Where are Dundee and Ulster University Medical School located, and how does that affect cost?

Dundee is in Dundee, UK. Ulster University Medical School is in Londonderry, UK. Scottish-domiciled applicants funded by SAAS pay no tuition fees at Scottish medical schools — a substantial funding advantage worth tens of thousands of pounds over the degree. Rest-of-UK applicants still pay £9,250/year.

When does each school release decisions?

Dundee typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. Ulster University 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

Dundee vs Ulster University Medical School

Q: How are GCSEs weighted at Dundee vs Ulster University Medical School?

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 high weighting Ulster University Medical School — Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science.

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

The interview formats diverge — Assessment day vs MMI — and the prep approaches for the two are fundamentally different.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Dundee and Ulster University Medical School.
Comparison field	DundeeDundee	Ulster University Medical SchoolLondonderry
Quick comparison
Location	Dundee, UK	Londonderry, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level (minimum) - AAA or AAA* recommended for non-contextual RUK due to use in shortlisting algorithm	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any honours degree
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 Dundee publishes admissions statistics by year of entry, but warns that because Abstract Reasoning was withdrawn in 2025 and the maximum moved from 3,600 to 2,700, the figures shown are not directly comparable with scores from 2025 onwards.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 group interview (about 1h40m including registration): an observed 30-minute group discussion, then an assessor-led discussion with the same group	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	RUK Non-Contextual (2025): 73/130 = 56%; Scottish: 647/825 = 78%; International: 86/156 = 55%	-
Decision date	March onwards	March onwards

A-Level offer	AAA at A-level (minimum) - AAA or AAA* recommended for non-contextual RUK due to use in shortlisting algorithm	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any honours degree
Contextual A-Level offer	-	-
Required A-Level subjects	Chemistry plus another science from Biology, Physics or Mathematics	-
A-Level resit policy	Resits not accepted (exceptional circumstances only)	Resits accepted.
GCSE requirements	Biology, English and Mathematics at minimum grade 6/B if not studied at A-level	-
GCSE scoring methodology	GCSEs feed the academic score (60% of pre-interview ranking for school leavers); higher grades are essential due to high weighting	-
Scottish Highers	AAAAB at Higher in S5 with Chemistry plus another science from Biology, Physics or Mathematics	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	Recommended at AB or higher to be competitive for offer (used in academic ranking)	-
International Baccalaureate	37 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level including Chemistry and a second science	-
Graduate-entry degree requirement	2:1 (Upper-second-class Honours) or above in any honours degree. Graduate academic score is based only on undergraduate performance - A-level predictions/achieved grades not used in graduate ranking. Pre-interview shortlisting weights 40% academic + 60% UCAT for graduates.	2:1 (Upper-second-class Honours) or above in any honours degree (Arts, Science, Humanities all accepted)
Alternative qualifications	-	Graduate-entry only. UCAT NOT used - Ulster uses GAMSAT (Graduate Medical School Admissions Test). Recent GAMSAT thresholds have been ~61. Plus 2:1 honours degree and MMI interview. Strong Northern Ireland regional focus.

Contextual cut-off	-	-
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	-	-
Graduate cut-off	-	Not applicable - Ulster uses GAMSAT, not the UCAT. Recent thresholds have been around 61.
SJT band	No use of SJT	-
UCAT notes	Pre-interview shortlisting weights academic score 60% and UCAT 40% for school leavers, and 40%/60% for graduates. The SJT is not used. Scottish, RUK and international applicants are considered against…	GAMSAT is scored out of 100. Do not sit the UCAT for this course.

Degree awarded	MBChB	MBBS
Course length	5 years	4 years (graduate entry)
Teaching style	Spiral	Problem-based learning
Anatomy teaching	Full-body dissection	Imaging and models
First patient contact	Year 1	Year 1
Placement geography	Dundee and across Scotland	Northern Ireland
Named placement sites	Ninewells Hospital, Dundee	Western Health and Social Care Trust (including Altnagelvin Area Hospital), South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust (Ulster Hospital, Dundonald), Southern Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, GP practices across Northern Ireland
Intercalation	An optional one-year intercalated BMSc (Hons), taken between years 3 and 4, with nine subjects on offer.	-
Course highlight	Anatomy is taught on Thiel-embalmed cadavers, which retain life-like flexibility and joint mobility.	Based at the Magee campus in Derry~Londonderry, alongside other healthcare programmes.

Interview window	January	December - March
Interview details	Dundee's interview has two parts (published for September 2027 entry). First, you discuss a set scenario with five other applicants for around 30 minutes while an assessor observes without joining in.…	MMI format with multiple stations. Focus on serving Northern Ireland's healthcare needs alongside standard motivation, ethics and communication content.

Specialities	Medicine, Dentistry, Life Sciences	Medicine, Community Medicine
Established	1967	2021
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	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 fe…	New medical school serving Northern Ireland. Strong regional focus, with the course oriented around local workforce needs. Cut-offs have not yet stabilised.
Official course page	https://www.dundee.ac.uk/undergraduate/medicine	https://www.ulster.ac.uk/courses/202627/medicine-41407

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 group interview (about 1h40m including registration): an observed 30-minute group discussion, then an assessor-led discussion with the same group
Post-interview chance: RUK Non-Contextual (2025): 73/130 = 56%; Scottish: 647/825 = 78%; International: 86/156 = 55%
Decision date: March onwards

Ulster University Medical School

Londonderry

Quick comparison

Location: Londonderry, UK
A-Level offer: Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any honours degree
TrueScore: -
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: -
Decision date: March onwards

Dundee vs Ulster University Medical School - in detail

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.

Ulster University Medical School requires Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any honours degree.

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… Ulster University Medical School: Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science.

Interview formats

Dundee uses Assessment day (Two-part group interview (about 1h40m including registration): an observed 30-minute group discussion, then an assessor-led discussion with the same group); Ulster University Medical School uses MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)). These two formats reward different skills — Assessment day 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, Ulster University Medical School is the better fit.

Interview windows: Dundee interviews in January; Ulster University Medical School in December - March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Dundee runs a Spiral curriculum; Ulster University Medical School runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Dundee delivers more didactic lectures with structured systems-based progression, while Ulster University Medical School uses a more traditional lecture-led structure.

Specifics: Five-year MBChB spiral curriculum - concepts revisited with increasing complexity. Clinical placements across NHS Tayside, NHS Fife, NHS Highland, and Four-year accelerated MBBS for graduates. Clinical placements across Northern Ireland NHS sites (Magee Campus, Western HSC, Northern HSC).

Intake size: Dundee — Home (Scottish + Contextual) ~825 places; RUK ~130; International ~156 (2025 entry); Ulster University Medical School — ~70 places per year (small cohort, NI-focused). A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

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.

Ulster University Medical School: New medical school serving Northern Ireland. Strong regional focus, with the course oriented around local workforce needs. Cut-offs have not yet stabilised.

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; Ulster University Medical School into the London network. If you learn best in small-group case discussion, prefer Dundee; 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: no published threshold for the current scale. Ulster University Medical School: no fixed home cut-off published; gAMSAT is scored out of 100. 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.

Dundee uses Assessment day: Two-part group interview (about 1h40m including registration): an observed 30-minute group discussion, then an assessor-led discussion with the same group. Ulster University Medical School uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). The two formats reward different skill sets. Plan separate prep streams for each, with at least 3 full mock interviews per format before sitting either. Interview windows: January (Dundee); December - March (Ulster University Medical School).

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. Ulster University Medical School requires Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any honours degree. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Dundee — Resits not accepted (one-sitting expectation for standard applicants).. Ulster University Medical School — Resits accepted..

Dundee's selection methodology: 60% academic score (GCSE + predicted A-Level) + 40% UCAT for shortlisting. Personal statement not scored - may be discussed at interview. SJT not used. Ulster University Medical School's selection methodology: Graduate-entry only: a 2:1 honours degree in any discipline plus GAMSAT (recent threshold ~61 out of 100), then MMI. Strong Northern Ireland regional 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.

Dundee runs a Spiral curriculum. Ulster University Medical School runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Dundee specifics: Five-year MBChB spiral curriculum - concepts revisited with increasing complexity. Clinical placements across NHS Tayside, NHS Fife, NHS Highland, and remote/rural Scottish sites. Ulster University Medical School specifics: Four-year accelerated MBBS for graduates. Clinical placements across Northern Ireland NHS sites (Magee Campus, Western HSC, Northern HSC).

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

DundeeEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Ulster University 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 14 August 2026.

Dundee vs Ulster University Medical School

Side-by-side comparison

Dundee vs Ulster University 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 Dundee vs Ulster University Medical School?

How do interviews differ between Dundee and Ulster University Medical School?

What A-Level grades do Dundee and Ulster University Medical School require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Dundee vs Ulster University Medical School?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Where are Dundee and Ulster University Medical School located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Dundee and Ulster University Medical School use?

Should I apply to both Dundee and Ulster University Medical School?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons