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

Leeds is in Leeds, 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?

Leeds 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

Leeds vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)

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

Leeds requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology (predictions also AAA minimum). 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.

Leeds 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.

Leeds is the older institution (founded 1904); 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: Leeds and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).
Comparison field	LeedsLeeds	University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)Preston
Quick comparison
Location	Leeds, UK	Preston, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (predictions also AAA minimum). An A* cannot compensate for a B in another subject.	AAB at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (home applicants)
TrueScore	1950	-
UCAT home cut-off	~1930+ /2700 (2025 entry cut-off ≈ 1928)	UCAT used for home applicant shortlisting; no published cut-off
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	Home student: 300/742 = 40% (2024); International: 12/32 = 38%	-
Decision date	March onwards	March - April

A-Level offer	AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (predictions also AAA minimum). An A* cannot compensate for a B in another subject.	AAB at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (home applicants)
Contextual A-Level offer	ABB for Access to Leeds applicants. Chemistry and Biology must both be taken, with an A in either Chemistry or Biology.	-
Required A-Level subjects	Chemistry and Biology both required	-
A-Level resit policy	From 2026 entry: one A-Level resit attempt accepted without mitigating circumstances.	-
GCSE requirements	Minimum 6 GCSEs at grade 6/B or above including Mathematics, English Language, Biology and Chemistry (or 6-6 Dual Science). Meeting the minimum alone is unlikely to shortlist - scoring uses the top 8 GCSEs.	-
GCSE scoring methodology	Top 8 GCSEs scored as part of the ranking alongside UCAT.	-
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	36 points overall with a mark of 6 in three Higher Level subjects, which must include Chemistry and Biology.	-
Graduate-entry degree requirement	-	-
Alternative qualifications	-	-

Contextual cut-off	~1850+ /2700 (WP+) - 2025 cut-off ≈ 1838	-
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	~2060+ /2700 (2025 entry cut-off ≈ 2063)	Cognitive subtests considered alongside academic and personal-statement assessment
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	SJT not used or considered	-
UCAT notes	Foundation Year (WP+) cut-off ~1730. SJT not used. Cut-offs are with full GCSE/A-level points; lower predictions need higher UCAT to compensate.	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	Eight-station MMI with 6 minutes per station and 2 minutes of reading time before each one. Some questions are deliberately unorthodox; the reading window is there for you to plan a structure rather t…	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, Dentistry, Healthcare Sciences	Medicine, Community Medicine
Established	1904	2014
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	Well-established medical school with strong community links and clinical training. Total shortlisting score combines UCAT, GCSE and A-level predictions. SJT is not used in selection.	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://courses.leeds.ac.uk/5580/medicine-and-surgery-mbchb	https://www.lancashire.ac.uk/

Leeds

Quick comparison

Location: Leeds, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (predictions also AAA minimum). An A* cannot compensate for a B in another subject.
TrueScore: 1950
UCAT home cut-off: ~1930+ /2700 (2025 entry cut-off ≈ 1928)
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: Home student: 300/742 = 40% (2024); International: 12/32 = 38%
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

Leeds vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Leeds requires AAA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (predictions also AAA minimum). An A* cannot compensate for a B in another subject.

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

Leeds 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 Leeds 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: Leeds interviews in December - February; University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in December - February.

What makes each distinctive

Leeds: Well-established medical school with strong community links and clinical training. Total shortlisting score combines UCAT, GCSE and A-level predictions. SJT is not used in selection.

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. Leeds guidance: ~1930+ /2700 (2025 entry cut-off ≈ 1928). University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) guidance: UCAT used for home applicant shortlisting; no published cut-off.

Leeds 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 (Leeds); December - February (University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)).

Leeds — Minimum 6 GCSEs at grade 6/B or above including Mathematics, English Language, Biology and Chemistry (or 6-6 Dual Science). Meeting the minimum alone is unlikely to shortlist - scoring uses the top 8 GCSEs. Top 8 GCSEs scored as part of the ranking alongside UCAT. University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) — GCSE performance considered as part of the broader academic profile; specific scoring not published.

Leeds's selection methodology: Combined UCAT + GCSE + A-Level prediction score (exact mechanism undisclosed). Higher UCAT compensates for weaker GCSE/predictions. 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

LeedsEntry 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.

Leeds vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)

Side-by-side comparison

Leeds 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 Leeds vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)?

How do interviews differ between Leeds and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)?

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

How are GCSEs weighted at Leeds vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

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

When does each school release decisions?

Should I apply to both Leeds and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons