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Medical school comparison

Edge Hill vs Nottingham

Edge Hill and Nottingham are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Both sit in England, so location and clinical-placement breadth are similar — the differentiation comes from selection methodology, interview style and curriculum philosophy. On UCAT alone there is roughly a 200-point gap between them — a substantial difference that should shape which you list as firm choice vs. insurance.

Side-by-side comparison

Edge Hill

Ormskirk

Quick comparison

Location
Ormskirk, UK
A-Level offer
AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry, OR A*A*B with Biology and Chemistry at grade A or above plus a third subject at grade B or above
TrueScore
1950
UCAT home cut-off
~2050+ /2700 (2023 entry lowest invited ≈ 1958; recent target per third-party sources is top 15-20% nationally for 2026 entry)
Interview format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance
Home Student (2023): 32/115 = 28% - chances may have improved with 63 places now (vs 30 in 2023, 50 in 2024)
Decision date
March onwards

Nottingham

Nottingham

Quick comparison

Location
Nottingham, UK
A-Level offer
AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry. No use of predicted grades - Nottingham considers achieved grades only.
TrueScore
1850
UCAT home cut-off
~1850+ /2700 with B1 SJT and 8× grade 9s GCSE (2024 entry lowest invited ≈ 1830)
Interview format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance
All Students (2024): 519/913 = 57% (or 336/911 = 37% from another source); A108 WP Foundation Year: 61/188 = 32%
Decision date
March onwards
Compare different schools

Edge Hill vs Nottingham - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

Edge Hill's published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 2050, while Nottingham sits at approximately 1850. The 200-point spread matters: Nottingham offers slightly more headroom for an average-strong UCAT, while Edge Hill expects performance closer to the national 75th-90th percentile. Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — Edge Hill: ~1900+ /2700 (Foundation Year); Nottingham: ~1700+ /2700 (A108 Foundation Year - lower threshold). Eligible applicants should weight this heavily when choosing.

A-Level and academic profile

Edge Hill requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology. Nottingham 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 — Edge Hill: Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science. Nottingham: GCSE results form part of the academic profile alongside A-Level predictions. Maths and English at minimum grade 6 typically expected.

Interview formats

Both Edge Hill and Nottingham 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: Edge Hill interviews in December - March; Nottingham in December - March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Edge Hill runs a PBL curriculum; Nottingham runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Edge Hill leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while Nottingham uses a more traditional lecture-led structure. Specifics: Five-year MBChB with PBL and case-based learning. Clinical placements across Lancashire NHS sites (Southport & Ormskirk, Wirral, Mersey Care). Five-year MBChB with compulsory intercalated BMedSci built into the course (one of few UK schools to embed BMedSci as standard). Intake size: Edge Hill — ~100 places per year (small cohort).; Nottingham — ~250 home + ~30 international places per year.. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Post-interview offer rate

Edge Hill: Home Student (2023): 32/115 = 28% - chances may have improved with 63 places now (vs 30 in 2023, 50 in 2024). Nottingham: All Students (2024): 519/913 = 57% (or 336/911 = 37% from another source); A108 WP Foundation Year: 61/188 = 32%. 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

Edge Hill: Significant proportional increase in places - now 63 places, up from 30 in 2023 and 50 in 2024. UCAT thresholds may have softened with growth. International students not accepted. Band 4 SJT auto-rejected. Nottingham: Scoring system is now distinct from Lincoln's, weighting GCSE (/32), UCAT (/40) and SJT (/10) - band 4 SJT auto-rejected. No use of predicted A-level grades.

Which is right for you?

If your UCAT lands below the UK median (~2500/3600), Nottingham is the more realistic firm-choice option. Both schools sit in the same England foundation-programme catchment, so post-graduation training paths overlap heavily. If you learn best in small-group case discussion, prefer Edge Hill; 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

Edge Hill's typical home cut-off is around 2050, while Nottingham sits at approximately 1850 — a 200-point spread. That's a meaningful gap; Nottingham is materially more accessible for an average-to-good UCAT, while Edge Hill expects performance closer to the top 43% of test-takers. Cut-offs change year on year and vary by tier — check each school's latest published threshold before submitting your UCAS form.

Edge Hill uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). Nottingham 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 (Edge Hill); December - March (Nottingham).

Edge Hill requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology. Nottingham requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Edge Hill — Resits accepted.. Nottingham — Resits considered case-by-case; standard expectation is one-sitting AAA..

Edge Hill — Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science. Nottingham — GCSE results form part of the academic profile alongside A-Level predictions. Maths and English at minimum grade 6 typically expected.

Edge Hill's selection methodology: Newer programme (first cohort 2020). UCAT + academic + MMI interview. Strong North-West / Lancashire focus. Nottingham's selection methodology: Combined academic + UCAT scoring (Nottingham/Lincoln weighted system). Historic data: lowest UCAT accepted for interview was 2340/3600 (2022) and 2330/3600 (2023). Average ~2700. 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.

Edge Hill: Home Student (2023): 32/115 = 28% - chances may have improved with 63 places now (vs 30 in 2023, 50 in 2024). Nottingham: All Students (2024): 519/913 = 57% (or 336/911 = 37% from another source); A108 WP Foundation Year: 61/188 = 32%. 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%.

Edge Hill is in Ormskirk, UK. Nottingham is in Nottingham, 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).

Edge Hill typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. Nottingham 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.

Edge Hill runs a PBL curriculum. Nottingham runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Edge Hill specifics: Five-year MBChB with PBL and case-based learning. Clinical placements across Lancashire NHS sites (Southport & Ormskirk, Wirral, Mersey Care). Nottingham specifics: Five-year MBChB with compulsory intercalated BMedSci built into the course (one of few UK schools to embed BMedSci as standard).

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.