How are GCSEs weighted at Imperial College London vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)?

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 University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) — GCSE performance considered as part of the broader academic profile; specific scoring not published.

Where are Imperial College London and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) located, and how does that affect cost?

Imperial College London is in London, 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?

Imperial College London 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

Imperial College London vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)

Q: What A-Level grades do Imperial College London and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) require?

Imperial College London requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology, with the A* in Chemistry or Biology. 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.

Imperial College London and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) 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 University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) sits in Preston (England), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.

Their A-Level requirements (A*AA vs AAB) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers. Imperial College London is the older institution (founded 1907); the other (founded 2014) 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 University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).
Comparison field	Imperial College LondonLondon	University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)Preston
Quick comparison
Location	London, UK	Preston, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level with the A in Chemistry or Biology	AAB at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (home applicants)
TrueScore	2340	-
UCAT home cut-off	2320+ /2700 (2026 entry official cut-off)	UCAT used for home applicant shortlisting; no published cut-off
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	All Applicants: 662/852 = 78% (2025). 280 international interviews, ~2130 international applicants.	-
Decision date	March onwards	March - April

A-Level offer	AAA at A-level with the A in Chemistry or Biology	AAB at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (home applicants)
Contextual A-Level offer	AAA at A-level for contextual applicants	-
Required A-Level subjects	Chemistry and Biology both required	-
A-Level resit policy	Resit qualifications not 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	-
Alternative qualifications	-	-

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)	Cognitive subtests considered alongside academic and personal-statement assessment
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	Band 4 rejected, otherwise B1, B2 & B3 equal	-
UCAT notes	UCAT is the primary shortlisting factor. Personal statement only used in exceptional circumstances. SJT band 4 auto-rejected; B1/B2/B3 equal.	UCLan publishes limited shortlisting detail. Threshold varies year-on-year; check the official course page closer to your application year.

Interview window	December - February	December - February
Interview details	Two-part online interview: an asynchronous MMI where you record answers to recorded prompts, plus a more conventional online MMI with live interviewers. Stations test communication, ethical reasoning,…	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, Bioengineering, Public Health	Medicine, Community Medicine
Established	1907	2014
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…	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.imperial.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/medicine/	https://www.lancashire.ac.uk/

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

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

Imperial College London vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Imperial College London requires A*AA at A-level with the A* in Chemistry or Biology.

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

Imperial College London 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 Imperial College London 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: Imperial College London interviews in December - February; University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in December - February.

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.

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. Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Imperial College London feeds into the London foundation programme network; University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) into the England network.

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). University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) guidance: UCAT used for home applicant shortlisting; no published cut-off.

Imperial College London 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 - February (Imperial College London); December - February (University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)).

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. 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

Imperial College LondonEntry 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.