Dundee vs Glasgow

Dundee's published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 3600, while Glasgow sits at approximately 1850.

That's a 1750-point gap — large enough to put the two schools in completely different competitiveness tiers. An applicant scoring in the 2400-3000 band would be competitive at Glasgow but borderline at Dundee.

Dundee requires AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology — all three subjects in the same sitting. Ideally 1–2 A* predicted.

Glasgow requires AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology. Resits only with genuine extenuating circumstances.

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 — Dundee: Mathematics and English at grade 6/B or above (National 5 or GCSE) — used in shortlisting, higher grades essential. GCSEs feed the academic score (60% of pre-interview ranking for school leavers)… Glasgow: Six GCSEs at grade 7/A including Mathematics or Physics, plus English Language or English Literature.

English accepted at grade 6/B if the other six are at grade 7+.

Both Dundee and Glasgow 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: Dundee runs multiple mini interviews (mmi); Glasgow runs multiple mini interview (mmi). Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep.

Interview windows: Dundee interviews in December – February; Glasgow in December – February.

Dundee runs a Spiral curriculum; Glasgow runs a PBL curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Dundee delivers more didactic lectures with structured systems-based progression, while Glasgow centres learning around clinical cases.

Specifics: Five-year BDS with spiral curriculum. Clinical placements at Dundee Dental Hospital and Tayside community sites. Five-year BDS built around problem-based learning. Clinical placements at Glasgow Dental Hospital and West-of-Scotland community sites.

Intake size: Dundee — ~75 places per year (predominantly Scottish + RUK + small international).; Glasgow — ~75 places per year (Scottish + RUK + small international).. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Dundee: Scottish: 71/149 = 48%. RUK: 17/127 = 13%. Overseas: 28/58 = 48%. Glasgow: Scottish: 76/108 = 70%. RUK: 42/70 = 60%. International: 22/27 = 81%.

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.

Dundee: Non-graduate weighting: 60% academic / 40% UCAT. Graduate weighting: 40% academic / 60% UCAT. Both A-level predictions and GCSEs feed the academic score, so consistent strong grades matter.

Glasgow: Wholly UCAT-based shortlisting once minimum PS and reference requirements are met. Personal statement is reviewed prior to offer-making but not formally scored.