North Wales (Bangor) vs Southampton

North Wales (Bangor)'s published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 1700, while Southampton sits at approximately 2000.

That's a 300-point gap — large enough to put the two schools in completely different competitiveness tiers. An applicant scoring in the 1800-1900 band would be competitive at North Wales (Bangor) but borderline at Southampton.

Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — North Wales (Bangor): not separately disclosed; Southampton: ~1850+ /2700 (WP - 2024 entry lowest invited ≈ 1778). Eligible applicants should weight this heavily when choosing.

North Wales (Bangor) requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology.

Southampton 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 — North Wales (Bangor): Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science. Welsh-language ability welcomed but not required. Southampton: Strong GCSE profile expected - typically 6+ at grade 7+ including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science.

North Wales (Bangor) uses MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)); Southampton uses Panel (Selection Day - Panel and Group). These two formats reward different skills — MMI emphasises breadth, station-recovery and structured answers under time pressure, while Panel rewards depth and consistency.

If your strengths lie in conversational depth, Southampton may suit you more. If you prefer discrete capsule answers under time pressure, North Wales (Bangor) is the better fit.

Interview windows: North Wales (Bangor) interviews in December - March; Southampton in January - March.

North Wales (Bangor) runs a PBL curriculum; Southampton runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — North Wales (Bangor) leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while Southampton uses a more traditional lecture-led structure.

Specifics: Four-year accelerated MBBCh (Cardiff) for graduates, or 5-year route. Strong rural/community placement strand across North Wales (Betsi Cadwaladr UHB) Five-year BM5 integrated programme with strong emphasis on research methodology. Clinical placements across Southampton, Portsmouth, Winchester, Salis

Intake size: North Wales (Bangor) — ~30 places per year (small cohort, designed for local retention).; Southampton — ~210 home + ~25 international places per year (BM5 standard programme).. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

North Wales (Bangor): Refused to disclose. New medical school, has been in clearing in past years. Southampton: Home Students: 574/834 = 69%; International (2023): 17/59 = 30%.

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.

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.

Southampton: Personal statement carries unusual weight - selectors use it to drive the panel section if you reach Selection Day. SJT is not considered. Course updated for 2025: the integrated BMedSc award is being removed in favour of more clinical learning time.