Where are Imperial College London and Ulster University Medical School located, and how does that affect cost?

Imperial College London is in London, UK. Ulster University Medical School is in Londonderry, 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?

Imperial College London typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. Ulster University Medical School 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.

Medical school comparison

Imperial College London vs Ulster University Medical School

Q: How are GCSEs weighted at Imperial College London vs Ulster University Medical School?

Imperial College London — Grade 6/B in GCSE English Language. No further GCSE requirements. GCSE used only as minimum threshold - not used to rank applicants beyond meeting the floor Ulster University Medical School — Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science.

Imperial College London and Ulster University Medical School are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Both sit in London, so location and clinical-placement breadth are similar — the differentiation comes from selection methodology, interview style and curriculum philosophy.

Imperial College London is the older institution (founded 1907); the other (founded 2021) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Imperial College London and Ulster University Medical School.
Comparison field	Imperial College LondonLondon	Ulster University Medical SchoolLondonderry
Quick comparison
Location	London, UK	Londonderry, UK
A-Level offer	AAA including A and A in Biology and Chemistry (A* in either) plus A in a third subject. All qualifications must be taken in the same sitting; General Studies and Critical Thinking are not accepted, and a pass in the science practical endorsement is required.	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any honours degree
TrueScore	Imperial College London TrueScore 2340	-
UCAT home cut-off	2320+ /2700 (2026 entry official cut-off)	-
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	Good. Imperial interviews only about the top third of applicants, then makes offers against 345 places from the 852 (2025 entry) and 870 (2026 entry) candidates it invited - so well over half of interviewees receive an offer. The offer threshold moves each year and is set separately for widening-participation applicants.	-
Decision date	March onwards	March onwards

A-Level offer	AAA including A and A in Biology and Chemistry (A* in either) plus A in a third subject. All qualifications must be taken in the same sitting; General Studies and Critical Thinking are not accepted, and a pass in the science practical endorsement is required.	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any honours degree
Contextual A-Level offer	AAA - the same grades as the standard offer, but the A may be in any subject rather than in Biology or Chemistry	-
Required A-Level subjects	Chemistry and Biology both required	-
A-Level resit policy	Resit qualifications not accepted	Resits accepted.
GCSE requirements	Grade 6/B in GCSE English Language. No further GCSE requirements.	-
GCSE scoring methodology	GCSE used only as minimum threshold - not used to rank applicants beyond meeting the floor	-
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	38 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level including Chemistry and Biology	-
Graduate-entry degree requirement	Graduate applicants accepted on the standard 6-year MBBS - typically holding 2:1 or higher in any subject, plus required A-level Chemistry and Biology grades	2:1 (Upper-second-class Honours) or above in any honours degree (Arts, Science, Humanities all accepted)
Alternative qualifications	-	Graduate-entry only. UCAT NOT used - Ulster uses GAMSAT (Graduate Medical School Admissions Test). Recent GAMSAT thresholds have been ~61. Plus 2:1 honours degree and MMI interview. Strong Northern Ireland regional focus.

Contextual cut-off	2170+ /2700 (2026 entry official contextual cut-off)	-
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	2310+ /2700 (2026 entry official cut-off)	-
Graduate cut-off	-	Not applicable - Ulster uses GAMSAT, not the UCAT. Recent thresholds have been around 61.
SJT band	Band 4 rejected, otherwise B1, B2 & B3 equal	-
UCAT notes	Imperial sets the threshold each year by ranking candidate UCAT scores against the number of interview slots, so it moves annually. The personal statement is not graded in shortlisting, but it is hand…	GAMSAT is scored out of 100. Do not sit the UCAT for this course.

Degree awarded	MBBS/BSc	MBBS
Course length	6 years (BSc built in)	4 years (graduate entry)
Teaching style	Case-based learning + Team-based learning	Integrated
Anatomy teaching	-	Imaging and models
First patient contact	Year 1	-
Placement geography	West and central London	Across Northern Ireland
Named placement sites	Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (Charing Cross, Hammersmith, St Mary’s, Western Eye), Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London North West Healthcare NHS Trust (Ealing, Northwick Park), Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust, Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust, West Middlesex University Hospital	-
Intercalation	Not a separate option — the BSc is integral to the six-year course.	-
Course highlight	Exceptional students may be offered the opportunity to include a PhD as part of their studies.	Based at the Magee campus in Derry~Londonderry, alongside other healthcare programmes.

Interview window	December - February	December - March
Interview details	A single live MMI. Imperial ran six stations for 2026 entry, each scored out of 6 and combined into one interview total. Published station themes are teamwork and leadership, motivation to study medic…	MMI format with multiple stations. Focus on serving Northern Ireland's healthcare needs alongside standard motivation, ethics and communication content.

Specialities	Medicine, Bioengineering, Public Health	Medicine, Community Medicine
Established	1907	2021
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	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, wi…	New medical school serving Northern Ireland. Strong regional focus, with the course oriented around local workforce needs. Cut-offs have not yet stabilised.
Official course page	https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/medicine/	https://www.ulster.ac.uk/courses/202627/medicine-41407

Imperial College London

London

Quick comparison

Location: London, UK
A-Level offer: A*AA including A* and A in Biology and Chemistry (A* in either) plus A in a third subject. All qualifications must be taken in the same sitting; General Studies and Critical Thinking are not accepted, and a pass in the science practical endorsement is required.
TrueScore: Imperial College London TrueScore 2340
UCAT home cut-off: 2320+ /2700 (2026 entry official cut-off)
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: Good. Imperial interviews only about the top third of applicants, then makes offers against 345 places from the 852 (2025 entry) and 870 (2026 entry) candidates it invited - so well over half of interviewees receive an offer. The offer threshold moves each year and is set separately for widening-participation applicants.
Decision date: March onwards

Ulster University Medical School

Londonderry

Quick comparison

Location: Londonderry, UK
A-Level offer: Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any honours degree
TrueScore: -
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: -
Decision date: March onwards

Imperial College London vs Ulster University Medical School - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Imperial College London requires A*AA including A* and A in Biology and Chemistry (A* in either) plus A in a third subject. All qualifications must be taken in the same sitting; General Studies and Critical Thinking are not accepted, and a pass in the science practical endorsement is required.

Ulster University Medical School requires Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any honours degree.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Imperial College London: Grade 6/B in GCSE English Language. No further GCSE requirements. GCSE used only as minimum threshold - not used to rank applicants beyond meeting the floor Ulster University Medical School: Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science.

Interview formats

Both Imperial College London and Ulster University Medical School 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; Ulster University Medical School in December - March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Both schools deliver a Integrated-style curriculum, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar across years 1-3.

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 MBBS for graduates. Clinical placements across Northern Ireland NHS sites (Magee Campus, Western HSC, Northern HSC).

Intake size: Imperial College London — A government-capped target intake of 345: 271 home places and 74 overseas, one of the largest international intakes in the UK.; Ulster University Medical School — ~70 places per year (small cohort, NI-focused).. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

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.

Ulster University Medical School: New medical school serving Northern Ireland. Strong regional focus, with the course oriented around local workforce needs. Cut-offs have not yet stabilised.

Which is right for you?

Both schools sit in the same London 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. Imperial College London guidance: 2320+ /2700 (2026 entry official cut-off). Ulster University Medical School guidance: GAMSAT is scored out of 100. Do not sit the UCAT for this course..

Imperial College London uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). Ulster University Medical School 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 (Ulster University Medical School).

Imperial College London requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology, with the A* in Chemistry or Biology. Ulster University Medical School requires Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any honours degree. 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.. Ulster University Medical School — Resits accepted..

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. Ulster University Medical School's selection methodology: Graduate-entry only: a 2:1 honours degree in any discipline plus GAMSAT (recent threshold ~61 out of 100), then MMI. Strong Northern Ireland regional focus. 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 runs a Integrated curriculum. Ulster University Medical School runs a Integrated curriculum. Both schools deliver teaching in the same broad style, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar. 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. Ulster University Medical School specifics: Four-year accelerated MBBS for graduates. Clinical placements across Northern Ireland NHS sites (Magee Campus, Western HSC, Northern HSC).

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

Imperial College LondonEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Ulster University Medical SchoolEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

Other medical school comparisons

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 19 September 2026.

Imperial College London vs Ulster University Medical School

Side-by-side comparison

Imperial College London vs Ulster University Medical School - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Interview formats

Curriculum and teaching style

What makes each distinctive

Which is right for you?

Common questions

What UCAT score do I need for Imperial College London vs Ulster University Medical School?

How do interviews differ between Imperial College London and Ulster University Medical School?

What A-Level grades do Imperial College London and Ulster University Medical School require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Imperial College London vs Ulster University Medical School?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Where are Imperial College London and Ulster University Medical School located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Imperial College London and Ulster University Medical School use?

Should I apply to both Imperial College London and Ulster University Medical School?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons