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

Glasgow is in Glasgow, UK. Queen Mary (QMUL) is in London, 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?

Glasgow typically releases dentistry decisions March onwards. 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

Glasgow vs Queen Mary (QMUL)

Glasgow and Queen Mary (QMUL) are both UK dental schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Glasgow is based in Glasgow (Scotland) 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: Glasgow and Queen Mary (QMUL).
Comparison field	GlasgowGlasgow	Queen Mary (QMUL)London
Quick comparison
Location	Glasgow, UK	London, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology. Resits only with genuine extenuating circumstances.	AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) — single sitting, no more than 2 years. UCAS Tariff minimum 152 (AAA delivers this).
TrueScore	Glasgow TrueScore 1920	Queen Mary (QMUL) TrueScore 2210
UCAT home cut-off	~1850+ RUK; Scottish ~1810+	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 Interview (MMI)	Two-interviewer panel, online (January–February)
Post-interview chance	Scottish: 76/108 = 70%. RUK: 42/70 = 60%. International: 22/27 = 81%.	2025 - All applicants: 182/267 = 68%. Overseas: 13/22 = 59%.
Decision date	March onwards	Spring

A-Level offer	AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology. Resits only with genuine extenuating circumstances.	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	-	Reduced offer available for East London / contextual applicants
Required A-Level subjects	Chemistry and Biology both required at grade A	Biology or Chemistry required, plus a second science from Chemistry / Biology / Physics / Mathematics
A-Level resit policy	Resits considered with extenuating circumstances only.	Resits only with extenuating circumstances falling under the Equality and Diversity Act 2010
GCSE requirements	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+.	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	-	Used as minimum threshold once met — UCAT and UCAS tariff drive the ranking. No longer at a 50:50 UCAS:UCAT weighting.
Scottish Highers	AAAAB at Higher with Biology and Chemistry at grade A, plus Higher Mathematics or Physics, and National 5 English at grade B.	AAA at Higher
Scottish Advanced Highers	BB at Advanced Higher; three subjects in S6 must include Advanced Higher Biology and Chemistry.	AA at Advanced Higher
International Baccalaureate	36 points overall with 6,6,6 at Higher Level including Chemistry and Biology, plus Mathematics or Physics at Higher Level (Standard Level 6 considered if HL is not possible).	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)	~1920+ /2700	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	~1970+ /2700	-
International cut-off	~1920+ /2700	-
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	No use of SJT in selection	Band 4 automatically rejected. Used post-interview in offer-making (likely minimal weighting).
UCAT notes	No SJT use. 2025 data not until December.	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	Glasgow and the west of Scotland	East London
Named placement sites	Glasgow Dental Hospital & School	The Royal London Dental Institute
Intercalation	-	-
Course highlight	A mandatory elective study period includes international options.	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	December – February	January – February
Interview details	Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) circuit. Personal statement and reference must meet minimum requirements for shortlisting; stations probe motivation, ethics and reflection.	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	1879	1843
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	Wholly UCAT-based shortlisting once minimum PS and reference requirements are met. Personal statement is reviewed prior to offer-making but not formally scored.	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.gla.ac.uk/undergraduate/degrees/dentistry/	https://www.qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/coursefinder/courses/2026/dentistry/

Glasgow

Quick comparison

Location: Glasgow, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology. Resits only with genuine extenuating circumstances.
TrueScore: Glasgow TrueScore 1920
UCAT home cut-off: ~1850+ RUK; Scottish ~1810+
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interview (MMI)
Post-interview chance: Scottish: 76/108 = 70%. RUK: 42/70 = 60%. International: 22/27 = 81%.
Decision date: March onwards

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

Glasgow vs Queen Mary (QMUL) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

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

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; Glasgow is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, Glasgow carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — 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+. 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

Glasgow uses MMI (Multiple Mini Interview (MMI)); 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, Glasgow is the better fit.

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

Curriculum and teaching style

Glasgow runs a PBL curriculum; Queen Mary (QMUL) runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Glasgow 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 built around problem-based learning. Clinical placements at Glasgow Dental Hospital and West-of-Scotland 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: Glasgow — ~75 places per year (Scottish + RUK + small international).; 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

Glasgow: Scottish: 76/108 = 70%. RUK: 42/70 = 60%. International: 22/27 = 81%. 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

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.

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, Glasgow is the lower-risk academic option. Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Glasgow feeds into the Scotland foundation programme network; Queen Mary (QMUL) into the London network.

If you learn best in small-group case discussion, prefer Glasgow; 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. Glasgow guidance: ~1850+ RUK; Scottish ~1810+. 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..

Glasgow uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interview (MMI). 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: December – February (Glasgow); January – February (Queen Mary (QMUL)).

Glasgow requires AAA including chemistry and biology. Resit only with genuine extenuating circumstances.. 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: Glasgow — Resits considered with extenuating circumstances only.. Queen Mary (QMUL) — Resits considered with explanation..

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+. 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.

Glasgow's selection methodology: UCAT + academic + MMI. Strong Scottish + RUK focus. Personal statement reviewed but not scored. 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.

Glasgow: Scottish: 76/108 = 70%. RUK: 42/70 = 60%. International: 22/27 = 81%.. 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%.

Glasgow runs a PBL curriculum. Queen Mary (QMUL) runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Glasgow specifics: Five-year BDS built around problem-based learning. Clinical placements at Glasgow Dental Hospital and West-of-Scotland 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

GlasgowEntry 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.

Glasgow vs Queen Mary (QMUL)

Side-by-side comparison

Glasgow 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 Glasgow vs Queen Mary (QMUL)?

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

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

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

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

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

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

When does each school release decisions?

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

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

Where to go next

Other dental school comparisons