Where are Plymouth and Sheffield located, and how does that affect cost?

Plymouth is in Plymouth, UK. Sheffield is in Sheffield, UK. Tuition is £9,250/year at both for UK home applicants; the main cost difference is accommodation (London accommodation typically runs 30-50% above the national average).

When does each school release decisions?

Plymouth typically releases dentistry decisions Spring. Sheffield 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

Plymouth vs Sheffield

Plymouth and Sheffield are both UK dental schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Both sit in England, so location and clinical-placement breadth are similar — the differentiation comes from selection methodology, interview style and curriculum philosophy. Their A-Level requirements (A*AA vs AAA) 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. Sheffield is the older institution (founded 1898); the other (founded 2007) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Plymouth and Sheffield.
Comparison field	PlymouthPlymouth	SheffieldSheffield
Quick comparison
Location	Plymouth, UK	Sheffield, 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	AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry and Biology, plus a pass in the practical element of any science A-levels taken
TrueScore	Plymouth TrueScore 1990	Sheffield TrueScore 2050
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.	Sheffield does not publish a dentistry UCAT cut-off. Applicants who clear the academic and UCAT criteria are ranked on UCAT score, so the effective bar moves each cycle with the strength of the field.
Interview format	Five-station MMI (online), ~55 minutes	Semi-structured face-to-face 15 min in-person panel + group task (Feb 20–27)
Post-interview chance	Home: 132/499 = 26% (2025). Overseas: 8/28 = 29%. Home Foundation Year: 17/104 = 16%.	Home applicants: 132/317 = 42% (2024). International: 4/11 = 36%. Typically ~130 offers and ~350 interviews.
Decision date	Spring	March onwards

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	AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry and Biology, plus a pass in the practical element of any science A-levels taken
Contextual A-Level offer	AAB at A-level for widening-access applicants — A in Biology and A in a second science from Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology	AAB at A-level for Access Sheffield (widening-access) applicants — including Chemistry and Biology with practical-element pass
Required A-Level subjects	Biology required at grade A, plus a second science from Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology at grade A	Chemistry and Biology both required
A-Level resit policy	Resits accepted: with predicted grades, minimum ABB on first sitting (ABC for widening access). If applying with achieved A-level resit grades, first-sitting requirements waived.	Resits accepted: must have achieved BBB on first sitting, otherwise can only apply with achieved results
GCSE requirements	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	Six GCSEs at grade 7/A including English Language, Mathematics, and Science (Chemistry and Biology, or Dual Science). "One or two B/6 grades consider applying once you have achieved your A-levels" (2026 open day).
GCSE scoring methodology	Used as minimum threshold only — Plymouth does not consider personal statements or work experience when selecting for interview	Used as minimum threshold only — once met, shortlisting is solely by UCAT (top 25 percentile required)
Scottish Highers	Scottish Highers NOT accepted — Plymouth Dental School requires Advanced Highers only	AAABB at Higher (five Highers including Chemistry and Biology)
Scottish Advanced Highers	AAA at Advanced Higher including grade A in Biology and grade A in one further science from Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology	AA at Advanced Higher in Chemistry and Biology
International Baccalaureate	36–38 points overall, with HL 6 in Biology and HL 6 in one further science from Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology	36 points overall, with HL 6 in Chemistry and Biology
Graduate-entry degree requirement	Applicants must have achieved or be predicted to achieve a 1st (70%) or higher in a University of Plymouth School of Biomedical Science programme	2:1 (Upper-second-class Honours) or above in a Bachelor's degree in a related or core science subject. UCAT still required.
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 1 or 2 required for 2026 entry
UCAT notes	The SJT is not used under the selection policy. The UCAT must be sat in the year of application and is used by the Admissions Advisory Panel alongside academic qualifications to select for interview;…	There is no UCAT reduction for Access applicants. An SJT of Band 1 or 2 is expected for 2026 entry.

Degree awarded	BDS	BDS
Course length	5 years	5 years
Teaching style	Integrated	Integrated
Anatomy teaching	-	-
First patient contact	Year 1	Year 1
Placement geography	Devon and Cornwall	Sheffield and the surrounding region
Named placement sites	Portland Square (Plymouth main campus), Devonport Dental Education Facility, Derriford (Plymouth), Exeter Dental Education Facility, Truro Dental Education Facility	-
Intercalation	Selected students may intercalate between year 3 and year 4, taking a one-year MSc in the Plymouth research laboratories.	-
Course highlight	Won a Times Higher Education Award in 2023 for contribution to the community.	The Dental Practice Unit is set up as a general practice, where students work in their own surgery with the close support of a nurse and minimal supervision.

Interview window	February – April	20–27 February
Interview details	Online MMI format. 5 stations of ~11 minutes each by 4 different interviewers. Each station has a 'red flag' section - Yes/No reflecting suitability for the programme. One MMI station dedicated to a m…	MMI format with stations covering motivation for dentistry, ethical reasoning, communication and personal qualities. Topics for each station often signposted on the admissions website.

