How do interviews differ between Dundee and Liverpool?

Dundee uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). Liverpool uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), online. 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: December – February (Dundee); December – February (Liverpool).

Where are Dundee and Liverpool located, and how does that affect cost?

Dundee is in Dundee, UK. Liverpool is in Liverpool, UK. Scottish-domiciled applicants funded by SAAS pay no tuition fees at Scottish medical schools — a substantial funding advantage worth tens of thousands of pounds over the degree. Rest-of-UK applicants still pay £9,250/year.

When does each school release decisions?

Dundee typically releases dentistry decisions March onwards. Liverpool releases dentistry decisions March onwards. 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

Dundee vs Liverpool

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

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Dundee and Liverpool.
Comparison field	DundeeDundee	LiverpoolLiverpool
Quick comparison
Location	Dundee, UK	Liverpool, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology — all three subjects in the same sitting. Ideally 1–2 A* predicted.	AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry and Biology — all three subjects taken at first sitting after two years of study
TrueScore	Dundee TrueScore 1500	Liverpool TrueScore 1800
UCAT home cut-off	Dundee does not publish a UCAT threshold for dentistry on the current scale. Its historical admissions figures were measured on the retired /3600 four-subtest test and, as Dundee itself warns, are not directly comparable with scores from 2025 onwards.	-
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), online
Post-interview chance	Scottish: 71/149 = 48%. RUK: 17/127 = 13%. Overseas: 28/58 = 48%.	Non-widening participation (2024): 89/402 = 22%.
Decision date	March onwards	March onwards

A-Level offer	AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology — all three subjects in the same sitting. Ideally 1–2 A* predicted.	AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry and Biology — all three subjects taken at first sitting after two years of study
Contextual A-Level offer	-	Up to a two-grade reduction in entry requirements for eligible contextual / widening-participation applicants (ABB equivalent — assessed via personal circumstances)
Required A-Level subjects	Chemistry and Biology both required	Chemistry and Biology both required
A-Level resit policy	Resits not accepted (one-sitting expectation)	A-level resits not normally accepted. Only considered for applicants who narrowly fail academic criteria due to significant extenuating circumstances — would not consider an applicant who achieved less than BBB.
GCSE requirements	Mathematics and English at grade 6/B or above (National 5 or GCSE) — used in shortlisting, higher grades essential	Minimum 8 GCSEs including at least 5 subjects at grade 7/A and 3 at grade 6/B. Grade 6/B required in English Language, Mathematics and Science (dual science or Biology). GCSE requirements must be in place at the time of application — no pending grades accepted.
GCSE scoring methodology	GCSEs feed the academic score (60% of pre-interview ranking for school leavers). Higher grades essential due to weighting.	Used only as minimum threshold beyond meeting the floor — UCAT + SJT + non-academic information form drive the ranking
Scottish Highers	AAAAB at Higher in S5 including Chemistry and Biology	AAAAA at Higher including Chemistry and Biology
Scottish Advanced Highers	AB at Advanced Higher in S6 (in addition to S5 Highers above), recommended for competitive ranking	AA at Advanced Higher including Chemistry and Biology
International Baccalaureate	37 points overall, 666 at Higher Level including Chemistry and Biology	36 points overall, 666 at Higher Level including Chemistry and Biology
Graduate-entry degree requirement	2:1 (Upper-second-class Honours) or above. Graduate weighting reversed: 40% academic + 60% UCAT.	-
Alternative qualifications	-	-

Contextual cut-off	-	-
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	-	-
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	No use of SJT in selection	Band 4 automatically rejected. Band 1 or 2 ideal.
UCAT notes	The SJT is not used. Scottish, RUK and international applicants are considered against separately funded intakes, so the effective bar differs between them.	Liverpool School of Dentistry states it has NO set UCAT cut-off. Scores are considered alongside the non-academic information form and academic attainment, so no threshold should be inferred or estima…

Degree awarded	BDS	BDS
Course length	5 years	5 years
Teaching style	Integrated	Enquiry-based learning
Anatomy teaching	-	-
First patient contact	Year 1	Year 1
Placement geography	Dundee	Liverpool and Merseyside
Named placement sites	-	Aintree University Hospital (oral and maxillofacial surgery), Alder Hey Children's Hospital (paediatric dentistry)
Intercalation	-	-
Course highlight	Students work with Thiel cadavers, which preserve life-like flexibility and tissue quality.	Students share a three-year Collaborative Learning Core with dental therapy students.

Interview window	December – February	December – February
Interview details	Multiple Mini Interview format. Personal statement is not assessed pre-interview but is used as a basis for discussion at certain stations. Tone is friendly and conversational rather than adversarial.	Long MMI lasting over an hour with 10–12 stations. Format demands quick thinking and ability to adapt, as each new station is a fresh scenario. Sample questions: "How would you explain the importance…

Specialities	Dentistry (BDS)	Dentistry (BDS)
Established	1916	1903
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	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.	No set UCAT cut-off - UCAT considered alongside non-academic information form (sent shortly after UCAS deadline, 2 weeks to complete). SJT band 4 is automatically rejected.
Official course page	https://www.dundee.ac.uk/undergraduate/dentistry	https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/courses/2026/dental-surgery-bds

Dundee

Quick comparison

Location: Dundee, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology — all three subjects in the same sitting. Ideally 1–2 A* predicted.
TrueScore: Dundee TrueScore 1500
UCAT home cut-off: Dundee does not publish a UCAT threshold for dentistry on the current scale. Its historical admissions figures were measured on the retired /3600 four-subtest test and, as Dundee itself warns, are not directly comparable with scores from 2025 onwards.
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: Scottish: 71/149 = 48%. RUK: 17/127 = 13%. Overseas: 28/58 = 48%.
Decision date: March onwards

Liverpool

Quick comparison

Location: Liverpool, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry and Biology — all three subjects taken at first sitting after two years of study
TrueScore: Liverpool TrueScore 1800
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), online
Post-interview chance: Non-widening participation (2024): 89/402 = 22%.
Decision date: March onwards

Dundee vs Liverpool - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

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

Liverpool requires AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry and Biology — all three subjects taken at first sitting after two years of study.

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)… Liverpool: Minimum 8 GCSEs including at least 5 subjects at grade 7/A and 3 at grade 6/B. Grade 6/B required in English Language, Mathematics and Science (dual science or Biology). GCSE requirements must be in…

Interview formats

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

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

Curriculum and teaching style

Dundee runs a Spiral curriculum; Liverpool runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Dundee delivers more didactic lectures with structured systems-based progression, while Liverpool 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 BDS. Clinical placements at Liverpool University Dental Hospital and Cheshire & Merseyside community sites.

Intake size: Dundee — ~75 places per year (predominantly Scottish + RUK + small international).; Liverpool — ~75 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

Dundee: Scottish: 71/149 = 48%. RUK: 17/127 = 13%. Overseas: 28/58 = 48%. Liverpool: Non-widening participation (2024): 89/402 = 22%.

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

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.

Liverpool: No set UCAT cut-off - UCAT considered alongside non-academic information form (sent shortly after UCAS deadline, 2 weeks to complete). SJT band 4 is automatically rejected.

Which is right for you?

Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Dundee feeds into the Scotland foundation programme network; Liverpool into the England network. If you learn best in small-group case discussion, prefer Dundee; 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. Dundee guidance: Dundee does not publish a UCAT threshold for dentistry on the current scale. Its historical admissions figures were measured on the retired /3600 four-subtest test and, as Dundee itself warns, are not directly comparable with scores from 2025 onwards.. Liverpool guidance: Liverpool School of Dentistry states it has NO set UCAT cut-off. Scores are considered alongside the non-academic information form and academic attainment, so no threshold should be inferred or estimated..

Dundee requires AAA including chemistry and biology, all in the same sitting. Ideally 1–2 A* predicted. Resits not accepted.. Liverpool requires AAA prediction and offer. Must include biology and chemistry, all 3 subjects taken in one sitting. Contextual: ABB offer. A-level resits not normally accepted.. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Dundee — Resits not accepted (one-sitting expectation).. Liverpool — Resits accepted with explanation..

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). Higher grades essential due to weighting. Liverpool — Minimum 8 GCSEs including at least 5 subjects at grade 7/A and 3 at grade 6/B. Grade 6/B required in English Language, Mathematics and Science (dual science or Biology). GCSE requirements must be in place at the time of application — no pending grades accepted. Used only as minimum threshold beyond meeting the floor — UCAT + SJT + non-academic information form drive the ranking

Dundee's selection methodology: Combined academic + UCAT + MMI. Strong Scottish focus. SJT not used. Liverpool's selection methodology: GCSE attainment plus UCAT, considered together with the non-academic information form, then MMI. There is no UCAT cut-off to clear - only the GCSE minimum operates as a hard gate. 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.

Dundee: Scottish: 71/149 = 48%. RUK: 17/127 = 13%. Overseas: 28/58 = 48%.. Liverpool: Non-widening participation (2024): 89/402 = 22%.. 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%.

Dundee runs a Spiral curriculum. Liverpool runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Dundee specifics: Five-year BDS with spiral curriculum. Clinical placements at Dundee Dental Hospital and Tayside community sites. Liverpool specifics: Five-year BDS. Clinical placements at Liverpool University Dental Hospital and Cheshire & Merseyside 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

DundeeEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

LiverpoolEntry 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.

Dundee vs Liverpool

Side-by-side comparison

Dundee vs Liverpool - 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 Dundee vs Liverpool?

How do interviews differ between Dundee and Liverpool?

What A-Level grades do Dundee and Liverpool require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Dundee vs Liverpool?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Which has a higher post-interview offer rate, Dundee or Liverpool?

Where are Dundee and Liverpool located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Dundee and Liverpool use?

Should I apply to both Dundee and Liverpool?

Where to go next

Other dental school comparisons