Where are Birmingham and Hull York (HYMS) located, and how does that affect cost?

Birmingham is in Birmingham, UK. Hull York (HYMS) is in Hull/York, 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?

Birmingham typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. Hull York (HYMS) 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

Birmingham vs Hull York (HYMS)

Birmingham and Hull York (HYMS) 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.

Birmingham is the older institution (founded 1900); the other (founded 2003) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Birmingham and Hull York (HYMS).
Comparison field	BirminghamBirmingham	Hull York (HYMS)Hull/York
Quick comparison
Location	Birmingham, UK	Hull/York, UK
A-Level offer	AAA including Chemistry and a second science from Biology/Human Biology, Physics or Mathematics, with a minimum prediction of AAB. Three A-levels are required.	AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (3 A-levels studied and awarded concurrently)
TrueScore	Birmingham TrueScore 2030	Hull York (HYMS) TrueScore 1980
UCAT home cut-off	No cut-off. Birmingham states there is no minimum UCAT score - your total is converted to a national decile and fed into a combined application score.	~2010+ /2700 with B1 SJT and 6× grade 9s safest (~7th decile UCAT); ~1950+ consider with strong GCSE/SJT mix
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	Strong. In the 2024-25 cycle Birmingham made 845 offers from 1,061 home interviews (80%) and 79 from 117 international interviews (68%). Getting to interview is the hard part.	All (2024): 678/750 = 90%; Home: 655/695 = 94%; Overseas: 20/55 = 36%
Decision date	March onwards	March onwards

A-Level offer	AAA including Chemistry and a second science from Biology/Human Biology, Physics or Mathematics, with a minimum prediction of AAB. Three A-levels are required.	AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (3 A-levels studied and awarded concurrently)
Contextual A-Level offer	AAB under the Contextual Offer scheme (one grade below standard), or ABB on completing a Pathways to Birmingham programme (two grades below), both including Chemistry and a second science from Biology/Human Biology, Physics or Mathematics	ABB at A-level for widening-access applicants
Required A-Level subjects	Chemistry plus one of Biology / Physics / Mathematics, plus one other subject	Biology and Chemistry both required. AAB + grade A in EPQ also accepted.
A-Level resit policy	Birmingham does not publish a resit policy on its medicine selection pages, and its sibling dentistry programme states that resits are not considered. Applicants resitting any qualification should confirm their position with the Medical School before applying rather than assuming resits are accepted.	Resits accepted only if first sitting was BBB or higher. Applicants may repeat or restart Year 12 once with no restrictions.
GCSE requirements	English Language at grade 6/B, Mathematics at grade 6/B, Biology and Chemistry (or Dual Award Science) at grade 6/B	Minimum 6 GCSEs at grade 4/C or equivalent, including English Language and Mathematics at grade 6/B or above. GCSE resits accepted (including pending).
GCSE scoring methodology	Top GCSEs heavily scored: GCSE = 45% of pre-interview application score (UCAT 40%, contextual 15%)	Top 6 GCSEs scored /35 in points system. Mostly grade 8/9s typically needed to be safely competitive.
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	Minimum 32 points overall with 6,6,6 at Higher Level, including Chemistry and a second science from Biology / Physics / Mathematics	36 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level including Biology and Chemistry
Graduate-entry degree requirement	-	-
Alternative qualifications	-	-

Contextual cut-off	No cut-off. Contextual applicants gain up to 1.5 extra points on the application score, scaled to their POLAR4 quintile, which lets a lower UCAT decile still reach the interview threshold.	~1700+ /2700 with WP eligibility (4th decile minimum + minimum entry requirements)
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	International applicants are not given an application score at all: they must meet an academic standard equivalent to A*AA and are then ranked on total UCAT alone.	~2020+ /2700 (similar threshold to home, ranked separately)
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	Used post-interview as one of the interview stations. B1=3/3, B2=2/3, B3=1/3, B4=0/3.	Used to shortlist, scored /15. Band 4 automatically rejected. (B1 = 15, B2 ≈ 10, B3 ≈ 5)
UCAT notes	Application score = 45% GCSE + 40% UCAT + 15% contextual, out of 10. UCAT is scored by national decile, from 4.000 for the 10th decile down to 0.000 for the 1st, so a decile drop costs about 0.44 poin…	Points system out of 100: UCAT by decile /35 + SJT band /15 + best six achieved GCSEs /35 + contextual /15. HYMS states it does not look for a specific score - it ranks applicants numerically within t…

Degree awarded	MBChB	MB BS
Course length	5 years	5 years
Teaching style	Integrated	Problem-based learning
Anatomy teaching	-	-
First patient contact	Year 1	Year 1
Placement geography	-	Yorkshire and the Humber
Named placement sites	-	-
Intercalation	Available, usually between year 2 and year 3.	An optional additional year, with options including clinical anatomy, immunology and infection, neuroscience, pharmacology and drug development, public health, and health professions education.
Course highlight	-	The MB BS is awarded jointly by the University of Hull and the University of York.

Interview window	December - February	December - March
Interview details	An MMI circuit of six or seven stations, each lasting 8 minutes including 2 minutes of preparation in which you are told the topic and, where relevant, the questions. The circuit mixes interview stati…	Five-station MMI: two 10-minute mini-interviews with 5 minutes' prep each, a 10-minute student station, a 20-minute PBL group exercise led by a tutor, and a 5-minute scenario station built around a pr…

Specialities	Medicine, Dentistry, Medical Sciences	Medicine, Medical Education
Established	1900	2003
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	Selection is GCSE-heavy: 45% GCSE / 40% UCAT / 15% contextual. UCAT scored by national decile, so a clear top-decile score makes a big difference. Birmingham was the first UK university to offer denti…	Points-based shortlisting: UCAT decile (/35) + SJT (/15) + GCSE top 6 subjects (/35) + contextual data (/15). The PBL group exercise is unusual among UK medical schools and reflects HYMS's problem-bas…
Official course page	https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/med/medicine	https://www.hyms.ac.uk/medicine/mbbs-medicine

Birmingham

Quick comparison

Location: Birmingham, UK
A-Level offer: AAA including Chemistry and a second science from Biology/Human Biology, Physics or Mathematics, with a minimum prediction of AAB. Three A-levels are required.
TrueScore: Birmingham TrueScore 2030
UCAT home cut-off: No cut-off. Birmingham states there is no minimum UCAT score - your total is converted to a national decile and fed into a combined application score.
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: Strong. In the 2024-25 cycle Birmingham made 845 offers from 1,061 home interviews (80%) and 79 from 117 international interviews (68%). Getting to interview is the hard part.
Decision date: March onwards

Hull York (HYMS)

Hull/York

Quick comparison

Location: Hull/York, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (3 A-levels studied and awarded concurrently)
TrueScore: Hull York (HYMS) TrueScore 1980
UCAT home cut-off: ~2010+ /2700 with B1 SJT and 6× grade 9s safest (~7th decile UCAT); ~1950+ consider with strong GCSE/SJT mix
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: All (2024): 678/750 = 90%; Home: 655/695 = 94%; Overseas: 20/55 = 36%
Decision date: March onwards

Birmingham vs Hull York (HYMS) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Birmingham requires AAA including Chemistry and a second science from Biology/Human Biology, Physics or Mathematics, with a minimum prediction of AAB. Three A-levels are required.

Hull York (HYMS) requires AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (3 A-levels studied and awarded concurrently).

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 — Birmingham: English Language at grade 6/B, Mathematics at grade 6/B, Biology and Chemistry (or Dual Award Science) at grade 6/B. Top GCSEs heavily scored: GCSE = 45% of pre-interview application score (UCAT 40%… Hull York (HYMS): Minimum 6 GCSEs at grade 4/C or equivalent, including English Language and Mathematics at grade 6/B or above.

GCSE resits accepted (including pending). Top 6 GCSEs scored /35 in points system. Mostly…

Interview formats

Both Birmingham and Hull York (HYMS) 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: Birmingham interviews in December - February; Hull York (HYMS) in December - March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Birmingham runs a Integrated curriculum; Hull York (HYMS) runs a PBL curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Birmingham delivers more didactic lectures with structured systems-based progression, while Hull York (HYMS) centres learning around clinical cases.

Specifics: Five-year MBChB with integrated science and clinical exposure from Year 1. Clinical placements across Birmingham-affiliated NHS hospitals (UHB, Russel Five-year MBBS jointly run by Hull and York universities. Clinical placements across Hull, York, Scarborough, and Yorkshire NHS sites.

Intake size: Birmingham — 380 home places and 28 international for 2025 entry, of which up to 6 international places are reserved for IMU-Malaysia students entering the clinical years.; Hull York (HYMS) — ~165 home + ~25 international places per year.. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Post-interview offer rate

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

Birmingham: Selection is GCSE-heavy: 45% GCSE / 40% UCAT / 15% contextual. UCAT scored by national decile, so a clear top-decile score makes a big difference. Birmingham was the first UK university to offer dentistry and medicine programmes side by side.

Hull York (HYMS): Points-based shortlisting: UCAT decile (/35) + SJT (/15) + GCSE top 6 subjects (/35) + contextual data (/15). The PBL group exercise is unusual among UK medical schools and reflects HYMS's problem-based curriculum.

Which is right for you?

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 Hull York (HYMS); 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

Neither school publishes a single fixed UCAT cut-off; both use UCAT as part of a composite shortlisting score alongside GCSE and personal-statement weighting. Birmingham guidance: No cut-off. Birmingham states there is no minimum UCAT score - your total is converted to a national decile and fed into a combined application score.. Hull York (HYMS) guidance: ~2010+ /2700 with B1 SJT and 6× grade 9s safest (~7th decile UCAT); ~1950+ consider with strong GCSE/SJT mix.

Birmingham uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). Hull York (HYMS) 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 - February (Birmingham); December - March (Hull York (HYMS)).

Birmingham requires AAA including Chemistry and a second science from Biology/Human Biology, Physics or Mathematics, with a minimum prediction of AAB. Hull York (HYMS) requires AAA including Biology and Chemistry (3 A-levels studied and awarded concurrently). Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Birmingham — Birmingham does not publish a resit policy on its medicine selection pages, and its sibling dentistry programme states that resits are not c. Hull York (HYMS) — Resits accepted..

Birmingham — English Language at grade 6/B, Mathematics at grade 6/B, Biology and Chemistry (or Dual Award Science) at grade 6/B. Top GCSEs heavily scored: GCSE = 45% of pre-interview application score (UCAT 40%, contextual 15%) Hull York (HYMS) — Minimum 6 GCSEs at grade 4/C or equivalent, including English Language and Mathematics at grade 6/B or above. GCSE resits accepted (including pending). Top 6 GCSEs scored /35 in points system. Mostly grade 8/9s typically needed to be safely competitive.

Birmingham's selection methodology: Home applicants are ranked on a total application score out of 10: 45% GCSE (max 4.5), 40% UCAT by national decile (max 4.0) and 15% contextual (max 1.5). There is no fixed UCAT cut-off, so strong GCSEs genuinely compensate for a weaker UCAT. The personal statement is not scored, though it is read before and after interview and must evidence commitment to medicine. The threshold score moves each year and is only set once the whole pool is known. International applicants are handled separately, ranked on UCAT alone once they meet the academic bar. Hull York (HYMS)'s selection methodology: Joint Hull-York programme. UCAT + academic + MMI. Distinctive 'Hull York' brand with placements across both cities. 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.

Birmingham: Strong. In the 2024-25 cycle Birmingham made 845 offers from 1,061 home interviews (80%) and 79 from 117 international interviews (68%). Getting to interview is the hard part.. Hull York (HYMS): All (2024): 678/750 = 90%; Home: 655/695 = 94%; Overseas: 20/55 = 36%. 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%.

Birmingham runs a Integrated curriculum. Hull York (HYMS) runs a PBL curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Birmingham specifics: Five-year MBChB with integrated science and clinical exposure from Year 1. Clinical placements across Birmingham-affiliated NHS hospitals (UHB, Russell's Hall, Heartlands). Hull York (HYMS) specifics: Five-year MBBS jointly run by Hull and York universities. Clinical placements across Hull, York, Scarborough, and Yorkshire NHS sites.

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

BirminghamEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Hull York (HYMS)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Other medical school comparisons

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 19 September 2026.

Birmingham vs Hull York (HYMS)

Side-by-side comparison

Birmingham vs Hull York (HYMS) - 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 Birmingham vs Hull York (HYMS)?

How do interviews differ between Birmingham and Hull York (HYMS)?

What A-Level grades do Birmingham and Hull York (HYMS) require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Birmingham vs Hull York (HYMS)?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Which has a higher post-interview offer rate, Birmingham or Hull York (HYMS)?

Where are Birmingham and Hull York (HYMS) located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Birmingham and Hull York (HYMS) use?

Should I apply to both Birmingham and Hull York (HYMS)?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons