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Medical school comparison

Imperial College London vs North Wales (Bangor)

Imperial College London and North Wales (Bangor) are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Imperial College London is based in London (London) while North Wales (Bangor) sits in Bangor (England), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination. On UCAT alone there is roughly a 620-point gap between them — a substantial difference that should shape which you list as firm choice vs. insurance. Imperial College London is the older institution (founded 1907); the other (founded 2020) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Imperial College London

London

Quick comparison

Location
London, UK
A-Level offer
A*AA at A-level with the A* in Chemistry or Biology
TrueScore
2340
UCAT home cut-off
2320+ /2700 (2026 entry official cut-off)
Interview format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance
All Applicants: 662/852 = 78% (2025). 280 international interviews, ~2130 international applicants.
Decision date
March onwards

North Wales (Bangor)

Bangor

Quick comparison

Location
Bangor, UK
A-Level offer
AAA at A-level including Biology and Chemistry
TrueScore
1700
UCAT home cut-off
~1700+ /2700 estimated (Welsh-domiciled applicants face the lowest bar)
Interview format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance
Refused to disclose. New medical school, has been in clearing in past years.
Decision date
March onwards
Compare different schools

Imperial College London vs North Wales (Bangor) - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

Imperial College London's published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 2320, while North Wales (Bangor) sits at approximately 1700. That's a 620-point gap — large enough to put the two schools in completely different competitiveness tiers. An applicant scoring in the 1900-2100 band would be competitive at North Wales (Bangor) but borderline at Imperial College London. Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — Imperial College London: 2170+ /2700 (2026 entry official contextual cut-off); North Wales (Bangor): not separately disclosed. Eligible applicants should weight this heavily when choosing.

A-Level and academic profile

Imperial College London requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology. North Wales (Bangor) 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 — Imperial College London: Strong GCSE profile expected; not algorithmically scored but considered alongside UCAT and academic record. North Wales (Bangor): Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science. Welsh-language ability welcomed but not required.

Interview formats

Both Imperial College London and North Wales (Bangor) 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: Imperial College London interviews in December - February; North Wales (Bangor) in December - March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Imperial College London runs a Integrated curriculum; North Wales (Bangor) runs a PBL curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Imperial College London delivers more didactic lectures with structured systems-based progression, while North Wales (Bangor) centres learning around clinical cases. Specifics: Six-year MBBS BSc with integrated science teaching from Year 1. Compulsory intercalated BSc in Year 4. Clinical placements from Year 3 across Imperial Four-year accelerated MBBCh (Cardiff) for graduates, or 5-year route. Strong rural/community placement strand across North Wales (Betsi Cadwaladr UHB) Intake size: Imperial College London — ~271 home + ~74 overseas fee status places per year (one of the largest international intakes in the UK).; North Wales (Bangor) — ~30 places per year (small cohort, designed for local retention).. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Post-interview offer rate

Imperial College London: All Applicants: 662/852 = 78% (2025). 280 international interviews, ~2130 international applicants.. North Wales (Bangor): Refused to disclose. New medical school, has been in clearing in past years.. Post-interview odds give you the clearest signal of how competitive each school is at the final stage — a school with a 60% post-interview success rate is structurally easier to convert than one at 25%, even if the interview thresholds look identical on paper.

What makes each distinctive

Imperial College London: Heavy emphasis on scientific reasoning and the integrated London course structure. Around a quarter of places are now reserved for international applicants. UCAT is the primary shortlisting factor, with personal-statement use limited to exceptional cases. North Wales (Bangor): Refused to disclose UCAT cut-offs or shortlisting weighting. Anecdotally lower thresholds, particularly for Welsh applicants. Has entered clearing in past years.

Which is right for you?

If your UCAT lands below the UK median (~2500/3600), North Wales (Bangor) is the more realistic firm-choice option. Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Imperial College London feeds into the London foundation programme network; North Wales (Bangor) into the England network. If you learn best in small-group case discussion, prefer North Wales (Bangor); 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

Imperial College London's typical home cut-off is around 2320, while North Wales (Bangor) sits at approximately 1700 — a 620-point spread. That's a meaningful gap; North Wales (Bangor) is materially more accessible for an average-to-good UCAT, while Imperial College London expects performance closer to the top 36% of test-takers. Cut-offs change year on year and vary by tier — check each school's latest published threshold before submitting your UCAS form.

Imperial College London uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). North Wales (Bangor) 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 - February (Imperial College London); December - March (North Wales (Bangor)).

Imperial College London requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology. North Wales (Bangor) 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: Imperial College London — Resits not generally accepted for first-attempt A-Levels.. North Wales (Bangor) — Resits considered..

Imperial College London — Strong GCSE profile expected; not algorithmically scored but considered alongside UCAT and academic record. North Wales (Bangor) — Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science. Welsh-language ability welcomed but not required.

Imperial College London's selection methodology: Around top ⅓ of applicants interviewed. Mainly UCAT-based shortlisting (special-circumstances applicants reviewed case-by-case). SJT band 4 rejected; B1/B2/B3 treated equally. North Wales (Bangor)'s selection methodology: Joint programme with Cardiff (degree awarded by Cardiff). Designed to address North Wales workforce shortages - significant proportion of intake from local widening-participation backgrounds. 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.

Imperial College London: All Applicants: 662/852 = 78% (2025). 280 international interviews, ~2130 international applicants.. North Wales (Bangor): Refused to disclose. New medical school, has been in clearing in past years.. Post-interview odds tell you how competitive each school is at the final stage. Two schools with similar UCAT thresholds can have very different post-interview rates — a school with a 60% post-interview success rate is structurally easier to convert than one at 25%.

Imperial College London is in London, UK. North Wales (Bangor) is in Bangor, 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).

Imperial College London typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. North Wales (Bangor) 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.

Imperial College London runs a Integrated curriculum. North Wales (Bangor) runs a PBL curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Imperial College London specifics: Six-year MBBS BSc with integrated science teaching from Year 1. Compulsory intercalated BSc in Year 4. Clinical placements from Year 3 across Imperial-affiliated NHS Trusts in west London. North Wales (Bangor) specifics: Four-year accelerated MBBCh (Cardiff) for graduates, or 5-year route. Strong rural/community placement strand across North Wales (Betsi Cadwaladr UHB).

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.