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Medical school comparison

Bristol vs St George's

Bristol and St George's are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Bristol is based in Bristol (England) while St George's sits in London (London), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination. On UCAT alone there is roughly a 310-point gap between them — a substantial difference that should shape which you list as firm choice vs. insurance. St George's is the older institution (founded 1733); the other (founded 1876) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

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

St George's

London

Quick comparison

Location
London, UK
A-Level offer
A*AA or AAA at A-level (offer depends on cohort strength). Predicted AAA required including Chemistry and Biology / Human Biology.
TrueScore
1950
UCAT home cut-off
~1950+ /2700 (2025 entry cut-off ≈ 1950; 2024 entry was 2018)
Interview format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance
Home Undergrad (2024): 247/677 = 36% (or 423/686 = 62% inc. deferred); Overseas Undergrad: 25/146 = 17% (or 58/152 = 38% inc. deferred)
Decision date
Rolling-basis after Interviews have finished
Compare different schools

Bristol vs St George's - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

Bristol's published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 2260, while St George's sits at approximately 1950. That's a 310-point gap — large enough to put the two schools in completely different competitiveness tiers. An applicant scoring in the 2100-2200 band would be competitive at St George's but borderline at Bristol. Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — Bristol: ~1450+ /2700 (A108 Gateway / WP - lowest invited has reached as low as 1340); St George's: not separately disclosed. Eligible applicants should weight this heavily when choosing.

A-Level and academic profile

Bristol requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology. St George's 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 St George's 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; St George's in November - February.

Post-interview offer rate

Bristol: Total: 650/968 = 67% (2024); A108 Gateway to Medicine: 63/88 = 72%. St George's: Home Undergrad (2024): 247/677 = 36% (or 423/686 = 62% inc. deferred); Overseas Undergrad: 25/146 = 17% (or 58/152 = 38% inc. deferred). 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. St George's: Strong holistic-care and soft-skills emphasis. SJT used post-interview in offer making (B1 = 15 pts, B2 = 10, B3 = 5, B4 = nothing). St George's is also generous with deferred-entry offers, often made to borderline applicants in lieu of rejection.

Which is right for you?

If your UCAT lands below the UK median (~2500/3600), St George's 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; St George's 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 2260, while St George's sits at approximately 1950 — a 310-point spread. That's a meaningful gap; St George's is materially more accessible for an average-to-good UCAT, while Bristol expects performance closer to the top 37% of test-takers. 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). St George's 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); November - February (St George's).

Bristol requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology. St George's requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school.

Bristol — Mathematics at grade 7; English Language at grade 4. GCSE resit applicants welcome. St George's — GCSE performance considered as part of the broader academic profile; specific scoring not published.

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. St George's'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%. St George's: Home Undergrad (2024): 247/677 = 36% (or 423/686 = 62% inc. deferred); Overseas Undergrad: 25/146 = 17% (or 58/152 = 38% inc. deferred). 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%.

Bristol is in Bristol, UK. St George's 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).

Bristol typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. St George's releases medicine decisions Rolling-basis after Interviews have finished. 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.

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.