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Medical school comparison

Hertfordshire vs UCL

Hertfordshire and UCL are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Hertfordshire is based in Hatfield (England) while UCL 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. UCL is the older institution (founded 1826); 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

UCL

London

Quick comparison

Location
London, UK
A-Level offer
A*AA at A-level (offer and prediction) with the A* in Chemistry or Biology
TrueScore
2120
UCAT home cut-off
~2100+ /2700 (2025 entry cut-off ≈ 2100, first UCAT cycle replacing BMAT)
Interview format
MMI (Home), Traditional (International)
Post-interview chance
Home Fee Status (2024): 562/1032 = 54%; Contextual (2025): 58%; International (2023): 55/131 = 42%
Decision date
Decisions are made after all the Interviews have been completed
Compare different schools

Hertfordshire vs UCL - 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).. UCL requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology. UCL 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. GCSE profile matters at both schools — Hertfordshire: Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science. UCL: Minimum English Language and Mathematics at grade 6. GCSE resits accepted.

Interview formats

Both Hertfordshire and UCL 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: Hertfordshire runs multiple mini interviews (mmi); UCL runs mmi (home), traditional (international). Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep. Interview windows: Hertfordshire interviews in December - March; UCL in December - March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Hertfordshire runs a PBL curriculum; UCL runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Hertfordshire leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while UCL uses a more traditional lecture-led structure. Specifics: Five-year MBChB. Hertfordshire-based with East-of-England NHS placements. Six-year MBBS BSc with compulsory intercalated BSc in Year 3. Clinical placements at UCL-affiliated NHS sites including UCLH, Royal Free, and Whitting Intake size: Hertfordshire — ~50-100 places per year (newer cohort).; UCL — ~310 home + ~24 overseas fee status places per year.. 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. UCL: Cut-offs differ from Imperial - UCL's home threshold is lower while its international threshold is higher, partly because UCL holds more interviews relative to offers. SJT is only used as a tie-breaker between equally scored candidates.

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; UCL into the London network. If you learn best in small-group case discussion, prefer Hertfordshire; 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. Hertfordshire guidance: International students only. SJT not used. New school for 2026 entry - cut-offs will be set as the cycle runs.. UCL guidance: ~2100+ /2700 (2025 entry cut-off ≈ 2100, first UCAT cycle replacing BMAT).

Hertfordshire uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). UCL uses Multiple Mini Interviews: MMI (Home), Traditional (International). 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 - March (UCL).

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).. UCL requires A*AA 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.. UCL — A-Level resits not accepted..

Hertfordshire — Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science. UCL — Minimum English Language and Mathematics at grade 6. GCSE resits accepted.

Hertfordshire's selection methodology: Newer programme. UCAT + academic + interview. Hertfordshire-based with strong widening-participation focus. UCL's selection methodology: Beyond minimum academic requirements, shortlisting is wholly by UCAT total score. Higher post-interview offer rate (more interviews relative to offers) than Imperial. 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. UCL 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. UCL releases medicine decisions Decisions are made after all the Interviews have been completed. 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. UCL runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Hertfordshire specifics: Five-year MBChB. Hertfordshire-based with East-of-England NHS placements. UCL specifics: Six-year MBBS BSc with compulsory intercalated BSc in Year 3. Clinical placements at UCL-affiliated NHS sites including UCLH, Royal Free, and Whittington.

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.