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Medical school comparison

Bristol vs Queen's University Belfast (QUB)

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

On UCAT alone there is roughly a 560-point gap between them — a substantial difference that should shape which you list as firm choice vs. insurance.

Side-by-side comparison

Bristol

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
~2260+ /2700 (2025 entry cut-off ≈ 2258)
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

Queen's University Belfast (QUB)

Belfast

Quick comparison

Location
Belfast, UK
A-Level offer
A*AA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (or Maths/Physics - see subject rules)
TrueScore
1700
UCAT home cut-off
~1700+ /2700 with 9× grade 9s GCSE (~35/45 target). Lower UCAT viable with stronger GCSE.
Interview format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance
Home: 332/778 = 43%; International: 51/214 = 24%
Decision date
April onwards
Compare different schools

Bristol vs Queen's University Belfast (QUB) - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

Bristol's published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 2260, while Queen's University Belfast (QUB) sits at approximately 1700.

That's a 560-point gap — large enough to put the two schools in completely different competitiveness tiers. An applicant scoring in the 1900-2100 band would be competitive at Queen's University Belfast (QUB) but borderline at Bristol.

Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — Bristol: ~1450+ /2700 (A108 Gateway / WP - lowest invited has reached as low as 1340); Queen's University Belfast (QUB): ~1500+ /2700 (with strong GCSE). Eligible applicants should weight this heavily when choosing.

A-Level and academic profile

Bristol requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology.

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology.

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.

Interview formats

Both Bristol and Queen's University Belfast (QUB) 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; Queen's University Belfast (QUB) in January - February.

Post-interview offer rate

Bristol: Total: 650/968 = 67% (2024); A108 Gateway to Medicine: 63/88 = 72%. Queen's University Belfast (QUB): Home: 332/778 = 43%; International: 51/214 = 24%.

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.

Queen's University Belfast (QUB): Less weight on NHS hot topics than most schools. Stronger emphasis on reflective examples of personal qualities. SJT may be used if borderline before or after interview, but in 2025 anyone with 30/42 received an interview regardless.

Which is right for you?

If your UCAT lands below the UK median (~1880/2700), Queen's University Belfast (QUB) is the more realistic firm-choice option. Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Bristol feeds into the England foundation programme network; Queen's University Belfast (QUB) into the Northern Ireland 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

Where to go next

BristolEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in fullQueen's University Belfast (QUB)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Other medical school comparisons

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 4 August 2026.