Anglia Ruskin (ARU) vs Barts and The London (Queen Mary)

Anglia Ruskin (ARU)'s published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 2010, while Barts and The London (Queen Mary) sits at approximately 2000.

Their UCAT bars are statistically indistinguishable (within 10 points), so the UCAT is unlikely to be your differentiator between them.

Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — Anglia Ruskin (ARU): 1960+ East of England, 1920+ WAMS or Essex, 1870+ East of England + WAMS, 1830+ Essex + WAMS. FSM/care-experienced applicants invited regardless of UCAT (provided academic + band 1–3 SJT); Barts and The London (Queen Mary): not separately disclosed. Eligible applicants should weight this heavily when choosing.

Anglia Ruskin (ARU) requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology.

Barts and The London (Queen Mary) requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology/Physics/Mathematics.

Barts and The London (Queen Mary) is the stricter A-Level offer; Anglia Ruskin (ARU) is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, Anglia Ruskin (ARU) carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Anglia Ruskin (ARU): Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, Biology, Chemistry (or dual-award Science). Barts and The London (Queen Mary): Min 6 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science.

Anglia Ruskin (ARU) uses MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)); Barts and The London (Queen Mary) uses Panel (Panel interview with two senior academic or clinical staff, sometimes a lay selector (online)). 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, Barts and The London (Queen Mary) may suit you more. If you prefer discrete capsule answers under time pressure, Anglia Ruskin (ARU) is the better fit.

Interview windows: Anglia Ruskin (ARU) interviews in December - March; Barts and The London (Queen Mary) in December - February.

Anglia Ruskin (ARU) runs a PBL curriculum; Barts and The London (Queen Mary) runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Anglia Ruskin (ARU) leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while Barts and The London (Queen Mary) uses a more traditional lecture-led structure.

Specifics: Five-year MBChB with PBL and case-based learning. Chelmsford-based with placements across East of England NHS sites (Mid & South Essex, Cambridge Univ Five-year MBBS with integrated theory and clinical practice. Strong East London NHS placement network (Royal London, Whipps Cross, Newham, Mile End).

Intake size: Anglia Ruskin (ARU) — ~100 home places per year (predominantly UK applicants).; Barts and The London (Queen Mary) — ~290 home + ~30 international places per year (one of the larger UK medical schools).. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Anglia Ruskin (ARU): UK Applicants: 463/648 = 71% (2025). Barts and The London (Queen Mary): UK Undergrad: 948/1294 = 73% (2025); International: 61/159 = 38%; A101 Graduate Medicine: 55/127 = 43%.

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.

Anglia Ruskin (ARU): Local applicants (East of England, especially Essex) get a UCAT cut-off reduction. Free School Meals or care-experienced applicants are invited to interview regardless of UCAT score, provided academic and SJT minimums are met.

Barts and The London (Queen Mary): No longer 50:50 weighted on A-level predictions and UCAT - anyone who exceeds the UCAT cut-off generally gets an interview regardless of predictions. SJT band adds bonus points to interview score post-interview (Band 1 = +2, Band 2 = +1, Band 3 = 0).