Anglia Ruskin (ARU) vs St Mary's Twickenham

Anglia Ruskin (ARU) requires AAA at A-level including Chemistry or Biology, plus one of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics or Psychology. The third subject may not be General Studies or Critical Thinking.

St Mary's Twickenham requires AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry or Biology and one of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics.

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): Minimum 4 GCSEs at grade 5/B or above including Mathematics, English Language and two science subjects. St Mary's Twickenham: Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE Mathematics, English Language, Biology and Chemistry (or Dual Award Science).

Both Anglia Ruskin (ARU) and St Mary's Twickenham 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: Anglia Ruskin (ARU) interviews in December - March; St Mary's Twickenham in December - March.

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.

St Mary's Twickenham: International (non-UK/Irish) applicants only, applying direct rather than through UCAS, so it costs none of your four UCAS medical choices. Weigh that against the accreditation risk: the MBBS is not yet GMC-accredited, and St Mary's contingency is that students would transfer to the University of Lancashire if accreditation is not achieved.