Where are Aberdeen and Imperial College London located, and how does that affect cost?

Aberdeen is in Aberdeen, UK. Imperial College London is in London, UK. Scottish-domiciled applicants funded by SAAS pay no tuition fees at Scottish medical schools — a substantial funding advantage worth tens of thousands of pounds over the degree. Rest-of-UK applicants still pay £9,250/year.

When does each school release decisions?

Aberdeen typically releases medicine decisions March/April. Imperial College London releases medicine 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.

Medical school comparison

Aberdeen vs Imperial College London

Aberdeen and Imperial College London are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Aberdeen is based in Aberdeen (Scotland) while Imperial College London sits in London (London), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination. Their A-Level requirements (AAA vs A*AA) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers.

Aberdeen is the older institution (founded 1495); the other (founded 1907) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Aberdeen and Imperial College London.
Comparison field	AberdeenAberdeen	Imperial College LondonLondon
Quick comparison
Location	Aberdeen, UK	London, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level	AAA including A and A in Biology and Chemistry (A* in either) plus A in a third subject. All qualifications must be taken in the same sitting; General Studies and Critical Thinking are not accepted, and a pass in the science practical endorsement is required.
TrueScore	Aberdeen TrueScore 1700	Imperial College London TrueScore 2340
UCAT home cut-off	-	2320+ /2700 (2026 entry official cut-off)
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	RUK 74/165 = 45% (2025); Scottish 736/863 = 85%; International 101/140 = 72%	Good. Imperial interviews only about the top third of applicants, then makes offers against 345 places from the 852 (2025 entry) and 870 (2026 entry) candidates it invited - so well over half of interviewees receive an offer. The offer threshold moves each year and is set separately for widening-participation applicants.
Decision date	March/April	March onwards

A-Level offer	AAA at A-level	AAA including A and A in Biology and Chemistry (A* in either) plus A in a third subject. All qualifications must be taken in the same sitting; General Studies and Critical Thinking are not accepted, and a pass in the science practical endorsement is required.
Contextual A-Level offer	-	AAA - the same grades as the standard offer, but the A may be in any subject rather than in Biology or Chemistry
Required A-Level subjects	Chemistry required, plus one of Biology / Human Biology / Mathematics / Physics, plus one other subject	Chemistry and Biology both required
A-Level resit policy	Resits only accepted with serious extenuating circumstances or personal difficulties	Resit qualifications not accepted
GCSE requirements	English Language and Mathematics at grade 6/B or above. A combination of grade 6–9 GCSEs expected, especially in sciences. National 5 (Scottish): English and Maths at B/6 minimum.	Grade 6/B in GCSE English Language. No further GCSE requirements.
GCSE scoring methodology	GCSEs are not used in scoring - minimum threshold only (2025 entry onwards)	GCSE used only as minimum threshold - not used to rank applicants beyond meeting the floor
Scottish Highers	AAAAB at one sitting including Chemistry plus two of Biology / Human Biology / Mathematics / Physics. AAAB for widening-access applicants.	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	36 points overall, including HL 6,6,6 with HL Chemistry plus HL Maths / Biology / Physics, and one other HL subject	38 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level including Chemistry and Biology
Graduate-entry degree requirement	-	Graduate applicants accepted on the standard 6-year MBBS - typically holding 2:1 or higher in any subject, plus required A-level Chemistry and Biology grades
Alternative qualifications	-	-

Contextual cut-off	SIMD20 and care-experienced school leavers receive a 10% uplift on their UCAT score; SIMD40 school leavers receive 5%.	2170+ /2700 (2026 entry official contextual cut-off)
Scottish (where applicable)	No cut-off. Scotland-domiciled applicants are guaranteed an interview if they meet the minimum academic requirements and their UCAT sits within the top 75% of scores from Aberdeen applicants.	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	-	2310+ /2700 (2026 entry official cut-off)
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	No use of SJT - band 4 accepted	Band 4 rejected, otherwise B1, B2 & B3 equal
UCAT notes	Aberdeen does not use a minimum UCAT cut-off at all. Your score is converted into points relative to every other Aberdeen applicant that year, and feeds a total of academic attainment 30%, UCAT 20% an…	Imperial sets the threshold each year by ranking candidate UCAT scores against the number of interview slots, so it moves annually. The personal statement is not graded in shortlisting, but it is hand…

