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Medical school comparison

Hertfordshire vs King's College London (KCL)

Hertfordshire and King's College London (KCL) are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Hertfordshire is based in Hatfield (England) 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. King's College London (KCL) is the older institution (founded 1829); the other (founded 2025) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Hertfordshire

Hatfield

Quick comparison

Location
Hatfield, UK
A-Level offer
AAA at A-level including Chemistry or Biology, completed in one sitting across a maximum of two years. Applicants encouraged to consider Arts/Humanities for their 3rd A-level.
TrueScore
1700intl
UCAT home cut-off
-
Interview format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance
-
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

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

A-Level and academic profile

Hertfordshire requires AAA offer including chemistry or biology, completed in one sitting across a maximum of two years. Applicants encouraged to consider arts/humanities for their 3rd A-level. GCSEs: minimum 5 subjects at grade 6 including English, maths, biology, chemistry and physics (or dual award).. King's College London (KCL) requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology. King's College London (KCL) is the stricter A-Level offer; Hertfordshire is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, Hertfordshire carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

Interview formats

Both Hertfordshire and King's College London (KCL) 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: Hertfordshire interviews in December - March; King's College London (KCL) in December - February.

What makes each distinctive

Hertfordshire: For international students only and new this year - can apply directly in addition to your 4 UCAS medical choices, so no harm in giving it a try. New medical school actively seeking links with international applicants. 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, Hertfordshire is the lower-risk academic option. Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Hertfordshire feeds into the England 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. Hertfordshire guidance: International students only. SJT not used. New school for 2026 entry - cut-offs will be set as the cycle runs.. King's College London (KCL) guidance: ~2130+ /2700 (non-contextual) with B1 SJT and 8× grade 8s at GCSE; mean offer holder ≈ 2250.

Hertfordshire uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). King's College London (KCL) 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 (Hertfordshire); December - February (King's College London (KCL)).

Hertfordshire requires AAA offer including chemistry or biology, completed in one sitting across a maximum of two years. Applicants encouraged to consider arts/humanities for their 3rd A-level. GCSEs: minimum 5 subjects at grade 6 including English, maths, biology, chemistry and physics (or dual award).. 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.

Hertfordshire — Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science. King's College London (KCL) — GCSE performance considered as part of the broader academic profile; specific scoring not published.

Hertfordshire's selection methodology: Newer programme. UCAT + academic + interview. Hertfordshire-based with strong widening-participation focus. 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.

Hertfordshire is in Hatfield, UK. King's College London (KCL) is in London, 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).

Hertfordshire 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.

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.