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Dental school comparison

Plymouth vs UCLan (Graduate Dentistry)

Plymouth and UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) 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 UCAT thresholds are remarkably close (within ~35 points), so the deciding factors are GCSE weighting, interview format and personal-statement use. Their A-Level requirements (A*AA vs 2:1) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) is the older institution (founded 1828); 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
1990
UCAT home cut-off
~1990+/2700
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

UCLan (Graduate Dentistry)

Preston

Quick comparison

Location
Preston, UK
A-Level offer
CCC at A-level minimum (in addition to degree) including 2 of Biology / Physics / Chemistry / Mathematics
TrueScore
1810
UCAT home cut-off
Lowest UCAT score for 2025 entry: ~1810+ /2700
Interview format
MMI for both UK and international applicants
Post-interview chance
38/120 = 32% (2025).
Decision date
Spring
Compare different schools

Plymouth vs UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

Plymouth's published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 1990, while UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) sits at approximately 2025. Their UCAT bars are statistically indistinguishable (within 35 points), so the UCAT is unlikely to be your differentiator between them.

A-Level and academic profile

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).. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) requires 2:1 in biomedical discipline. GCSE English and maths grade B. CCC at A-level including 2 from biology/physics/chemistry/maths.. Plymouth is the stricter A-Level offer; UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview. GCSE profile matters at both schools — Plymouth: AAA at A-Level including Chemistry and Biology. GCSE Maths + English at grade 6+. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry): Not applicable - graduate-entry programme. Requires a 2:1 honours degree.

Interview formats

Both Plymouth and UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) 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; UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) runs mmi for both uk and international applicants. Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep. Interview windows: Plymouth interviews in February – April; UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) in Spring.

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. Four-year accelerated graduate-entry BDS. Preston-based with clinical placements across Lancashire NHS sites. Intake size: Plymouth — ~75 home places per year for BDS Dentistry (smaller cohort, regional focus).; UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) — ~30-50 places per year (small graduate-entry cohort).. 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%.. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry): 38/120 = 32% (2025).. 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. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry): Both UK and international applicants accepted - only one offer made each year to an international applicant. 2025: 353 applicants, 120 interviews, 38 offers (32%). Personal statements no longer used.

Which is right for you?

For applicants with predicted A-Level grades at the lower end of the AAA-A*AA range, UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) 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

Plymouth's typical home cut-off is around 1990, while UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) sits at approximately 2025 — a 35-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.

Plymouth uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Five-station MMI (online), ~55 minutes. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) uses Multiple Mini Interviews: MMI for both UK and international applicants. 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: February – April (Plymouth); Spring (UCLan (Graduate Dentistry)).

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).. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) requires 2:1 in biomedical discipline. GCSE English and maths grade B. CCC at A-level including 2 from biology/physics/chemistry/maths.. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Plymouth — Resits accepted.. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) — Not applicable to graduate entry..

Plymouth — AAA at A-Level including Chemistry and Biology. GCSE Maths + English at grade 6+. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) — Not applicable - graduate-entry programme. Requires a 2:1 honours degree.

Plymouth's selection methodology: UCAT + academic + MMI. Strong South-West focus. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry)'s selection methodology: UCAT + degree class + interview. Strong North-West regional 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.

Plymouth: Home: 132/499 = 26% (2025). Overseas: 8/28 = 29%. Home Foundation Year: 17/104 = 16%.. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry): 38/120 = 32% (2025).. 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 is in Plymouth, UK. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) is in Preston, 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).

Plymouth typically releases dentistry decisions Spring. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) 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.

Plymouth runs a PBL curriculum. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) 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. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) specifics: Four-year accelerated graduate-entry BDS. Preston-based with clinical placements across Lancashire NHS 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.