Degree awarded	MBChB	MBBS/BSc
Course length	5 years	6 years (BSc built in)
Teaching style	Integrated	Case-based learning + Team-based learning
Anatomy teaching	-	-
First patient contact	Year 1	Year 1
Placement geography	Grampian, the Highlands and the Scottish islands	West and central London
Named placement sites	Aberdeen Royal Infirmary	Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (Charing Cross, Hammersmith, St Mary’s, Western Eye), Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London North West Healthcare NHS Trust (Ealing, Northwick Park), Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust, Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust, West Middlesex University Hospital
Intercalation	A one-year intercalated honours degree in Medical Science or Medical Humanities at the end of year 3 or 4.	Not a separate option — the BSc is integral to the six-year course.
Course highlight	The world’s first full-body MRI scanner was developed and built by researchers at Aberdeen.	Exceptional students may be offered the opportunity to include a PhD as part of their studies.

Interview window	December - March	December - February
Interview details	Multiple Mini Interview format with applicants rotating through several stations. Each station has two interviewers and assesses a specific competency such as motivation, ethical reasoning, communicat…	A single live MMI. Imperial ran six stations for 2026 entry, each scored out of 6 and combined into one interview total. Published station themes are teamwork and leadership, motivation to study medic…

Specialities	Medicine, Medical Sciences, Rural Health	Medicine, Bioengineering, Public Health
Established	1495	1907
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	Shortlisting weights academic 60% (A-level scores) / UCAT 40%. Scottish-domiciled applicants in the top 75% academically receive guaranteed interview. Care leavers and Quintile 1 postcode applicants r…	Heavy emphasis on scientific reasoning and the integrated London course structure. Around a quarter of places are now reserved for international applicants. UCAT is the primary shortlisting factor, wi…
Official course page	https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/degree-programmes/796/A100/medicine-5-years/	https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/medicine/

Aberdeen

Quick comparison

Location: Aberdeen, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level
TrueScore: Aberdeen TrueScore 1700
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: RUK 74/165 = 45% (2025); Scottish 736/863 = 85%; International 101/140 = 72%
Decision date: March/April

Imperial College London

London

Quick comparison

Location: London, UK
A-Level offer: A*AA including A* and A in Biology and Chemistry (A* in either) plus A in a third subject. All qualifications must be taken in the same sitting; General Studies and Critical Thinking are not accepted, and a pass in the science practical endorsement is required.
TrueScore: Imperial College London TrueScore 2340
UCAT home cut-off: 2320+ /2700 (2026 entry official cut-off)
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: Good. Imperial interviews only about the top third of applicants, then makes offers against 345 places from the 852 (2025 entry) and 870 (2026 entry) candidates it invited - so well over half of interviewees receive an offer. The offer threshold moves each year and is set separately for widening-participation applicants.
Decision date: March onwards

Aberdeen vs Imperial College London - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Aberdeen requires AAA at A-level.

Imperial College London requires A*AA including A* and A in Biology and Chemistry (A* in either) plus A in a third subject. All qualifications must be taken in the same sitting; General Studies and Critical Thinking are not accepted, and a pass in the science practical endorsement is required.

Imperial College London is the stricter A-Level offer; Aberdeen is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, Aberdeen carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Aberdeen: English Language and Mathematics at grade 6/B or above. A combination of grade 6–9 GCSEs expected, especially in sciences. National 5 (Scottish): English and Maths at B/6 minimum. GCSEs are not used… Imperial College London: Grade 6/B in GCSE English Language. No further GCSE requirements.

GCSE used only as minimum threshold - not used to rank applicants beyond meeting the floor

Interview formats

Both Aberdeen and Imperial College London 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.

Interview windows: Aberdeen interviews in December - March; Imperial College London in December - February.

Curriculum and teaching style

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

Specifics: Five-year MBChB with early clinical exposure from Year 1. Distinctive remote/rural placement strand in Highlands and Western Isles. Six-year MBBS BSc with integrated science teaching from Year 1. Compulsory intercalated BSc in Year 4. Clinical placements from Year 3 across Imperial

Intake size: Aberdeen — ~257 Scottish + ~24 RUK + ~39 International per year (2025 entry data).; Imperial College London — A government-capped target intake of 345: 271 home places and 74 overseas, one of the largest international intakes in the UK.. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Post-interview offer rate

The offer threshold moves each year and is set separately for widening-participation applicants.

