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Dental school comparison

Plymouth vs Queen's University Belfast

Plymouth and Queen's University Belfast are both UK dental schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Plymouth is based in Plymouth (England) while Queen's University Belfast sits in Belfast (Northern Ireland), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.

Their UCAT thresholds are remarkably close (within ~2 points), so the deciding factors are GCSE weighting, interview format and personal-statement use. Their A-Level requirements (A*AA vs AAA) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers. Queen's University Belfast is the older institution (founded 1845); the other (founded 2007) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Plymouth

Plymouth

Quick comparison

Location
Plymouth, UK
A-Level offer
A*AA – AAB at A-level (offer depends on cohort strength) including grade A in Biology and grade A in a second science from Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology
TrueScore
Plymouth TrueScore 1990
UCAT home cut-off
Not published on the current scale. The average thresholds Plymouth published for the 2023-2025 cycles were measured on the retired /3600 four-subtest test and cannot be converted to /2700 - removing a subtest does not scale a score.
Interview format
Five-station MMI (online), ~55 minutes
Post-interview chance
Home: 132/499 = 26% (2025). Overseas: 8/28 = 29%. Home Foundation Year: 17/104 = 16%.
Decision date
Spring

Queen's University Belfast

Belfast

Quick comparison

Location
Belfast, UK
A-Level offer
AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (or Human Biology)
TrueScore
Queen's University Belfast TrueScore 1750
UCAT home cut-off
School-leaver threshold 36+ points (out of 42) for 2025; 38, 37 needed in 2024, 2023 - translates approx to 5×9s + 4×8s + ~1850+/2700 UCAT. Equivalent ~36/45 also gets in 2026 cycle.
Interview format
MMI / panel format
Post-interview chance
All applicants (2024): 87/204 = 43%.
Decision date
March onwards

Plymouth vs Queen's University Belfast - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

Plymouth's published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 2023, while Queen's University Belfast sits at approximately 2025.

Their UCAT bars are statistically indistinguishable (within 2 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.

A-Level and academic profile

Plymouth requires A*AA – AAB at A-level (offer depends on cohort strength) including grade A in Biology and grade A in a second science from Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology.

Queen's University Belfast requires AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (or Human Biology).

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.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Plymouth: Seven GCSEs at grade 4/C or above, must include English Language, Mathematics, and either 4-4 Dual Science or two from Biology / Chemistry / Physics. Used as minimum threshold only — Plymouth does… Queen's University Belfast: Minimum 9 GCSEs scored — best 9 GCSEs are used in shortlisting.

Best 9 GCSEs scored /36: A*/9 = 4 pts, A/7-8 = 3 pts, B/6 = 2 pts, C/4-5 = 1 pt. GCSE = 80% of pre-interview score (UCAT 20%). Half…

Interview formats

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.

Post-interview offer rate

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.

What makes each distinctive

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.

Which is right for you?

For applicants with predicted A-Level grades at the lower end of the AAA-A*AA range, Queen's University Belfast is the lower-risk academic option. Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Plymouth feeds into the England foundation programme network; Queen's University Belfast into the Northern Ireland network.

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

Plymouth's typical home cut-off is around 2023, while Queen's University Belfast sits at approximately 2025 — a 2-point spread. The spread is small enough that other factors (GCSE weighting, interview score, contextual flags) usually dominate the firm/insurance decision. Cut-offs change year on year and vary by tier — check each school's latest published threshold before submitting your UCAS form.

Where to go next

PlymouthEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full
Queen's University BelfastEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Other dental school comparisons

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed .