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Medical school comparison

Brunel Medical School vs Queen's University Belfast (QUB)

Brunel Medical School and Queen's University Belfast (QUB) are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Brunel Medical School is based in Uxbridge (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. Queen's University Belfast (QUB) is the older institution (founded 1849); the other (founded 2016) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Brunel Medical School

Uxbridge

Quick comparison

Location
Uxbridge, UK
A-Level offer
AAA at A-level including Chemistry or Biology, plus a second science (Chemistry / Biology / Physics / Mathematics) and any third subject
TrueScore
1850
UCAT home cut-off
-
Interview format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance
International: 240/540 = 44%. UK estimated >30%, likely less than other London universities.
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

Brunel Medical School vs Queen's University Belfast (QUB) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Brunel Medical School 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 Brunel Medical School 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: Brunel Medical School interviews in December - March; Queen's University Belfast (QUB) in January - February.

Post-interview offer rate

Brunel Medical School: International: 240/540 = 44%. UK estimated >30%, likely less than other London universities.. 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

Brunel Medical School: New medical school still under GMC accreditation (Buckingham acts as contingency). Refused to publish UCAT cut-offs - anecdotally low. International offers are notably high in volume relative to home places. 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?

Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Brunel Medical School 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

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. Brunel Medical School guidance: Threshold not disclosed; anecdotally low (consider <1900 if struggling for other options). Many international fee places, fewer home-funded - likely the lowest-UCAT option for those wanting to remain in London.. Queen's University Belfast (QUB) guidance: ~1700+ /2700 with 9× grade 9s GCSE (~35/45 target). Lower UCAT viable with stronger GCSE..

Brunel Medical School uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). Queen's University Belfast (QUB) 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 - March (Brunel Medical School); January - February (Queen's University Belfast (QUB)).

Brunel Medical School requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology. Queen's University Belfast (QUB) requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school.

Brunel Medical School — Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science. Queen's University Belfast (QUB) — GCSE performance considered as part of the broader academic profile; specific scoring not published.

Brunel Medical School's selection methodology: New programme (first cohort 2022). UCAT + academic + interview. Brunel partners with NHS West London for clinical placements. Queen's University Belfast (QUB)'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.

Brunel Medical School: International: 240/540 = 44%. UK estimated >30%, likely less than other London universities.. Queen's University Belfast (QUB): Home: 332/778 = 43%; International: 51/214 = 24%. 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%.

Brunel Medical School is in Uxbridge, UK. Queen's University Belfast (QUB) is in Belfast, 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).

Brunel Medical School typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. Queen's University Belfast (QUB) releases medicine decisions April 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.

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.