Anglia Ruskin (ARU) vs Buckingham

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

Buckingham requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology.

Both demand the same A-Level grade band, so academic prediction is unlikely to differentiate your application between them — provided you meet the required subject combination at each.

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). Buckingham: Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science. UK's only private medical school - no UCAT/BMAT required.

Both Anglia Ruskin (ARU) and Buckingham 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: Anglia Ruskin (ARU) runs multiple mini interviews (mmi); Buckingham runs three-stage selection: academic screening, digital multiple mini assessment (mma), then an mmi/osse task circuit. Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep.

Interview windows: Anglia Ruskin (ARU) interviews in December - March; Buckingham in December - March.

Anglia Ruskin (ARU) runs a PBL curriculum; Buckingham runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Anglia Ruskin (ARU) leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while Buckingham 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 Four-and-a-half-year accelerated MB ChB (no UCAT required). Clinical placements at Milton Keynes, Stoke Mandeville and partner NHS sites.

Intake size: Anglia Ruskin (ARU) — ~100 home places per year (predominantly UK applicants).; Buckingham — ~70 home + significant international places per year (UK's only private medical school).. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Anglia Ruskin (ARU): UK Applicants: 463/648 = 71% (2025). Buckingham: Refused to state.

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.

Buckingham: UCAT not used in selection - the MMA computer-based test replaces it. Private university with £40k tuition fees. Apply directly outside UCAS rather than via the standard route.