Cumbria Medical School vs Dundee

Cumbria Medical School requires BBB including Chemistry and Biology.

Dundee requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology.

Dundee is the stricter A-Level offer; Cumbria Medical School is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, Cumbria Medical School carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Cumbria Medical School: Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science. Dundee: Biology, English and Maths required at GCSE grade 6/B (if not studied at A-Level). Higher GCSE/National 5 grades essential due to high academic weighting in shortlisting.

Cumbria Medical School uses MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)); Dundee uses Traditional (Two-part selection (~1h40m): observed 30-minute group discussion, then a structured traditional one-to-one discussion with an assessor). These two formats reward different skills — MMI emphasises breadth, station-recovery and structured answers under time pressure, while Traditional rewards malleability and intellectual honesty.

If your strengths lie in conversational depth, either may suit you more. If you prefer discrete capsule answers under time pressure, Cumbria Medical School is the better fit.

Interview windows: Cumbria Medical School interviews in January - March; Dundee in December - February.

Cumbria Medical School runs a PBL curriculum; Dundee runs a Spiral curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Cumbria Medical School leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while Dundee uses a more traditional lecture-led structure.

Specifics: Five-year MBChB built around problem-based learning. Cumbria-based with rural/remote NHS placements (UHMBT, NCIC). Five-year MBChB spiral curriculum - concepts revisited with increasing complexity. Clinical placements across NHS Tayside, NHS Fife, NHS Highland, and

Intake size: Cumbria Medical School — ~30 places per year (small newer cohort).; Dundee — Home (Scottish + Contextual) ~825 places; RUK ~130; International ~156 (2025 entry).. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Cumbria Medical School: First medical school in Cumbria, focusing on rural and community healthcare to serve underserved areas in the region.

Dundee: Scottish medical school renowned for anatomy teaching and medical research. Shortlisting weights 60% academic / 40% UCAT for school leavers (40/60 for graduates). Both A-level predictions and GCSEs feed the academic score.