Plymouth vs UCLan (Graduate Dentistry)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.