Where are Bristol and Worcester Medical School located, and how does that affect cost?

Bristol is in Bristol, UK. Worcester Medical School is in Worcester, 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. Worcester Medical School 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

Bristol vs Worcester Medical School

Bristol and Worcester Medical School 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.

Bristol is the older institution (founded 1876); the other (founded 2023) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Bristol and Worcester Medical School.
Comparison field	BristolBristol	Worcester Medical SchoolWorcester
Quick comparison
Location	Bristol, UK	Worcester, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics	Graduate entry - 1st or 2:1 in any subject (or 2:2 plus a Master's/Doctorate)
TrueScore	Bristol TrueScore 2280	Worcester Medical School TrueScore 1900GEM
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	Casper SJT + two panel interviews
Post-interview chance	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 including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics	Graduate entry - 1st or 2:1 in any subject (or 2:2 plus a Master's/Doctorate)
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	-
A-Level resit policy	Resits accepted - no requirement that all three A-levels be sat in the same year	Resits accepted.
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.	GCSE (or equivalent) at grade C/4 or above in Maths and English. Non-science graduates additionally need two science subjects at C/4 or above.
GCSE scoring methodology	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	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)	-
Graduate-entry degree requirement	A 2:1 in your degree plus BBB at A-level, including Chemistry and either Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics	1st or 2:1 undergraduate honours degree in any subject, held or predicted in the year of application. A 2:2 is acceptable when topped by a Master's or Doctoral degree.
Alternative qualifications	-	Graduate-entry only (4-year MBChB), taught at the Three Counties Medical School. UCAT or GAMSAT accepted - the applicant submits the better score. Applicants who have previously started a medical degree in the UK or overseas are not eligible. International applicants are welcome.

Contextual cut-off	-	-
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	2270+ /2700 for 2026 entry.	-
Graduate cut-off	-	~1900+ /2700 (most recent shortlisted applicants scored above 1870 on UCAT)
SJT band	Not used	-
UCAT notes	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…	Graduate-entry programme accepting UCAT OR GAMSAT (applicant submits the better score). Partnership with Swansea University Medical School for degree accreditation while completing GMC accreditation.

Degree awarded	MB ChB	MBChB
Course length	5 years	4 years (graduate entry)
Teaching style	Case-based learning + Integrated	Problem-based learning
Anatomy teaching	Prosection	Imaging and models
First patient contact	Year 1	Year 1
Placement geography	South West England	Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire
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	Worcestershire Royal Hospital (Worcester), Alexandra Hospital (Redditch), Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre, Hereford County Hospital (Wye Valley NHS Trust), Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, Cheltenham General Hospital
Intercalation	Offered between years 3 and 4, at bachelor's or master's level.	-
Course highlight	You choose the placement for your final-year elective.	Open to graduates of any discipline.

Interview window	November - April	January - March
Interview details	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…	Shortlisted applicants sit the Casper online situational-judgement test and attend two panel interviews; SJT and interview performance are combined into a single ranking for offers.

Specialities	Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Sciences	Medicine, Community Healthcare, Primary Care, Patient-Centred Care
Established	1876	2023
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…	Partnership with Swansea University Medical School (provides degree accreditation while Worcester completes GMC accreditation). Emphasis on community-based learning and serving local populations in th…
Official course page	https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/2027/medicine/mb-chb-medicine/	https://www.worcester.ac.uk/courses/medicine-graduate-entry-mbchb

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

Worcester Medical School

Worcester

Quick comparison

Location: Worcester, UK
A-Level offer: Graduate entry - 1st or 2:1 in any subject (or 2:2 plus a Master's/Doctorate)
TrueScore: Worcester Medical School TrueScore 1900GEM
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Casper SJT + two panel interviews
Post-interview chance: -
Decision date: March onwards

Bristol vs Worcester Medical School - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

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

Worcester Medical School requires Graduate entry - 1st or 2:1 in any subject (or 2:2 plus a Master's/Doctorate).

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 -… Worcester Medical School: GCSE (or equivalent) at grade C/4 or above in Maths and English.

Non-science graduates additionally need two science subjects at C/4 or above.

Interview formats

Both Bristol and Worcester Medical School use Panel 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.

That said, the specifics differ slightly: Bristol runs structured online panel interview (zoom): six stations marked by two panels of three assessors; Worcester Medical School runs casper sjt + two panel interviews. Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep.

Interview windows: Bristol interviews in November - April; Worcester Medical School in January - March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Bristol runs a Spiral curriculum; Worcester Medical School runs a PBL curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Bristol delivers more didactic lectures with structured systems-based progression, while Worcester Medical School centres learning around clinical cases.

Specifics: Five-year MB ChB spiral curriculum - concepts revisited with increasing complexity. Clinical exposure from Year 1. Five-year MBChB. Worcester-based with West Midlands NHS placements (Worcestershire Acute Hospitals).

Intake size: Bristol — ~220 home + ~30 international places per year (A100 Standard Entry Medicine); Worcester Medical School — ~30-50 places per year (small newer cohort). A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

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.

Worcester Medical School: Partnership with Swansea University Medical School (provides degree accreditation while Worcester completes GMC accreditation). Emphasis on community-based learning and serving local populations in the West Midlands.

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 Worcester Medical School; 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

Bristol: home applicants — 2240+ /2700 - the final threshold to be invited to interview for 2026 entry. Worcester Medical School: no published UCAT cut-off. 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.

Bristol uses Panel interview: Structured online panel interview (Zoom): six stations marked by two panels of three assessors. Worcester Medical School uses Panel interview: Casper SJT + two panel interviews. 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: November - April (Bristol); January - March (Worcester Medical School).

Bristol requires AAA at A-level including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics. Worcester Medical School requires Graduate entry - 1st or 2:1 in any subject (or 2:2 plus a Master's/Doctorate). Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Bristol — Resits accepted; no requirement for three A-Levels in same year.. Worcester Medical School — Resits accepted..

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 Worcester Medical School — GCSE (or equivalent) at grade C/4 or above in Maths and English. Non-science graduates additionally need two science subjects at C/4 or above.

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. Worcester Medical School's selection methodology: Newer programme (first cohort planned). UCAT + academic + interview. Strong widening-participation focus. 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 runs a Spiral curriculum. Worcester Medical School runs a PBL curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Bristol specifics: Five-year MB ChB spiral curriculum - concepts revisited with increasing complexity. Clinical exposure from Year 1. Worcester Medical School specifics: Five-year MBChB. Worcester-based with West Midlands NHS placements (Worcestershire Acute Hospitals).

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

Worcester Medical SchoolEntry 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.

Bristol vs Worcester Medical School

Side-by-side comparison

Bristol vs Worcester Medical School - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Interview formats

Curriculum and teaching style

What makes each distinctive

Which is right for you?

Common questions

What UCAT score do I need for Bristol vs Worcester Medical School?

How do interviews differ between Bristol and Worcester Medical School?

What A-Level grades do Bristol and Worcester Medical School require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Bristol vs Worcester Medical School?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Where are Bristol and Worcester Medical School located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Bristol and Worcester Medical School use?

Should I apply to both Bristol and Worcester Medical School?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons