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Medical school comparison

Hertfordshire vs Peninsula (Plymouth)

Hertfordshire and Peninsula (Plymouth) 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.

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

Peninsula (Plymouth)

Plymouth

Quick comparison

Location
Plymouth, UK
A-Level offer
A*AA or AAA at A-level (offer depends on strength of applicant pool - historically usually AAA prediction required) including A in Biology and A in a second science from Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Psychology
TrueScore
1900
UCAT home cut-off
~1900+ /2700 (2024 entry lowest invited ≈ 1658; mean ≈ 2037)
Interview format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance
All Applicants: 434/761 = 57% (2025)
Decision date
Not available
Compare different schools

Hertfordshire vs Peninsula (Plymouth) - 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).. Peninsula (Plymouth) 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 — Hertfordshire: Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science. Peninsula (Plymouth): Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science.

Interview formats

Both Hertfordshire and Peninsula (Plymouth) 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; Peninsula (Plymouth) in Not available.

Curriculum and teaching style

Both schools deliver a PBL-style curriculum, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar across years 1-3. Specifics: Five-year MBChB. Hertfordshire-based with East-of-England NHS placements. Five-year MBBS with PBL and case-based learning. Distinctive rural/coastal placement strand across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset. Intake size: Hertfordshire — ~50-100 places per year (newer cohort).; Peninsula (Plymouth) — ~140 home + ~25 international places per year (Plymouth University Peninsula MBChB).. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

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. Peninsula (Plymouth): Plymouth publishes the qualities they assess: communication, decision making, reflection and self-insight, motivation and commitment, integrity and inclusivity, resilience and adaptability, and teamwork. Personal statement and work experience are NOT considered in interview selection.

Which is right for you?

Both schools sit in the same England foundation-programme catchment, so post-graduation training paths overlap heavily. 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.. Peninsula (Plymouth) guidance: ~1900+ /2700 (2024 entry lowest invited ≈ 1658; mean ≈ 2037).

Hertfordshire uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). Peninsula (Plymouth) 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); Not available (Peninsula (Plymouth)).

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).. Peninsula (Plymouth) 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: Hertfordshire — Resits accepted.. Peninsula (Plymouth) — Resits accepted..

Hertfordshire — Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science. Peninsula (Plymouth) — Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science.

Hertfordshire's selection methodology: Newer programme. UCAT + academic + interview. Hertfordshire-based with strong widening-participation focus. Peninsula (Plymouth)'s selection methodology: UCAT + academic + Multiple Mini Interview. Strong South-West focus with rural/community placement strand. 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. Peninsula (Plymouth) is in Plymouth, 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. Peninsula (Plymouth) releases medicine decisions Not available. 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.

Hertfordshire runs a PBL curriculum. Peninsula (Plymouth) runs a PBL curriculum. Both schools deliver teaching in the same broad style, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar. Hertfordshire specifics: Five-year MBChB. Hertfordshire-based with East-of-England NHS placements. Peninsula (Plymouth) specifics: Five-year MBBS with PBL and case-based learning. Distinctive rural/coastal placement strand across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset.

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.