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Medical school comparison

Dundee vs Hull York (HYMS)

Dundee and Hull York (HYMS) are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Dundee is based in Dundee (Scotland) while Hull York (HYMS) sits in Hull/York (England), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.

Their UCAT thresholds are remarkably close (within ~15 points), so the deciding factors are GCSE weighting, interview format and personal-statement use. The interview formats diverge — Traditional vs MMI — and the prep approaches for the two are fundamentally different.

Side-by-side comparison

Dundee

Dundee

Quick comparison

Location
Dundee, UK
A-Level offer
AAA at A-level (minimum) - A*A*A or A*A*A* recommended for non-contextual RUK due to use in shortlisting algorithm
TrueScore
Dundee TrueScore 1700
UCAT home cut-off
No published threshold for the current scale. Dundee publishes admissions statistics by year of entry, but warns that because Abstract Reasoning was withdrawn in 2025 and the maximum moved from 3,600 to 2,700, the figures shown are not directly comparable with scores from 2025 onwards.
Interview format
Two-part selection (~1h40m): observed 30-minute group discussion, then a structured traditional one-to-one discussion with an assessor
Post-interview chance
RUK Non-Contextual (2025): 73/130 = 56%; Scottish: 647/825 = 78%; International: 86/156 = 55%
Decision date
March onwards

Hull York (HYMS)

Hull/York

Quick comparison

Location
Hull/York, UK
A-Level offer
AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (3 A-levels studied and awarded concurrently)
TrueScore
Hull York (HYMS) TrueScore 1980
UCAT home cut-off
~2010+ /2700 with B1 SJT and 6× grade 9s safest (~7th decile UCAT); ~1950+ consider with strong GCSE/SJT mix
Interview format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance
All (2024): 678/750 = 90%; Home: 655/695 = 94%; Overseas: 20/55 = 36%
Decision date
March onwards

Dundee vs Hull York (HYMS) - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

Dundee's published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 2025, while Hull York (HYMS) sits at approximately 2010.

Their UCAT bars are statistically indistinguishable (within 15 points), so the UCAT is unlikely to be your differentiator between them.

Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — Dundee: not separately disclosed; Hull York (HYMS): ~1700+ /2700 with WP eligibility (4th decile minimum + minimum entry requirements). Eligible applicants should weight this heavily when choosing.

A-Level and academic profile

Dundee requires AAA at A-level (minimum) - A*A*A or A*A*A* recommended for non-contextual RUK due to use in shortlisting algorithm.

Hull York (HYMS) requires AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (3 A-levels studied and awarded concurrently).

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.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Dundee: Biology, English and Mathematics at minimum grade 6/B if not studied at A-level. GCSEs feed the academic score (60% of pre-interview ranking for school leavers); higher grades are essential due to… Hull York (HYMS): Minimum 6 GCSEs at grade 4/C or equivalent, including English Language and Mathematics at grade 6/B or above.

GCSE resits accepted (including pending). Top 6 GCSEs scored /35 in points system. Mostly…

Interview formats

Dundee uses Traditional (Two-part selection (~1h40m): observed 30-minute group discussion, then a structured traditional one-to-one discussion with an assessor); Hull York (HYMS) uses MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)). These two formats reward different skills — Traditional emphasises academic reasoning and thinking aloud through unfamiliar problems, while MMI rewards breadth and quick recovery.

If your strengths lie in conversational depth, either may suit you more. If you prefer discrete capsule answers under time pressure, Hull York (HYMS) is the better fit.

Interview windows: Dundee interviews in December - February; Hull York (HYMS) in December - March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Dundee runs a Spiral curriculum; Hull York (HYMS) runs a PBL curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Dundee delivers more didactic lectures with structured systems-based progression, while Hull York (HYMS) centres learning around clinical cases.

Specifics: Five-year MBChB spiral curriculum - concepts revisited with increasing complexity. Clinical placements across NHS Tayside, NHS Fife, NHS Highland, and Five-year MBBS jointly run by Hull and York universities. Clinical placements across Hull, York, Scarborough, and Yorkshire NHS sites.

Intake size: Dundee — Home (Scottish + Contextual) ~825 places; RUK ~130; International ~156 (2025 entry).; Hull York (HYMS) — ~165 home + ~25 international places per year.. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Post-interview offer rate

Dundee: RUK Non-Contextual (2025): 73/130 = 56%; Scottish: 647/825 = 78%; International: 86/156 = 55%. Hull York (HYMS): All (2024): 678/750 = 90%; Home: 655/695 = 94%; Overseas: 20/55 = 36%.

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

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.

Hull York (HYMS): Points-based shortlisting: UCAT decile (/35) + SJT (/15) + GCSE top 6 subjects (/35) + contextual data (/15). The PBL group exercise is unusual among UK medical schools and reflects HYMS's problem-based curriculum.

Which is right for you?

Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Dundee feeds into the Scotland foundation programme network; Hull York (HYMS) into the England network. If you learn best in small-group case discussion, prefer Hull York (HYMS); 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

Dundee's typical home cut-off is around 2025, while Hull York (HYMS) sits at approximately 2010 — a 15-point spread. The spread is small enough that other factors (GCSE weighting, interview score, contextual flags) usually dominate the firm/insurance decision. Cut-offs change year on year and vary by tier — check each school's latest published threshold before submitting your UCAS form.

Where to go next

DundeeEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full
Hull York (HYMS)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Other medical school comparisons

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