Where are Hull York (HYMS) and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) located, and how does that affect cost?

Hull York (HYMS) is in Hull/York, UK. University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) is in Preston, 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).

When does each school release decisions?

Hull York (HYMS) typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) releases medicine decisions March - April. 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.

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Medical school comparison

Hull York (HYMS) vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)

Q: What A-Level grades do Hull York (HYMS) and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) require?

Hull York (HYMS) requires AAA including Biology and Chemistry (3 A-levels studied and awarded concurrently). University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) requires AAB at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (home applicants). Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school.

Hull York (HYMS) and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) 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.

Their A-Level requirements (AAA vs AAB) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Hull York (HYMS) and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).
Comparison field	Hull York (HYMS)Hull/York	University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)Preston
Quick comparison
Location	Hull/York, UK	Preston, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (3 A-levels studied and awarded concurrently)	AAB at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (home applicants)
TrueScore	1980	-
UCAT home cut-off	~2010+ /2700 with B1 SJT and 6× grade 9s safest (~7th decile UCAT); ~1950+ consider with strong GCSE/SJT mix	UCAT used for home applicant shortlisting; no published cut-off
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	All (2024): 678/750 = 90%; Home: 655/695 = 94%; Overseas: 20/55 = 36%	-
Decision date	March onwards	March - April

A-Level offer	AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (3 A-levels studied and awarded concurrently)	AAB at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (home applicants)
Contextual A-Level offer	ABB at A-level for widening-access applicants	-
Required A-Level subjects	Biology and Chemistry both required. AAB + grade A in EPQ also accepted.	-
A-Level resit policy	Resits accepted only if first sitting was BBB or higher. Applicants may repeat or restart Year 12 once with no restrictions.	-
GCSE requirements	Minimum 6 GCSEs at grade 4/C or equivalent, including English Language and Mathematics at grade 6/B or above. GCSE resits accepted (including pending).	-
GCSE scoring methodology	Top 6 GCSEs scored /35 in points system. Mostly grade 8/9s typically needed to be safely competitive.	-
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	36 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level including Biology and Chemistry	-
Graduate-entry degree requirement	-	-
Alternative qualifications	-	-

Contextual cut-off	~1700+ /2700 with WP eligibility (4th decile minimum + minimum entry requirements)	-
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	~2020+ /2700 (similar threshold to home, ranked separately)	Cognitive subtests considered alongside academic and personal-statement assessment
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	Used to shortlist, scored /15. Band 4 automatically rejected. (B1 = 15, B2 ≈ 10, B3 ≈ 5)	-
UCAT notes	Points system: UCAT /35 by decile + SJT /15 + GCSE /35 (top 6) + contextual /15 = 100. 2023 entry cut-off was 70/100. Band 4 SJT auto-rejected.	UCLan publishes limited shortlisting detail. Threshold varies year-on-year; check the official course page closer to your application year.

Interview window	December - March	December - February
Interview details	Five-station MMI: two 10-minute mini-interviews with 5 minutes' prep each, a 10-minute student station, a 20-minute PBL group exercise led by a tutor, and a 5-minute scenario station built around a pr…	MMI of approximately 7-9 timed stations covering motivation, ethics, communication, role-play and data interpretation. Home and international applicants are interviewed on the same MMI structure.

Specialities	Medicine, Medical Education	Medicine, Community Medicine
Established	2003	2014
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	Points-based shortlisting: UCAT decile (/35) + SJT (/15) + GCSE top 6 subjects (/35) + contextual data (/15). The PBL group exercise is unusual among UK medical schools and reflects HYMS's problem-bas…	One of the first UK universities to run a privately-funded medical school open to international students; substantial international cohort blended with a smaller home intake. Strong Lancashire regiona…
Official course page	https://www.hyms.ac.uk/medicine/mbbs-medicine	https://www.lancashire.ac.uk/

Hull York (HYMS)

Hull/York

Quick comparison

Location: Hull/York, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (3 A-levels studied and awarded concurrently)
TrueScore: 1980
UCAT home cut-off: ~2010+ /2700 with B1 SJT and 6× grade 9s safest (~7th decile UCAT); ~1950+ consider with strong GCSE/SJT mix
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: All (2024): 678/750 = 90%; Home: 655/695 = 94%; Overseas: 20/55 = 36%
Decision date: March onwards

University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)

Preston

Quick comparison

Location: Preston, UK
A-Level offer: AAB at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (home applicants)
TrueScore: -
UCAT home cut-off: UCAT used for home applicant shortlisting; no published cut-off
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: -
Decision date: March - April

Compare different schools

Hull York (HYMS) vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Hull York (HYMS) requires AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (3 A-levels studied and awarded concurrently).

University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) requires AAB at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (home applicants).

Hull York (HYMS) is the stricter A-Level offer; University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

Interview formats

Both Hull York (HYMS) and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) 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: Hull York (HYMS) interviews in December - March; University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in December - February.

What makes each distinctive

Hull York (HYMS): Points-based shortlisting: UCAT decile (/35) + SJT (/15) + GCSE top 6 subjects (/35) + contextual data (/15). The PBL group exercise is unusual among UK medical schools and reflects HYMS's problem-based curriculum.

University of Central Lancashire (UCLan): One of the first UK universities to run a privately-funded medical school open to international students; substantial international cohort blended with a smaller home intake. Strong Lancashire regional placement network.

Which is right for you?

For applicants with predicted A-Level grades at the lower end of the AAA-A*AA range, University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) is the lower-risk academic option. 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. Hull York (HYMS) guidance: ~2010+ /2700 with B1 SJT and 6× grade 9s safest (~7th decile UCAT); ~1950+ consider with strong GCSE/SJT mix. University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) guidance: UCAT used for home applicant shortlisting; no published cut-off.

Hull York (HYMS) uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) 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 (Hull York (HYMS)); December - February (University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)).

Hull York (HYMS) — Minimum 6 GCSEs at grade 4/C or equivalent, including English Language and Mathematics at grade 6/B or above. GCSE resits accepted (including pending). Top 6 GCSEs scored /35 in points system. Mostly grade 8/9s typically needed to be safely competitive. University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) — GCSE performance considered as part of the broader academic profile; specific scoring not published.

Hull York (HYMS)'s selection methodology: Joint Hull-York programme. UCAT + academic + MMI. Distinctive 'Hull York' brand with placements across both cities. University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)'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

Hull York (HYMS)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in full University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Other medical school comparisons

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 18 August 2026.

Hull York (HYMS) vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)

Side-by-side comparison

Hull York (HYMS) vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Interview formats

What makes each distinctive

Which is right for you?

Common questions

What UCAT score do I need for Hull York (HYMS) vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)?

How do interviews differ between Hull York (HYMS) and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)?

What A-Level grades do Hull York (HYMS) and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Hull York (HYMS) vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Where are Hull York (HYMS) and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

Should I apply to both Hull York (HYMS) and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons