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Medical school comparison

Aston University vs Barts and The London (Queen Mary)

Aston University and Barts and The London (Queen Mary) are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Aston University is based in Birmingham (England) while Barts and The London (Queen Mary) sits in London (London), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination. Their UCAT thresholds are remarkably close (within ~50 points), so the deciding factors are GCSE weighting, interview format and personal-statement use. Barts and The London (Queen Mary) is the older institution (founded 1785); the other (founded 2021) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Aston University

Birmingham

Quick comparison

Location
Birmingham, UK
A-Level offer
A*AA at A-level (A* must be in Chemistry or Biology)
TrueScore
1950
UCAT home cut-off
~1950+ /2700 (non-WP - 2024 lowest invited 2600/3600 ≈ 1950)
Interview format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance
All Applicants: 306/363 = 84% (2025); Non-Contextual: 182/214 = 85%
Decision date
March onwards

Barts and The London (Queen Mary)

London

Quick comparison

Location
London, UK
A-Level offer
A*AA at A-level achieved in one sitting over a study period of no longer than two years
TrueScore
2010
UCAT home cut-off
~2000+ /2700 (A100 Home; 2025 entry cut-off ≈ 2003 /2700)
Interview format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance
UK Undergrad: 948/1294 = 73% (2025); International: 61/159 = 38%; A101 Graduate Medicine: 55/127 = 43%
Decision date
March onwards
Compare different schools

Aston University vs Barts and The London (Queen Mary) - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

Aston University's published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 1950, while Barts and The London (Queen Mary) sits at approximately 2000. Their UCAT bars are statistically indistinguishable (within 50 points), so the UCAT is unlikely to be your differentiator between them. Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — Aston University: ~1800+ /2700 (UK WP - AAB contextual offer via Aston Ready); Barts and The London (Queen Mary): not separately disclosed. Eligible applicants should weight this heavily when choosing.

A-Level and academic profile

Aston University requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology (A* in Chemistry or Biology). Barts and The London (Queen Mary) requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology/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 — Aston University: Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science. Barts and The London (Queen Mary): Min 6 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science.

Interview formats

Both Aston University and Barts and The London (Queen Mary) 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: Aston University interviews in December - March; Barts and The London (Queen Mary) in December - February.

Curriculum and teaching style

Aston University runs a PBL curriculum; Barts and The London (Queen Mary) runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Aston University 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. Clinical placements across Birmingham NHS sites (UHB, Sandwell, Walsall, Heart of England). Five-year MBBS with integrated theory and clinical practice. Strong East London NHS placement network (Royal London, Whipps Cross, Newham, Mile End). Intake size: Aston University — ~110 places per year.; 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.

Post-interview offer rate

Aston University: All Applicants: 306/363 = 84% (2025); Non-Contextual: 182/214 = 85%. 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.

What makes each distinctive

Aston University: UCAT and GCSE used heavily post-interview (academic:UCAT:interview ratio = 2:1:1). Interview is just 25% of final scoring, so post-interview chances are excellent for high-stat applicants. SJT not used - band 4 is fine. 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).

Which is right for you?

Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Aston University feeds into the England foundation programme network; Barts and The London (Queen Mary) into the London network. If you learn best in small-group case discussion, prefer Aston University; 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 or six years.

Common questions

Aston University's typical home cut-off is around 1950, while Barts and The London (Queen Mary) sits at approximately 2000 — a 50-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.

Aston University uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). Barts and The London (Queen Mary) 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 (Aston University); December - February (Barts and The London (Queen Mary)).

Aston University requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology (A* in Chemistry or Biology). Barts and The London (Queen Mary) requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology/Physics/Mathematics. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Aston University — Resits accepted.. Barts and The London (Queen Mary) — Resits considered with explanation..

Aston University — Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science. Barts and The London (Queen Mary) — Min 6 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science.

Aston University's selection methodology: Newer programme (first cohort 2018). UCAT + academic + MMI. Birmingham-based with strong widening-participation focus. Barts and The London (Queen Mary)'s selection methodology: UCAT + academic + Multiple Mini Interview. SJT used post-interview. Strong East London / international 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.

Aston University: All Applicants: 306/363 = 84% (2025); Non-Contextual: 182/214 = 85%. 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 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%.

Aston University is in Birmingham, UK. Barts and The London (Queen Mary) is in London, 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).

Aston University typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. Barts and The London (Queen Mary) 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.

Aston University runs a PBL curriculum. Barts and The London (Queen Mary) runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Aston University specifics: Five-year MBChB with PBL. Clinical placements across Birmingham NHS sites (UHB, Sandwell, Walsall, Heart of England). Barts and The London (Queen Mary) specifics: Five-year MBBS with integrated theory and clinical practice. Strong East London NHS placement network (Royal London, Whipps Cross, Newham, Mile End).

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.

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 20 June 2026.