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

Aberdeen: Shortlisting weights academic 60% (A-level scores) / UCAT 40%. Scottish-domiciled applicants in the top 75% academically receive guaranteed interview. Care leavers and Quintile 1 postcode applicants receive a 10% UCAT uplift; Quintile 2 receives 5%.

Imperial College London: Heavy emphasis on scientific reasoning and the integrated London course structure. Around a quarter of places are now reserved for international applicants. UCAT is the primary shortlisting factor, with personal-statement use limited to exceptional cases.

Which is right for you?

For applicants with predicted A-Level grades at the lower end of the AAA-A*AA range, Aberdeen is the lower-risk academic option. Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Aberdeen feeds into the Scotland foundation programme network; Imperial College London into the London 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 or six 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. Aberdeen guidance: Aberdeen does not use a minimum UCAT cut-off at all. Your score is converted into points relative to every other Aberdeen applicant that year, and feeds a total of academic attainment 30%, UCAT 20% and interview 50%. Applicants are ranked on that total, so UCAT is only a fifth of the decision and the interview is half of it.. Imperial College London guidance: 2320+ /2700 (2026 entry official cut-off).

Aberdeen uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). Imperial College London uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). 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: December - March (Aberdeen); December - February (Imperial College London).

Aberdeen requires AAA including Chemistry, plus one of Biology, Human Biology, Mathematics or Physics, plus one other subject. Imperial College London requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology, with the A* in Chemistry or Biology. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Aberdeen — Resits considered with strong justification.. Imperial College London — Resits not generally accepted for first-attempt A-Levels..

Aberdeen — English Language and Mathematics at grade 6/B or above. A combination of grade 6–9 GCSEs expected, especially in sciences. National 5 (Scottish): English and Maths at B/6 minimum. GCSEs are not used in scoring - minimum threshold only (2025 entry onwards) Imperial College London — Grade 6/B in GCSE English Language. No further GCSE requirements. GCSE used only as minimum threshold - not used to rank applicants beyond meeting the floor

Aberdeen's selection methodology: Aberdeen scores academic attainment and predictions at 30%, UCAT at 20% and interview performance at 50%, then ranks applicants on the total; those above the required threshold are interviewed and may then be offered a place. There is no minimum UCAT cut-off - your score is converted to points relative to all other Aberdeen applicants that year. Scotland-domiciled applicants who meet the academic minimum and sit within the top 75% of Aberdeen's UCAT scores are guaranteed an interview. Imperial College London's selection methodology: Around top ⅓ of applicants interviewed. Mainly UCAT-based shortlisting (special-circumstances applicants reviewed case-by-case). SJT band 4 rejected; B1/B2/B3 treated equally. 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.

Aberdeen: RUK 74/165 = 45% (2025); Scottish 736/863 = 85%; International 101/140 = 72%. Imperial College London: Good. Imperial interviews only about the top third of applicants, then makes offers against 345 places from the 852 (2025 entry) and 870 (2026 entry) candidates it invited - so well over half of interviewees receive an offer. The offer threshold moves each year and is set separately for widening-participation applicants.. 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%.

Aberdeen runs a Integrated curriculum. Imperial College London runs a Integrated curriculum. Both schools deliver teaching in the same broad style, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar. Aberdeen specifics: Five-year MBChB with early clinical exposure from Year 1. Distinctive remote/rural placement strand in Highlands and Western Isles. Imperial College London specifics: Six-year MBBS BSc with integrated science teaching from Year 1. Compulsory intercalated BSc in Year 4. Clinical placements from Year 3 across Imperial-affiliated NHS Trusts in west London.

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

AberdeenEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Imperial College LondonEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Other medical school comparisons

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 19 September 2026.

Aberdeen vs Imperial College London

Side-by-side comparison

Aberdeen vs Imperial College London - 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 Aberdeen vs Imperial College London?

How do interviews differ between Aberdeen and Imperial College London?

What A-Level grades do Aberdeen and Imperial College London require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Aberdeen vs Imperial College London?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Which has a higher post-interview offer rate, Aberdeen or Imperial College London?

Where are Aberdeen and Imperial College London located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Aberdeen and Imperial College London use?

Should I apply to both Aberdeen and Imperial College London?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons