Where are Aston University and Bristol located, and how does that affect cost?

Aston University is in Birmingham, UK. Bristol is in Bristol, 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).

When does each school release decisions?

Aston University typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. Bristol 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

Aston University vs Bristol

Aston University and Bristol are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Both sit in England, so location and clinical-placement breadth are similar — the differentiation comes from selection methodology, interview style and curriculum philosophy. Their A-Level requirements (A*AA vs AAA) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers.

The interview formats diverge — MMI vs Panel — and the prep approaches for the two are fundamentally different. Bristol is the older institution (founded 1876); the other (founded 2018) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Aston University and Bristol.
Comparison field	Aston UniversityBirmingham	BristolBristol
Quick comparison
Location	Birmingham, UK	Bristol, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level (A must be in Chemistry or Biology)	AAA at A-level including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics
TrueScore	Aston University TrueScore 1950	Bristol TrueScore 2280
UCAT home cut-off	No cut-off at all. Aston states it does not set score requirements for the UCAT and has no lower cut-off for either the UCAT or the SJT.	2240+ /2700 - the final threshold to be invited to interview for 2026 entry.
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Structured online panel interview (Zoom): six stations marked by two panels of three assessors
Post-interview chance	All Applicants: 306/363 = 84% (2025); Non-Contextual: 182/214 = 85%	Total: 650/968 = 67% (2024); A108 Gateway to Medicine: 63/88 = 72%
Decision date	March onwards	March onwards

A-Level offer	AAA at A-level (A must be in Chemistry or Biology)	AAA at A-level including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics
Contextual A-Level offer	AAB at A-level for Aston Ready (WP) applicants, with AA in Chemistry + Biology	ABB at A-level for contextual / WP-eligible applicants
Required A-Level subjects	Chemistry + Biology compulsory, plus one other subject. If 4 A-levels taken, Chemistry, Biology and the next-best grade are considered.	Chemistry required, plus one of Biology / Physics / Mathematics / Further Mathematics
A-Level resit policy	Final qualification profile must normally be achieved in no more than three academic years - one resit attempt only	Resits accepted - no requirement that all three A-levels be sat in the same year
GCSE requirements	Minimum 6 GCSEs/IGCSEs at grade 6/B or above including English Language, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology (or Double Science)	Mathematics at minimum grade 7/A and English Language at minimum grade 4/C. GCSE resit applicants welcomed and may apply with results pending.
GCSE scoring methodology	GCSEs scored /24 (or /12 if A-levels completed) as part of the academic score: 9/8/A* = 4 (or 2) pts, 7/A = 3 (or 2) pts, 6/B = 2 (or 1) pts, 5/4/C = 1 (or 0) pt	GCSEs and A-levels used only as minimum thresholds - 100% UCAT weighting for shortlisting once minimums are met
Scottish Highers	-	AAAAB at Higher including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics
Scottish Advanced Highers	AAA at Advanced Higher including Chemistry and Biology	AA at Advanced Higher including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics
International Baccalaureate	37 points overall, 7,6,6 at Higher Level including Chemistry and Biology - one of Chem/Bio must be grade 7 HL	36 points overall, 18 at Higher Level including 6,6 HL in Chemistry and one of Biology / Physics / Mathematics (either Analysis & Approaches or Applications & Interpretation)
Graduate-entry degree requirement	Upper-second-class (2:1) Honours degree in any discipline + ABB A-levels including Chemistry and Biology (one of which at grade A). Five-year programme - no accelerated graduate route.	A 2:1 in your degree plus BBB at A-level, including Chemistry and either Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics
Alternative qualifications	-	-

Contextual cut-off	Aston Ready contextual applicants are ranked in their own Home Widening Participation group rather than against other home applicants.	-
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	-	2270+ /2700 for 2026 entry.
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	Not scored - good for band 4	Not used
UCAT notes	Aston ranks applicants on their ACHIEVED qualifications - normally GCSEs - together with the total UCAT score. A-level predicted grades are not used in scoring and are not considered at any stage. Hom…	Shortlisting is wholly UCAT once the academic minimum is met, using the combined score from every subtest EXCEPT the Situational Judgement Test. Bristol states the threshold is subject to change year…

Degree awarded	MBChB	MB ChB
Course length	5 years	5 years
Teaching style	Problem-based learning	Case-based learning + Integrated
Anatomy teaching	-	Prosection
First patient contact	Year 1	Year 1
Placement geography	West Midlands	South West England
Named placement sites	-	Southmead Hospital, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Royal United Hospital Bath, Weston General Hospital, Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, Yeovil District Hospital, Great Western Hospital, Swindon
Intercalation	Optional but strongly encouraged, normally after Year 3 (it can also follow Year 4). Aston's own options include a BSc in Biomedicine or Biological Sciences, an MBiol, and MSc, MRes and MPH programmes…	Offered between years 3 and 4, at bachelor's or master's level.
Course highlight	-	You choose the placement for your final-year elective.

Interview window	December - March	November - April
Interview details	All Aston MMIs are held online, normally between December and March. For 2026 entry each station was marked out of 10, for a maximum MMI score of 50. Some stations may ask you to interact with actors,…	Bristol calls this a structured interview, not an MMI. In the format published for 2026 entry it lasts about 30 minutes on Zoom and has six stations. Each station is scored by three assessors, so you…

Specialities	Medicine, Community Medicine	Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Sciences
Established	2018	1876
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	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 use…	Russell Group university with strong medical and dental programmes. Shortlisting is wholly UCAT-based - neither personal statement nor SJT is used in selection. Bristol has the highest UCAT cut-off of…
Official course page	https://www.aston.ac.uk/study/courses/medicine-mbchb	https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/2027/medicine/mb-chb-medicine/

Aston University

Birmingham

Quick comparison

Location: Birmingham, UK
A-Level offer: A*AA at A-level (A* must be in Chemistry or Biology)
TrueScore: Aston University TrueScore 1950
UCAT home cut-off: No cut-off at all. Aston states it does not set score requirements for the UCAT and has no lower cut-off for either the UCAT or the SJT.
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: All Applicants: 306/363 = 84% (2025); Non-Contextual: 182/214 = 85%
Decision date: March onwards

Bristol

Quick comparison

Location: Bristol, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics
TrueScore: Bristol TrueScore 2280
UCAT home cut-off: 2240+ /2700 - the final threshold to be invited to interview for 2026 entry.
Interview format: Structured online panel interview (Zoom): six stations marked by two panels of three assessors
Post-interview chance: Total: 650/968 = 67% (2024); A108 Gateway to Medicine: 63/88 = 72%
Decision date: March onwards

Aston University vs Bristol - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Aston University requires A*AA at A-level (A* must be in Chemistry or Biology).

Bristol requires AAA at A-level including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics.

Aston University is the stricter A-Level offer; Bristol is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, Bristol carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Aston University: Minimum 6 GCSEs/IGCSEs at grade 6/B or above including English Language, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology (or Double Science).

GCSEs scored /24 (or /12 if A-levels completed) as part of the academic… Bristol: Mathematics at minimum grade 7/A and English Language at minimum grade 4/C. GCSE resit applicants welcomed and may apply with results pending. GCSEs and A-levels used only as minimum thresholds -…

Interview formats

Aston University uses MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)); Bristol uses Panel (Structured online panel interview (Zoom): six stations marked by two panels of three assessors). 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, Bristol may suit you more. If you prefer discrete capsule answers under time pressure, Aston University is the better fit.

Interview windows: Aston University interviews in December - March; Bristol in November - April.

Curriculum and teaching style

Aston University runs a PBL curriculum; Bristol runs a Spiral curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Aston University leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while Bristol 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 MB ChB spiral curriculum - concepts revisited with increasing complexity. Clinical exposure from Year 1.

Intake size: Aston University — ~110 places per year; Bristol — ~220 home + ~30 international places per year (A100 Standard Entry Medicine). 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%. Bristol: Total: 650/968 = 67% (2024); A108 Gateway to Medicine: 63/88 = 72%.

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.

Bristol: Russell Group university with strong medical and dental programmes. Shortlisting is wholly UCAT-based - neither personal statement nor SJT is used in selection. Bristol has the highest UCAT cut-off of the major English schools.

Which is right for you?

For applicants with predicted A-Level grades at the lower end of the AAA-A*AA range, Bristol is the lower-risk academic option. Both schools sit in the same England foundation-programme catchment, so post-graduation training paths overlap heavily. 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: no cut-off at all. Bristol: home applicants — 2240+ /2700 - the final threshold to be invited to interview for 2026 entry. These are the figures on record for 2027-entry applicants. Schools without a fixed cut-off rank UCAT inside a composite shortlisting score, so thresholds move with each year's applicant pool — confirm the latest figure on each school's admissions page.

Aston University uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). Bristol uses Panel interview: Structured online panel interview (Zoom): six stations marked by two panels of three assessors. The two formats reward different skill sets. Plan separate prep streams for each, with at least 3 full mock interviews per format before sitting either. Interview windows: December - March (Aston University); November - April (Bristol).

Aston University requires A*AA at A-level (A* must be in Chemistry or Biology). Bristol requires AAA at A-level including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Aston University — Resits accepted.. Bristol — Resits accepted; no requirement for three A-Levels in same year..

Aston University — Minimum 6 GCSEs/IGCSEs at grade 6/B or above including English Language, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology (or Double Science). GCSEs scored /24 (or /12 if A-levels completed) as part of the academic score: 9/8/A* = 4 (or 2) pts, 7/A = 3 (or 2) pts, 6/B = 2 (or 1) pts, 5/4/C = 1 (or 0) pt Bristol — Mathematics at minimum grade 7/A and English Language at minimum grade 4/C. GCSE resit applicants welcomed and may apply with results pending. GCSEs and A-levels used only as minimum thresholds - 100% UCAT weighting for shortlisting once minimums are met

Aston University's selection methodology: Newer programme (first cohort 2018). UCAT + academic + MMI. Birmingham-based with strong widening-participation focus. Bristol's selection methodology: Once the academic minimum is met, shortlisting is wholly on the UCAT total excluding the SJT. For 2026 entry the final thresholds to be invited were 2,240 (home) and 2,270 (overseas). Work experience is encouraged but is not a requirement. 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%. Bristol: Total: 650/968 = 67% (2024); A108 Gateway to Medicine: 63/88 = 72%. 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 runs a PBL curriculum. Bristol runs a Spiral 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). Bristol specifics: Five-year MB ChB spiral curriculum - concepts revisited with increasing complexity. Clinical exposure from Year 1.

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

Aston UniversityEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

BristolEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Other medical school comparisons

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 11 September 2026.

Aston University vs Bristol

Side-by-side comparison

Aston University vs Bristol - 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 Aston University vs Bristol?

How do interviews differ between Aston University and Bristol?

What A-Level grades do Aston University and Bristol require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Aston University vs Bristol?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Which has a higher post-interview offer rate, Aston University or Bristol?

Where are Aston University and Bristol located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Aston University and Bristol use?

Should I apply to both Aston University and Bristol?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons