What A-Level grades do Bristol and King's College London (KCL) require?

Bristol requires AAA including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics. King's College London (KCL) requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school.

Where are Bristol and King's College London (KCL) located, and how does that affect cost?

Bristol is in Bristol, UK. King's College London (KCL) 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).

When does each school release decisions?

Bristol typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. King's College London (KCL) 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.

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Medical school comparison

Bristol vs King's College London (KCL)

Bristol and King's College London (KCL) are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Bristol is based in Bristol (England) while King's College London (KCL) sits in London (London), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.

Their A-Level requirements (AAA vs A*AA) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Bristol and King's College London (KCL).
Comparison field	BristolBristol	King's College London (KCL)London
Quick comparison
Location	Bristol, UK	London, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics	A*AA at A-level including A in Biology and Chemistry
TrueScore	2280	2150
UCAT home cut-off	2240+ /2700 for 2026 entry (2025 entry was ~2258). Bristol republishes the threshold each cycle.	~2130+ /2700 (non-contextual) with B1 SJT and 8× grade 8s at GCSE; mean offer holder ≈ 2250
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	Total: 650/968 = 67% (2024); A108 Gateway to Medicine: 63/88 = 72%	All Students: 760/981 = 77% (2024); Overall undergraduate (2023): 645/1115 = 58%
Decision date	March onwards	March onwards

A-Level offer	AAA at A-level including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics	A*AA at A-level including A in Biology and Chemistry
Contextual A-Level offer	ABB at A-level for contextual / WP-eligible applicants	-
Required A-Level subjects	Chemistry required, plus one of Biology / Physics / Mathematics / Further Mathematics	Biology and Chemistry both required
A-Level resit policy	Resits accepted - no requirement that all three A-levels be sat in the same year	Resits accepted - KCL has clarified via FOI that "a first resit is considered equally to applicants taking their first sittings" (19 resit applicants received an interview in 2024, 16 received offers)
GCSE requirements	Mathematics at minimum grade 7/A and English Language at minimum grade 4/C. GCSE resit applicants welcomed and may apply with results pending.	Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE English Language and Mathematics
GCSE scoring methodology	GCSEs and A-levels used only as minimum thresholds - 100% UCAT weighting for shortlisting once minimums are met	GCSE used heavily in shortlisting: scored /40 - 8/8+/A* = 5 pts each, 7 = 3.75 pts, 6 = 2.5 pts. (KCL's "A-as-A*" rule may apply depending on school performance.)
Scottish Highers	AAAAB at Higher including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	AA at Advanced Higher including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics	-
International Baccalaureate	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)	35 points overall, 7,6,6 at Higher Level including Biology and Chemistry
Graduate-entry degree requirement	2:1 (predicted or obtained) in any honours degree, plus ABB at A-level (with A in Chemistry and B in Biology/Physics/Mathematics) - OR sufficient Biology and Chemistry content within the degree itself	Graduate applicants typically hold 2:1 or above in any honours degree, plus required A-level Chemistry and Biology grades. KCL accepts graduates onto the standard 6-year MBBS A100.
Alternative qualifications	-	-

Contextual cut-off	~1450+ /2700 (A108 Gateway / WP - lowest invited has reached as low as 1340)	~1900+ /2700 with WP flags (POLAR/ACORN/IMD, care experienced, K+ participation)
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	2270+ /2700 for 2026 entry (2025 entry was ~2310).	~2200+ /2700; mean offer holder ≈ 2310 (2023)
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	Not used	Band 4 automatically rejected. Band 3 riskier - only 37/360 band 3 applicants received interview in 2024.
UCAT notes	Shortlisting is 100% UCAT once the academic minimum is met, using the combined score from all subtests EXCEPT Situational Judgement. Personal statement only used post-interview if borderline.	Points system /150 (+ up to 20 contextual). UCAT /100 (KCL percentile, often higher than national); GCSE /40; SJT /10. Interview threshold ~135-140 standard.

Interview window	December - February	December - February
Interview details	MMI with stations focused on communication, ethical reasoning and motivation. No questions are released in advance and there is no preparation time at each station - every answer is on-the-spot.	MMI format with stations covering ethical scenarios, communication, and clinical problem-solving.

Specialities	Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Sciences	Medicine, Dentistry, Biomedical Sciences
Established	1876	1829
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	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…	Strong clinical focus with emphasis on London healthcare system.
Official course page	https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/2027/medicine/mb-chb-medicine/	https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/medicine-mbbs

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: 2280
UCAT home cut-off: 2240+ /2700 for 2026 entry (2025 entry was ~2258). Bristol republishes the threshold each cycle.
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: Total: 650/968 = 67% (2024); A108 Gateway to Medicine: 63/88 = 72%
Decision date: March onwards

King's College London (KCL)

London

Quick comparison

Location: London, UK
A-Level offer: A*AA at A-level including A in Biology and Chemistry
TrueScore: 2150
UCAT home cut-off: ~2130+ /2700 (non-contextual) with B1 SJT and 8× grade 8s at GCSE; mean offer holder ≈ 2250
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: All Students: 760/981 = 77% (2024); Overall undergraduate (2023): 645/1115 = 58%
Decision date: March onwards

Compare different schools

Bristol vs King's College London (KCL) - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

Bristol's published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 2240, while King's College London (KCL) sits at approximately 2130.

The 110-point spread is within year-on-year noise — for most applicants the two thresholds are effectively interchangeable, and other selection factors (GCSE weighting, interview score) will dominate.

Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — Bristol: ~1450+ /2700 (A108 Gateway / WP - lowest invited has reached as low as 1340); King's College London (KCL): ~1900+ /2700 with WP flags (POLAR/ACORN/IMD, care experienced, K+ participation). Eligible applicants should weight this heavily when choosing.

A-Level and academic profile

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

King's College London (KCL) requires A*AA at A-level including A in Biology and Chemistry.

King's College London (KCL) 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 — 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 -… King's College London (KCL): Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE English Language and Mathematics.

GCSE used heavily in shortlisting: scored /40 - 8/8+/A* = 5 pts each, 7 = 3.75 pts, 6 = 2.5 pts. (KCL's "A-as-A*" rule may apply depending…

Interview formats

Both Bristol and King's College London (KCL) 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: Bristol interviews in December - February; King's College London (KCL) in December - February.

Post-interview offer rate

Bristol: Total: 650/968 = 67% (2024); A108 Gateway to Medicine: 63/88 = 72%. King's College London (KCL): All Students: 760/981 = 77% (2024); Overall undergraduate (2023): 645/1115 = 58%.

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

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.

King's College London (KCL): Strong clinical focus with emphasis on London healthcare system.

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. Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Bristol feeds into the England foundation programme network; King's College London (KCL) into the London network.

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

Bristol's typical home cut-off is around 2240, while King's College London (KCL) sits at approximately 2130 — a 110-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.

Bristol uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). King's College London (KCL) 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 (Bristol); December - February (King's College London (KCL)).

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 King's College London (KCL) — Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE English Language and Mathematics. GCSE used heavily in shortlisting: scored /40 - 8/8+/A* = 5 pts each, 7 = 3.75 pts, 6 = 2.5 pts. (KCL's "A-as-A*" rule may apply depending on school performance.)

Bristol's selection methodology: Wholly UCAT-based shortlisting (3010+/3600 ≈ 2240+ for home; 3080+ ≈ 2290+ for international). Personal statement only used if borderline at interview, with UCAT considered first. King's College London (KCL)'s selection methodology: shortlisting weight not fully disclosed; check the official admissions page. 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.

Bristol: Total: 650/968 = 67% (2024); A108 Gateway to Medicine: 63/88 = 72%. King's College London (KCL): All Students: 760/981 = 77% (2024); Overall undergraduate (2023): 645/1115 = 58%. 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%.

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

BristolEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full King's College London (KCL)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

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School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 7 September 2026.