How do interviews differ between Glasgow and St Mary's Twickenham?

Glasgow uses Panel interview: Panel interview. St Mary's Twickenham 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 - March (St Mary's Twickenham).

Where are Glasgow and St Mary's Twickenham located, and how does that affect cost?

Glasgow is in Glasgow, UK. St Mary's Twickenham is in Twickenham, 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?

Glasgow typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. St Mary's Twickenham 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

Glasgow vs St Mary's Twickenham

Q: How are GCSEs weighted at Glasgow vs St Mary's Twickenham?

Glasgow — GCSE English Literature or English Language at grade 6/B or above. GCSE Biology at grade 6/B if not studied at A-level. GCSE retakes are accepted. St Mary's Twickenham — Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE Mathematics, English Language, Biology and Chemistry (or Dual Award Science).

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

The interview formats diverge — Panel vs MMI — and the prep approaches for the two are fundamentally different. Glasgow is the older institution (founded 1451); the other (founded 2025) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Glasgow and St Mary's Twickenham.
Comparison field	GlasgowGlasgow	St Mary's TwickenhamTwickenham, London
Quick comparison
Location	Glasgow, UK	Twickenham, London, UK
A-Level offer	AAA including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics. International A-level applicants need AAA including Chemistry, Biology and one of Physics or Mathematics. Grades must be achieved at one sitting and at the first attempt - resits and extra time to sit qualifications are not permitted, and a mix of qualifications at the same level is not accepted.	AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry or Biology and one of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics
TrueScore	Glasgow TrueScore 1870	St Mary's Twickenham TrueScore 1700intl
UCAT home cut-off	-	-
Interview format	Panel interview	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	Scottish: 473/565 = 84% (2025); RUK: 128/216 = 59%; International: 114/161 = 71%	-
Decision date	March onwards	March onwards

A-Level offer	AAA including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics. International A-level applicants need AAA including Chemistry, Biology and one of Physics or Mathematics. Grades must be achieved at one sitting and at the first attempt - resits and extra time to sit qualifications are not permitted, and a mix of qualifications at the same level is not accepted.	AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry or Biology and one of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics
Contextual A-Level offer	-	-
Required A-Level subjects	Chemistry plus one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics	Chemistry or Biology required, plus one of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics
A-Level resit policy	Resits or additional time to sit qualifications not permitted - required grades and subjects must be obtained at one sitting and at the first attempt	Resits only considered in exceptional circumstances
GCSE requirements	GCSE English Literature or English Language at grade 6/B or above. GCSE Biology at grade 6/B if not studied at A-level. GCSE retakes are accepted.	Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE Mathematics, English Language, Biology and Chemistry (or Dual Award Science)
GCSE scoring methodology	-	-
Scottish Highers	AAAAB at Higher in S5 including Chemistry, Biology and one of Physics or Mathematics, plus BB at Advanced Higher in S6 and National 5 English at grade B. Offers are conditional on S6 performance, and Highers taken in S4 do not count towards the S5 requirement.	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	BB at Advanced Higher in S6 (in addition to S5 AAAAB Highers above)	-
International Baccalaureate	38 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level including HL Chemistry and Biology, plus SL Physics or Mathematics at 6 and SL English at 6	36 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level including Chemistry or Biology and a second science / Maths
Graduate-entry degree requirement	2:1 or above in a relevant science degree, obtained within 7 years of the entry date. UCAT still required.	-
Alternative qualifications	-	New international-only medicine course for 2026 entry - first cohort. Applied to directly outside standard UCAS medicine route. UCAT contributes to combined admissions test + academic ranking. No SJT use.

Contextual cut-off	-	-
Scottish (where applicable)	1870+ /2700 (2026 entry threshold for interview)	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	1990+ /2700 (2026 entry threshold for interview)	-
International cut-off	2150+ /2700 (2026 entry threshold, International and EU)	No cut-off exists yet. UCAT contributes to the shortlisting rank, but the first cohort is September 2026 so no historic threshold exists.
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	Not considered	No usage mentioned in any selection policy
UCAT notes	Glasgow states plainly that it does not consider the SJT. Thresholds differ by applicant group because intake numbers for Home, Rest of UK and International are set by the Scottish Government and Scot…	International (non-UK/Irish) applicants only. No SJT use stated. Any quoted 'cut-off' for this school is guesswork - it has not yet completed an admissions cycle.

Degree awarded	MBChB	MBBS
Course length	5 years	5 years
Teaching style	Spiral + Problem-based learning	Case-based learning
Anatomy teaching	-	-
First patient contact	Year 1	Year 1
Placement geography	Glasgow and the west of Scotland	London, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire
Named placement sites	Glasgow Royal Infirmary (New Lister Building), Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (Teaching & Learning Centre)	West London Trust, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Basingstoke), Practice Plus Group (Ilford), Royal Trinity Hospice, Princess Alice Hospice, Meadow House
Intercalation	A one-year intercalated BSc with over 20 options, or a two-year BSc (Hons), taken between years 3 and 4.	-
Course highlight	The COMET scheme funds an enhanced, immersive general-practice experience for selected students.	Currently accepts international students only.

Interview window	December - February	December - March
Interview details	One 30-minute session split into two parts, Panel A and Panel B, with the same two interviewers covering both. Panel A explores your motivation for medicine and teamwork; Panel B covers communication…	Applications are scored on academic record and admissions tests to produce a shortlisting rank. Interviews are online Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs).

Specialities	Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine	Medicine, International Medicine
Established	1451	2025
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	One of the oldest medical schools in the English-speaking world. Your personal statement and reference are screened early, alongside achieved and predicted grades; UCAT scores arrive later in the cycl…	International (non-UK/Irish) applicants only, applying direct rather than through UCAS, so it costs none of your four UCAS medical choices. Weigh that against the accreditation risk: the MBBS is not y…
Official course page	https://www.gla.ac.uk/undergraduate/degrees/medicine/	https://www.stmarys.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/mbbs-medicine-degree

Glasgow

Quick comparison

Location: Glasgow, UK
A-Level offer: AAA including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics. International A-level applicants need AAA including Chemistry, Biology and one of Physics or Mathematics. Grades must be achieved at one sitting and at the first attempt - resits and extra time to sit qualifications are not permitted, and a mix of qualifications at the same level is not accepted.
TrueScore: Glasgow TrueScore 1870
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Panel interview
Post-interview chance: Scottish: 473/565 = 84% (2025); RUK: 128/216 = 59%; International: 114/161 = 71%
Decision date: March onwards

St Mary's Twickenham

Twickenham, London

Quick comparison

Location: Twickenham, London, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry or Biology and one of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics
TrueScore: St Mary's Twickenham TrueScore 1700intl
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: -
Decision date: March onwards

Glasgow vs St Mary's Twickenham - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Glasgow requires AAA including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics. International A-level applicants need AAA including Chemistry, Biology and one of Physics or Mathematics.

Grades must be achieved at one sitting and at the first attempt - resits and extra time to sit qualifications are not permitted, and a mix of qualifications at the same level is not accepted.

St Mary's Twickenham requires AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry or Biology and one of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics.

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 Literature or English Language at grade 6/B or above. GCSE Biology at grade 6/B if not studied at A-level. GCSE retakes are accepted. St Mary's Twickenham: Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE Mathematics, English Language, Biology and Chemistry (or Dual Award Science).

Interview formats

Glasgow uses Panel (Panel interview); St Mary's Twickenham uses MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)). These two formats reward different skills — Panel emphasises narrative coherence and the ability to develop a thread under follow-up questioning, while MMI rewards breadth and quick recovery.

If your strengths lie in conversational depth, Glasgow may suit you more. If you prefer discrete capsule answers under time pressure, St Mary's Twickenham is the better fit.

Interview windows: Glasgow interviews in December - February; St Mary's Twickenham in December - March.

What makes each distinctive

Glasgow: One of the oldest medical schools in the English-speaking world. Your personal statement and reference are screened early, alongside achieved and predicted grades; UCAT scores arrive later in the cycle and are then used to allocate interviews among applicants who have already cleared that screen. Glasgow does not use the SJT at all.

St Mary's Twickenham: International (non-UK/Irish) applicants only, applying direct rather than through UCAS, so it costs none of your four UCAS medical choices. Weigh that against the accreditation risk: the MBBS is not yet GMC-accredited, and St Mary's contingency is that students would transfer to the University of Lancashire if accreditation is not achieved.

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; St Mary's Twickenham 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. Glasgow guidance: Glasgow states plainly that it does not consider the SJT. Thresholds differ by applicant group because intake numbers for Home, Rest of UK and International are set by the Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council, and they move each year with the strength of the cohort. Personal statement and reference are screened before UCAT is applied, not afterwards.. St Mary's Twickenham guidance: International (non-UK/Irish) applicants only. No SJT use stated. Any quoted 'cut-off' for this school is guesswork - it has not yet completed an admissions cycle..

Glasgow requires AAA including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics. St Mary's Twickenham requires AAA prediction and offer requirements, must include chemistry or biology as well as one of biology/chemistry/physics/maths. Resits only considered in exceptional circumstances. GCSEs: grade 6 minimum in maths, English language, biology and chemistry (or dual award science).. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school.

Glasgow's selection methodology: A staged process running October to March. Applications are first assessed on achieved and predicted qualifications, personal statement and reference; UCAT scores are released to the admissions team later in the cycle and used to allocate interviews among those who cleared that screen. Interview scores are then accumulated and offers made, with most processed by the end of March. Applicants who narrowly miss may be revisited if places free up. St Mary's Twickenham'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.

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

GlasgowEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

St Mary's TwickenhamEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Other medical school comparisons

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 19 September 2026.