Skip to main content
Back to Medical School Compare
Medical school comparison

Dundee vs Keele

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

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
1700
UCAT home cut-off
-
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

Keele

Staffordshire

Quick comparison

Location
Staffordshire, UK
A-Level offer
A*AA at A-level (or AAA + grade A in EPQ as alternative)
TrueScore
1900
UCAT home cut-off
~1700+ /2700 absolute minimum (with 15/25 total score or 14/25 + 600+ VR). Top 20% UCAT (~2100+) maximises points.
Interview format
Two 15-minute structured online interviews (traditional format, not MMI; Microsoft Teams), usually around two hours apart
Post-interview chance
International: 23/54 = 43%; Home Non-Contextual: 167/491 = 34%
Decision date
March onwards

Dundee vs Keele - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Dundee requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology.

Keele 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.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — 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. Keele: Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science.

Interview formats

Both Dundee and Keele use Traditional 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: Dundee runs two-part selection (~1h40m): observed 30-minute group discussion, then a structured traditional one-to-one discussion with an assessor; Keele runs two 15-minute structured online interviews (traditional format, not mmi; microsoft teams), usually around two hours apart. Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep.

Interview windows: Dundee interviews in December - February; Keele in December - March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Both schools deliver a Spiral-style curriculum, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar across years 1-3.

Specifics: Five-year MBChB spiral curriculum - concepts revisited with increasing complexity. Clinical placements across NHS Tayside, NHS Fife, NHS Highland, and Five-year MBChB with spiral curriculum. Strong rural/community placement strand across Staffordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire.

Intake size: Dundee — Home (Scottish + Contextual) ~825 places; RUK ~130; International ~156 (2025 entry).; Keele — ~150 home + ~10 international places per year (5-year MBChB) + ~30 Health Foundation Year places.. 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%. Keele: International: 23/54 = 43%; Home Non-Contextual: 167/491 = 34%.

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.

Keele: Personal statement is heavily weighted (/15 of the /25 total score) - Keele has very specific PS criteria. Strong PS with band 1-2 SJT can compensate for relatively low UCAT. International applicants selected on UCAT only.

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; Keele into the England 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