Plymouth vs Queen's University Belfast

Plymouth's published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 1990, while Queen's University Belfast sits at approximately 2025.

Their UCAT bars are statistically indistinguishable (within 35 points), so the UCAT is unlikely to be your differentiator between them.

Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — Plymouth: not separately disclosed; Queen's University Belfast: Different combinations valid - very low deciles accepted with 9× grade 9s at GCSE. Eligible applicants should weight this heavily when choosing.

Plymouth requires A*AA – AAA offer (AAB widening access - A in biology + second science). Including biology and a second science from chemistry/physics/maths/psychology. Resit (with predicted grades): minimum ABB on first sitting (or ABC WP).

Queen's University Belfast requires AAA including chemistry and biology/human biology. Resit: only those who applied to QUB Dentistry on first attempt and held an offer (if made) as conditional firm - then awarded 36/36 on academics.

Plymouth is the stricter A-Level offer; Queen's University Belfast is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, Queen's University Belfast carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

Both Plymouth and Queen's University Belfast 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: Plymouth runs five-station mmi (online), ~55 minutes; Queen's University Belfast runs mmi / panel format. Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep.

Interview windows: Plymouth interviews in February – April; Queen's University Belfast in December – February.

Plymouth: Home: 132/499 = 26% (2025). Overseas: 8/28 = 29%. Home Foundation Year: 17/104 = 16%. Queen's University Belfast: All applicants (2024): 87/204 = 43%.

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.

Plymouth: Interview-score-based offer making. Personal statements and work experience are NOT considered for interview selection - UCAT and academic minimums alone determine who reaches interview.

Queen's University Belfast: Scoring system changed: total now /45 (UCAT /9 not /6). UK students scored on UCAT decile + best 9 GCSEs (9 = 4 pts, 7/8 = 3 pts, 6 = 2 pts, 4/5 = 1 pt). Achieved A-levels meeting requirements = 36/36. International students: no UCAT needed; assessed holistically. 15 overseas places.