Specialities	Dentistry (BDS)	Dentistry (BDS)
Established	2007	1898
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	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.	All applicants must be SJT band 1 or 2 for 2026 entry. Applicants clearing the academic and UCAT criteria are then ranked on UCAT score, so the effective bar sits well up the national distribution and…
Official course page	https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/bds-dental-surgery	https://sheffield.ac.uk/dentalschool

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

Sheffield

Quick comparison

Location: Sheffield, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry and Biology, plus a pass in the practical element of any science A-levels taken
TrueScore: Sheffield TrueScore 2050
UCAT home cut-off: Sheffield does not publish a dentistry UCAT cut-off. Applicants who clear the academic and UCAT criteria are ranked on UCAT score, so the effective bar moves each cycle with the strength of the field.
Interview format: Semi-structured face-to-face 15 min in-person panel + group task (Feb 20–27)
Post-interview chance: Home applicants: 132/317 = 42% (2024). International: 4/11 = 36%. Typically ~130 offers and ~350 interviews.
Decision date: March onwards

Plymouth vs Sheffield - in detail

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.

Sheffield requires AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry and Biology, plus a pass in the practical element of any science A-levels taken.

Plymouth is the stricter A-Level offer; Sheffield is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, Sheffield 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… Sheffield: Six GCSEs at grade 7/A including English Language, Mathematics, and Science (Chemistry and Biology, or Dual Science).

"One or two B/6 grades consider applying once you have achieved your A-levels"…

Interview formats

Plymouth uses MMI (Five-station MMI (online), ~55 minutes); Sheffield uses Panel (Semi-structured face-to-face 15 min in-person panel + group task (Feb 20–27)). 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, Sheffield may suit you more. If you prefer discrete capsule answers under time pressure, Plymouth is the better fit.

Interview windows: Plymouth interviews in February – April; Sheffield in 20–27 February.

Curriculum and teaching style

Both schools deliver a PBL-style curriculum, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar across years 1-3.

Specifics: Five-year BDS with PBL. Plymouth Peninsula Dental School - clinical placements across South-West community sites. Five-year BDS with PBL. Clinical placements at Charles Clifford Dental Hospital and Yorkshire community sites.

Intake size: Plymouth — ~75 home places per year for BDS Dentistry (smaller cohort, regional focus).; Sheffield — ~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

Plymouth: Home: 132/499 = 26% (2025). Overseas: 8/28 = 29%. Home Foundation Year: 17/104 = 16%. Sheffield: Home applicants: 132/317 = 42% (2024). International: 4/11 = 36%. Typically ~130 offers and ~350 interviews.

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.

Sheffield: All applicants must be SJT band 1 or 2 for 2026 entry. Applicants clearing the academic and UCAT criteria are then ranked on UCAT score, so the effective bar sits well up the national distribution and moves each cycle - Sheffield does not publish a figure. Tighter SJT and UCAT requirements than at most other dental schools.

Which is right for you?

For applicants with predicted A-Level grades at the lower end of the AAA-A*AA range, Sheffield is the lower-risk academic option. Both schools sit in the same England foundation-programme catchment, so post-graduation training paths overlap heavily.

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. Plymouth guidance: 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.. Sheffield guidance: Sheffield does not publish a dentistry UCAT cut-off. Applicants who clear the academic and UCAT criteria are ranked on UCAT score, so the effective bar moves each cycle with the strength of the field..

Plymouth uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Five-station MMI (online), ~55 minutes. Sheffield uses Panel interview: Semi-structured face-to-face 15 min in-person panel + group task (Feb 20–27). 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: February – April (Plymouth); 20–27 February (Sheffield).

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).. Sheffield requires AAA prediction and offer. Must include chemistry and biology. Resit accepted with achieved BBB on first sitting, else apply with achieved results.. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Plymouth — Resits accepted.. Sheffield — Resits accepted: only subjects that don't meet requirements may be re-sat, only one resit, all in same sitting..

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 not consider personal statements or work experience when selecting for interview Sheffield — Six GCSEs at grade 7/A including English Language, Mathematics, and Science (Chemistry and Biology, or Dual Science). "One or two B/6 grades consider applying once you have achieved your A-levels" (2026 open day). Used as minimum threshold only — once met, shortlisting is solely by UCAT (top 25 percentile required)

Plymouth's selection methodology: UCAT + academic + MMI. Strong South-West focus. Sheffield's selection methodology: Once GCSE minimums met, shortlisting is solely by UCAT. Sheffield BDS uses similar selection algorithm to Sheffield medicine. 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.

Plymouth: Home: 132/499 = 26% (2025). Overseas: 8/28 = 29%. Home Foundation Year: 17/104 = 16%.. Sheffield: Home applicants: 132/317 = 42% (2024). International: 4/11 = 36%. Typically ~130 offers and ~350 interviews.. 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%.

Plymouth runs a PBL curriculum. Sheffield runs a PBL curriculum. Both schools deliver teaching in the same broad style, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar. Plymouth specifics: Five-year BDS with PBL. Plymouth Peninsula Dental School - clinical placements across South-West community sites. Sheffield specifics: Five-year BDS with PBL. Clinical placements at Charles Clifford Dental Hospital and Yorkshire 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

PlymouthEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

SheffieldEntry 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.

Plymouth vs Sheffield

Side-by-side comparison

Plymouth vs Sheffield - 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 Plymouth vs Sheffield?

How do interviews differ between Plymouth and Sheffield?

What A-Level grades do Plymouth and Sheffield require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Plymouth vs Sheffield?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Which has a higher post-interview offer rate, Plymouth or Sheffield?

Where are Plymouth and Sheffield located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Plymouth and Sheffield use?

Should I apply to both Plymouth and Sheffield?

Where to go next

Other dental school comparisons