewer panel, online (January–February)
Post-interview chance: 2025 - All applicants: 182/267 = 68%. Overseas: 13/22 = 59%.
Decision date: Spring

Cardiff vs Queen Mary (QMUL) - 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.

Queen Mary (QMUL) requires A*AA at A-level (offer and prediction) — single sitting, no more than 2 years. UCAS Tariff minimum 152 (A*AA delivers this).

Queen Mary (QMUL) 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… Queen Mary (QMUL): Six GCSEs at grade 7,7,7,6,6,6 (777666) or above, must include Mathematics, English Language or Literature, Biology and Chemistry (or Double Science). GCSEs are not required for graduate applicants…

Interview formats

Cardiff uses MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), in person (overseas online)); Queen Mary (QMUL) uses Panel (Two-interviewer panel, online (January–February)). 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, Queen Mary (QMUL) may suit you more. If you prefer discrete capsule answers under time pressure, Cardiff is the better fit.

Interview windows: Cardiff interviews in February; Queen Mary (QMUL) in January – February.

Curriculum and teaching style

Cardiff runs a Case-based curriculum; Queen Mary (QMUL) runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Cardiff leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while Queen Mary (QMUL) uses a more traditional lecture-led structure.

Specifics: Five-year BDS with case-based learning. Clinical placements at Cardiff University Dental Hospital and South Wales community sites. Five-year BDS at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. Clinical placements at Royal London Dental Hospital and East London community

Intake size: Cardiff — ~70 home + ~10 international places per year for BDS Dentistry.; Queen Mary (QMUL) — ~80 home + ~20 international places per year for BDS Dentistry (Barts and The London).. 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%. Queen Mary (QMUL): 2025 - All applicants: 182/267 = 68%. Overseas: 13/22 = 59%.

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.

Queen Mary (QMUL): Queen Mary applies a fourth-decile minimum on the total UCAT: below it an application does not pass first shortlisting, and clearing it guarantees nothing. The bar is published as a decile rather than a score because the boundary moves with each cohort, and Queen Mary states thresholds cannot be predicted from previous years.

Higher predicted grades do not compensate. SJT band 4 automatically rejected.

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; Queen Mary (QMUL) into the London 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

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. Queen Mary (QMUL) guidance: Expressed as a decile, not a raw score: applications below the fourth decile of the total UCAT do not pass first shortlisting, and clearing it guarantees nothing..

Cardiff uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), in person (overseas online). Queen Mary (QMUL) uses Panel interview: Two-interviewer panel, online (January–February). 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); January – February (Queen Mary (QMUL)).

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.. Queen Mary (QMUL) requires A*AA in single sitting, no more than 2 years. Must include biology or chemistry + second science from chemistry/biology/physics/maths. Resit only with extenuating circumstances under Equality and Diversity Act 2010.. 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.. Queen Mary (QMUL) — Resits considered with explanation..

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. Queen Mary (QMUL) — Six GCSEs at grade 7,7,7,6,6,6 (777666) or above, must include Mathematics, English Language or Literature, Biology and Chemistry (or Double Science). GCSEs are not required for graduate applicants. Used as minimum threshold once met — UCAT and UCAS tariff drive the ranking. No longer at a 50:50 UCAS:UCAT weighting.

Cardiff's selection methodology: GCSE points + A-Level achievement points + UCAT. MMI interview format. Queen Mary (QMUL)'s selection methodology: UCAT + academic + MMI. SJT used post-interview. Strong East London 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.

Cardiff: Total: 128/319 = 40% (2025). Home: 117/298 = 39%. International: 11/21 = 52%.. Queen Mary (QMUL): 2025 - All applicants: 182/267 = 68%. Overseas: 13/22 = 59%.. 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. Queen Mary (QMUL) runs a Integrated 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. Queen Mary (QMUL) specifics: Five-year BDS at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. Clinical placements at Royal London Dental Hospital and East London 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

Queen Mary (QMUL)Entry 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 Queen Mary (QMUL)

Side-by-side comparison

Cardiff vs Queen Mary (QMUL) - 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 Queen Mary (QMUL)?

How do interviews differ between Cardiff and Queen Mary (QMUL)?

What A-Level grades do Cardiff and Queen Mary (QMUL) require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Cardiff vs Queen Mary (QMUL)?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Which has a higher post-interview offer rate, Cardiff or Queen Mary (QMUL)?

Where are Cardiff and Queen Mary (QMUL) located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Cardiff and Queen Mary (QMUL) use?

Should I apply to both Cardiff and Queen Mary (QMUL)?

Where to go next

Other dental school comparisons