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Medical school comparison

Glasgow vs Leeds

Glasgow and Leeds are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Glasgow is based in Glasgow (Scotland) while Leeds sits in Leeds (England), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination. Glasgow is the older institution (founded 1451); the other (founded 1904) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Glasgow

Glasgow

Quick comparison

Location
Glasgow, UK
A-Level offer
AAA at A-level including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics
TrueScore
1850
UCAT home cut-off
-
Interview format
MMI Format for Dentistry, Panel Interview for Medicine
Post-interview chance
Scottish: 473/565 = 84% (2025); RUK: 128/216 = 59%; International: 114/161 = 71%
Decision date
March onwards

Leeds

Leeds

Quick comparison

Location
Leeds, UK
A-Level offer
AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (predictions also AAA minimum)
TrueScore
1950
UCAT home cut-off
~1930+ /2700 (2025 entry cut-off ≈ 1928)
Interview format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance
Home student: 300/742 = 40% (2024); International: 12/32 = 38%
Decision date
March onwards
Compare different schools

Glasgow vs Leeds - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Glasgow requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology. Leeds 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 — Glasgow: GCSE English at grade 6/B; Biology at grade 6/B if not studied at A-Level. GCSE retakes accepted. Leeds: 8 GCSEs scored - ideally 8 grade 8s + 3 A* including core subjects. Mathematics, English, dual-award Science required.

Interview formats

Both Glasgow and Leeds 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. That said, the specifics differ slightly: Glasgow runs mmi format for dentistry, panel interview for medicine; Leeds runs multiple mini interviews (mmi). Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep. Interview windows: Glasgow interviews in December - February; Leeds in December - February.

Curriculum and teaching style

Glasgow runs a PBL curriculum; Leeds runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Glasgow leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while Leeds uses a more traditional lecture-led structure. Specifics: Five-year MBChB built around problem-based learning groups, with early clinical exposure from Year 1. Five-year MBChB with integrated theory and clinical placements from Year 1; clinical years across Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Intake size: Glasgow — ~40-50 RUK + ~22 international + ~190 Scottish places per year (A100).; Leeds — ~260 home + ~28 international places per year (A100).. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Post-interview offer rate

Glasgow: Scottish: 473/565 = 84% (2025); RUK: 128/216 = 59%; International: 114/161 = 71%. Leeds: Home student: 300/742 = 40% (2024); International: 12/32 = 38%. 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

Glasgow: One of the oldest medical schools in the English-speaking world. Personal statement and reference must meet minimum requirements but shortlisting is then driven by UCAT alone. Personal statement reviewed post-interview before offers. Leeds: Well-established medical school with strong community links and clinical training. Total shortlisting score combines UCAT, GCSE and A-level predictions. SJT is not used in selection.

Which is right for you?

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

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. Glasgow guidance: No SJT used. Personal statement and reference checked for minimums then shortlisting is wholly UCAT-based. Personal statement reviewed post-interview before offers.. Leeds guidance: ~1930+ /2700 (2025 entry cut-off ≈ 1928).

Glasgow uses Panel interview: MMI Format for Dentistry, Panel Interview for Medicine. Leeds 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 (Glasgow); December - February (Leeds).

Glasgow requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology. Leeds 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: Glasgow — Resits permitted only with exceptional circumstances; standard expectation is one-sitting AAA.. Leeds — From 2026 entry: one A-Level resit attempt accepted without mitigating circumstances..

Glasgow — GCSE English at grade 6/B; Biology at grade 6/B if not studied at A-Level. GCSE retakes accepted. Leeds — 8 GCSEs scored - ideally 8 grade 8s + 3 A* including core subjects. Mathematics, English, dual-award Science required.

Glasgow's selection methodology: Shortlisting is UCAT-only after minimum academic, personal statement and reference checks. Personal statement reviewed post-interview, before offers, but not scored. Leeds's selection methodology: Combined UCAT + GCSE + A-Level prediction score (exact mechanism undisclosed). Higher UCAT compensates for weaker GCSE/predictions. 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.

Glasgow: Scottish: 473/565 = 84% (2025); RUK: 128/216 = 59%; International: 114/161 = 71%. Leeds: Home student: 300/742 = 40% (2024); International: 12/32 = 38%. 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%.

Glasgow is in Glasgow, UK. Leeds is in Leeds, 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.

Glasgow typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. Leeds 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.

Glasgow runs a PBL curriculum. Leeds runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Glasgow specifics: Five-year MBChB built around problem-based learning groups, with early clinical exposure from Year 1. Leeds specifics: Five-year MBChB with integrated theory and clinical placements from Year 1; clinical years across Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

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.