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Dental school comparison

Queen Mary (QMUL) vs UCLan (Graduate Dentistry)

Queen Mary (QMUL) and UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) are both UK dental schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Queen Mary (QMUL) is based in London (London) while UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) sits in Preston (England), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination. Their UCAT thresholds are remarkably close (within ~45 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. The interview formats diverge — Panel vs MMI — and the prep approaches for the two are fundamentally different.

Side-by-side comparison

Queen Mary (QMUL)

London

Quick comparison

Location
London, UK
A-Level offer
A*AA at A-level (offer and prediction) — single sitting, no more than 2 years. UCAS Tariff minimum 152 (A*AA delivers this).
TrueScore
2070
UCAT home cut-off
~2070+/2700
Interview format
Two-interviewer panel, online (January–February)
Post-interview chance
2025 - All applicants: 182/267 = 68%. Overseas: 13/22 = 59%.
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

Queen Mary (QMUL) vs UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

Queen Mary (QMUL)'s published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 2070, while UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) sits at approximately 2025. Their UCAT bars are statistically indistinguishable (within 45 points), so the UCAT is unlikely to be your differentiator between them.

A-Level and academic profile

Queen Mary (QMUL) requires A*AA in single sitting, no more than 2 years. Must include biology or chemistry + second science from chemistry/biology/physics/maths. Resit only with extenuating circumstances under Equality and Diversity Act 2010.. 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.. Queen Mary (QMUL) 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 — Queen Mary (QMUL): AAA at A-Level including Chemistry and Biology. Min 6 GCSEs at grade 6+. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry): Not applicable - graduate-entry programme. Requires a 2:1 honours degree.

Interview formats

Queen Mary (QMUL) uses Panel (Two-interviewer panel, online (January–February)); UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) uses MMI (MMI for both UK and international applicants). These two formats reward different skills — Panel emphasises narrative coherence and the ability to develop a thread under follow-up questioning, while MMI rewards breadth and quick recovery. If your strengths lie in conversational depth, Queen Mary (QMUL) may suit you more. If you prefer discrete capsule answers under time pressure, UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) is the better fit. Interview windows: Queen Mary (QMUL) interviews in January – February; UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) in Spring.

Curriculum and teaching style

Queen Mary (QMUL) runs a Integrated curriculum; UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) runs a PBL curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Queen Mary (QMUL) delivers more didactic lectures with structured systems-based progression, while UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) centres learning around clinical cases. Specifics: Five-year BDS at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. Clinical placements at Royal London Dental Hospital and East London community Four-year accelerated graduate-entry BDS. Preston-based with clinical placements across Lancashire NHS sites. Intake size: Queen Mary (QMUL) — ~80 home + ~20 international places per year for BDS Dentistry (Barts and The London).; 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

Queen Mary (QMUL): 2025 - All applicants: 182/267 = 68%. Overseas: 13/22 = 59%.. 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

Queen Mary (QMUL): QMUL-specific 4th decile minimum (2361 for 2024 + 2025). Anyone exceeding the UCAT cut-off gets an interview - higher predictions don't change anything. SJT band 4 automatically rejected. 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. Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Queen Mary (QMUL) feeds into the London foundation programme network; UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) into the England network. If you learn best in small-group case discussion, prefer UCLan (Graduate Dentistry); if you prefer lecture-led foundations, the other suits better. 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

Queen Mary (QMUL)'s typical home cut-off is around 2070, while UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) sits at approximately 2025 — a 45-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.

Queen Mary (QMUL) uses Panel interview: Two-interviewer panel, online (January–February). UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) uses Multiple Mini Interviews: MMI for both UK and international applicants. 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: January – February (Queen Mary (QMUL)); Spring (UCLan (Graduate Dentistry)).

Queen Mary (QMUL) requires A*AA in single sitting, no more than 2 years. Must include biology or chemistry + second science from chemistry/biology/physics/maths. Resit only with extenuating circumstances under Equality and Diversity Act 2010.. 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: Queen Mary (QMUL) — Resits considered with explanation.. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) — Not applicable to graduate entry..

Queen Mary (QMUL) — AAA at A-Level including Chemistry and Biology. Min 6 GCSEs at grade 6+. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) — Not applicable - graduate-entry programme. Requires a 2:1 honours degree.

Queen Mary (QMUL)'s selection methodology: UCAT + academic + MMI. SJT used post-interview. Strong East London 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.

Queen Mary (QMUL): 2025 - All applicants: 182/267 = 68%. Overseas: 13/22 = 59%.. 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%.

Queen Mary (QMUL) is in London, 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).

Queen Mary (QMUL) 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.

Queen Mary (QMUL) runs a Integrated curriculum. UCLan (Graduate Dentistry) runs a PBL curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Queen Mary (QMUL) specifics: Five-year BDS at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. Clinical placements at Royal London Dental Hospital and East London 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.