Dundee vs Leeds

Dundee's published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 1830, while Leeds sits at approximately 1850.

Their UCAT bars are statistically indistinguishable (within 20 points), so the UCAT is unlikely to be your differentiator between them.

Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — Dundee: not separately disclosed; Leeds: ~1670+/2700. Eligible applicants should weight this heavily when choosing.

Dundee requires AAA including chemistry and biology, all in the same sitting. Ideally 1–2 A* predicted. Resits not accepted.

Leeds requires AAA including chemistry and biology. One resit attempt accepted (full A-levels), unless mitigating circumstances. If re-sitting Level 3 qualifications, extenuating circumstances should be highlighted in the reference.

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: AAA at A-Level. National 5 / GCSE Biology, English, Maths at grade 6+ if not at A-Level. Leeds: AAA at A-Level including Chemistry and Biology. 8 GCSEs scored - strong profile expected.

Both Dundee and Leeds 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); Leeds runs five-station mmi (online). Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep.

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

Dundee runs a Spiral curriculum; Leeds runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Dundee delivers more didactic lectures with structured systems-based progression, while Leeds uses a more traditional lecture-led structure.

Specifics: Five-year BDS with spiral curriculum. Clinical placements at Dundee Dental Hospital and Tayside community sites. Five-year BChD with integrated science and clinical practice. Clinical placements at Leeds Dental Institute and Yorkshire community sites.

Intake size: Dundee — ~75 places per year (predominantly Scottish + RUK + small international).; Leeds — ~80 home + ~10 international places per year for BChD Dentistry.. 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%. Leeds: All applicants (2025): 76/547 = 14% headline, but ~25% in reality (the 547 includes Dental Hygiene & Therapy applicants - likely ~400 dentistry interviews for 76 places + waitlist offers).

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.

Leeds: Total score combines UCAT, academic record (achieved/predicted A-levels + GCSEs) and personal statement. Personal statement is also scored, so it is worth tailoring specifically for Leeds.