What A-Level grades do Edinburgh and King's College London (KCL) require?

Edinburgh requires AAA including Chemistry plus one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics. King's College London (KCL) requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school.

Where are Edinburgh and King's College London (KCL) located, and how does that affect cost?

Edinburgh is in Edinburgh, UK. King's College London (KCL) is in London, 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?

Edinburgh typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. King's College London (KCL) 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.

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Medical school comparison

Edinburgh vs King's College London (KCL)

Edinburgh and King's College London (KCL) are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Edinburgh is based in Edinburgh (Scotland) while King's College London (KCL) sits in London (London), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.

Their A-Level requirements (AAA vs A*AA) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers. The interview formats diverge — Assessment day vs MMI — and the prep approaches for the two are fundamentally different. Edinburgh is the older institution (founded 1583); the other (founded 1829) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Edinburgh and King's College London (KCL).
Comparison field	EdinburghEdinburgh	King's College London (KCL)London
Quick comparison
Location	Edinburgh, UK	London, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level (theoretically minimum, but AAA* predictions ideal for RUK/English applicants to maximise post-interview chances) including Chemistry plus one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics	A*AA at A-level including A in Biology and Chemistry
TrueScore	1700	2150
UCAT home cut-off	-	~2130+ /2700 (non-contextual) with B1 SJT and 8× grade 8s at GCSE; mean offer holder ≈ 2250
Interview format	Assessment day: three 12-minute individual stations plus a 45-minute group exercise (Edinburgh describes it as 'not a typical MMI format')	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	RUK student: 166 offers from 300 interviewed (~55%); Scottish student: 424/432 = 98% (effectively not interviewed); Overseas student: 45/98 = 46%	All Students: 760/981 = 77% (2024); Overall undergraduate (2023): 645/1115 = 58%
Decision date	March onwards	March onwards

A-Level offer	AAA at A-level (theoretically minimum, but AAA* predictions ideal for RUK/English applicants to maximise post-interview chances) including Chemistry plus one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics	A*AA at A-level including A in Biology and Chemistry
Contextual A-Level offer	-	-
Required A-Level subjects	Chemistry plus one of Biology / Mathematics / Physics	Biology and Chemistry both required
A-Level resit policy	Resits considered with strong justification.	Resits accepted - KCL has clarified via FOI that "a first resit is considered equally to applicants taking their first sittings" (19 resit applicants received an interview in 2024, 16 received offers)
GCSE requirements	Minimum grade 7/A in Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and English. In practice, RUK applicants need top 8 GCSEs scored - 5 grade 8s + 3 grade 7s ideal.	Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE English Language and Mathematics
GCSE scoring methodology	Top 8 GCSEs scored as part of pre-interview academic score (50% of pre-interview ranking). Must include Maths, Biology, Chemistry, English. AAA* predictions + 5+ grade 8s GCSE ideal for full points.	GCSE used heavily in shortlisting: scored /40 - 8/8+/A* = 5 pts each, 7 = 3.75 pts, 6 = 2.5 pts. (KCL's "A-as-A*" rule may apply depending on school performance.)
Scottish Highers	National 5s, Highers and Advanced Highers all considered. Standard offer requires strong Higher and Advanced Higher performance - 4th decile (≈ 2040 /2700) UCAT minimum for Scottish applicants with B2+ SJT and good academics.	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	Strong Advanced Higher performance expected for full academic points	-
International Baccalaureate	38 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level including HL Chemistry plus one of Biology / Mathematics / Physics	35 points overall, 7,6,6 at Higher Level including Biology and Chemistry
Graduate-entry degree requirement	2:1 (Upper-second-class Honours) or above. UCAT still required - graduate applicants ranked alongside undergraduate by total academic + UCAT score.	Graduate applicants typically hold 2:1 or above in any honours degree, plus required A-level Chemistry and Biology grades. KCL accepts graduates onto the standard 6-year MBBS A100.
Alternative qualifications	-	-

Contextual cut-off	~1500+ /2700 with WP uplift (SIMD40: 10% uplift; SIMD Plus / UCAT bursary: no min requirement)	~1900+ /2700 with WP flags (POLAR/ACORN/IMD, care experienced, K+ participation)
Scottish (where applicable)	~1700+ /2700 (2024 entry lowest invited ≈ 1584; mean ≈ 2087)	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	~1900+ /2700 (2024 lowest invited ≈ 1724; mean ≈ 2263); 2240+ safer with B1 SJT and AAA* predictions	-
International cut-off	~2100+ /2700 (2024 entry lowest invited ≈ 1931; mean ≈ 2330)	~2200+ /2700; mean offer holder ≈ 2310 (2023)
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	B1/B2 consider; B3 unlikely for English RUK; international B1 safer; Band 4 automatically rejected	Band 4 automatically rejected. Band 3 riskier - only 37/360 band 3 applicants received interview in 2024.
UCAT notes	1650 /2700 is the absolute minimum (necessary not sufficient). Decile-based UCAT scoring within the 35% UCAT pre-interview weight.	Points system /150 (+ up to 20 contextual). UCAT /100 (KCL percentile, often higher than national); GCSE /40; SJT /10. Interview threshold ~135-140 standard.

Interview window	December - February	December - February
Interview details	Multi-panel format that sits between MMI and a traditional panel - applicants face a series of panels with deeper follow-up questioning than a typical MMI. Includes a collaborative group task. Expect…	MMI format with stations covering ethical scenarios, communication, and clinical problem-solving.

Specialities	Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Biomedical Sciences	Medicine, Dentistry, Biomedical Sciences
Established	1583	1829
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	Around 50% academic, 35% UCAT and 15% SJT in shortlisting; SJT band 4 is rejected outright. Scottish applicants face a much lower bar than RUK and are effectively guaranteed an interview if they meet…	Strong clinical focus with emphasis on London healthcare system.
Official course page	https://study.ed.ac.uk/programmes/undergraduate/354-mbchb-medicine-6-year-programme	https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/medicine-mbbs

Edinburgh

Quick comparison

Location: Edinburgh, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level (theoretically minimum, but A*A*A* predictions ideal for RUK/English applicants to maximise post-interview chances) including Chemistry plus one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics
TrueScore: 1700
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Assessment day: three 12-minute individual stations plus a 45-minute group exercise (Edinburgh describes it as 'not a typical MMI format')
Post-interview chance: RUK student: 166 offers from 300 interviewed (~55%); Scottish student: 424/432 = 98% (effectively not interviewed); Overseas student: 45/98 = 46%
Decision date: March onwards

King's College London (KCL)

London

Quick comparison

Location: London, UK
A-Level offer: A*AA at A-level including A in Biology and Chemistry
TrueScore: 2150
UCAT home cut-off: ~2130+ /2700 (non-contextual) with B1 SJT and 8× grade 8s at GCSE; mean offer holder ≈ 2250
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: All Students: 760/981 = 77% (2024); Overall undergraduate (2023): 645/1115 = 58%
Decision date: March onwards

Compare different schools

Edinburgh vs King's College London (KCL) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Edinburgh requires AAA at A-level (theoretically minimum, but A*A*A* predictions ideal for RUK/English applicants to maximise post-interview chances) including Chemistry plus one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics.

King's College London (KCL) requires A*AA at A-level including A in Biology and Chemistry.

King's College London (KCL) is the stricter A-Level offer; Edinburgh is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, Edinburgh carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Edinburgh: Minimum grade 7/A in Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and English. In practice, RUK applicants need top 8 GCSEs scored - 5 grade 8s + 3 grade 7s ideal. Top 8 GCSEs scored as part of pre-interview… King's College London (KCL): Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE English Language and Mathematics.

GCSE used heavily in shortlisting: scored /40 - 8/8+/A* = 5 pts each, 7 = 3.75 pts, 6 = 2.5 pts. (KCL's "A-as-A*" rule may apply depending…

Interview formats

Edinburgh uses Assessment day (Assessment day: three 12-minute individual stations plus a 45-minute group exercise (Edinburgh describes it as 'not a typical MMI format')); King's College London (KCL) 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, King's College London (KCL) is the better fit.

Interview windows: Edinburgh interviews in December - February; King's College London (KCL) in December - February.

Post-interview offer rate

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

Edinburgh: Around 50% academic, 35% UCAT and 15% SJT in shortlisting; SJT band 4 is rejected outright. Scottish applicants face a much lower bar than RUK and are effectively guaranteed an interview if they meet minimums. Strong research focus and international reputation.

King's College London (KCL): Strong clinical focus with emphasis on London healthcare system.

Which is right for you?

For applicants with predicted A-Level grades at the lower end of the AAA-A*AA range, Edinburgh is the lower-risk academic option. Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Edinburgh feeds into the Scotland foundation programme network; King's College London (KCL) into the London 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

Neither school publishes a single fixed UCAT cut-off; both use UCAT as part of a composite shortlisting score alongside GCSE and personal-statement weighting. Edinburgh guidance: 1650 /2700 is the absolute minimum (necessary not sufficient). Decile-based UCAT scoring within the 35% UCAT pre-interview weight.. King's College London (KCL) guidance: ~2130+ /2700 (non-contextual) with B1 SJT and 8× grade 8s at GCSE; mean offer holder ≈ 2250.

Edinburgh uses Assessment day: Assessment day: three 12-minute individual stations plus a 45-minute group exercise (Edinburgh describes it as 'not a typical MMI format'). King's College London (KCL) 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: December - February (Edinburgh); December - February (King's College London (KCL)).

Edinburgh — Minimum grade 7/A in Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and English. In practice, RUK applicants need top 8 GCSEs scored - 5 grade 8s + 3 grade 7s ideal. Top 8 GCSEs scored as part of pre-interview academic score (50% of pre-interview ranking). Must include Maths, Biology, Chemistry, English. A*A*A* predictions + 5+ grade 8s GCSE ideal for full points. King's College London (KCL) — Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE English Language and Mathematics. GCSE used heavily in shortlisting: scored /40 - 8/8+/A* = 5 pts each, 7 = 3.75 pts, 6 = 2.5 pts. (KCL's "A-as-A*" rule may apply depending on school performance.)

Edinburgh's selection methodology: UCAT, academic record (including GCSEs/Highers), and personal statement combined. Edinburgh does not use traditional interviews - replaces with multiple-mini-interview-style admissions tasks. King's College London (KCL)'s selection methodology: shortlisting weight not fully disclosed; check the official admissions page. 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.

Edinburgh: RUK student: 166 offers from 300 interviewed (~55%); Scottish student: 424/432 = 98% (effectively not interviewed); Overseas student: 45/98 = 46%. King's College London (KCL): All Students: 760/981 = 77% (2024); Overall undergraduate (2023): 645/1115 = 58%. 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%.

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

EdinburghEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full King's College London (KCL)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

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School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 10 September 2026.