How do interviews differ between Oxford and St Andrews?

Oxford uses Traditional interview: Traditional or Panel Interviews. St Andrews uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). The two formats reward different skill sets. Plan separate prep streams for each, with at least 3 full mock interviews per format before sitting either. Interview windows: December (Oxford); December - March (St Andrews).

Where are Oxford and St Andrews located, and how does that affect cost?

Oxford is in Oxford, UK. St Andrews is in St Andrews, UK. Scottish-domiciled applicants funded by SAAS pay no tuition fees at Scottish medical schools — a substantial funding advantage worth tens of thousands of pounds over the degree. Rest-of-UK applicants still pay £9,250/year.

When does each school release decisions?

Oxford typically releases medicine decisions January. St Andrews 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

Oxford vs St Andrews

Oxford and St Andrews are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Oxford is based in Oxford (England) while St Andrews sits in St Andrews (Scotland), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.

On UCAT alone there is roughly a 1376-point gap between them — a substantial difference that should shape which you list as firm choice vs. insurance. Their A-Level requirements (A*AA vs AAA) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers. The interview formats diverge — Panel vs MMI — and the prep approaches for the two are fundamentally different.

Oxford is the older institution (founded 1096); the other (founded 1413) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Oxford and St Andrews.
Comparison field	OxfordOxford	St AndrewsSt Andrews
Quick comparison
Location	Oxford, UK	St Andrews, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level (and AAA predictions) including Chemistry plus one of Biology, Mathematics, Further Mathematics or Physics	AAA at A-level (offer and predicted) including Chemistry and one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics
TrueScore	Oxford TrueScore 2230	St Andrews TrueScore 1850
UCAT home cut-off	No published cut-off. For 2026 entry the mean UCAT was 2,217.5 across all applicants, 2,377.5 among those shortlisted and 2,407.1 among offer-holders.	No threshold published. Applicants who meet the requirements are ranked on their UCAT global score, and roughly the top 650 are invited to interview.
Interview format	Traditional or Panel Interviews	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	Strong. Of ~425 shortlisted for 2026 entry, 175 received offers - roughly 42% of home-fee interviewees (about 167 offers from ~393 interviews) and 8 of the 32 international interviewees (25%).	RUK Student (2025): 123/162 = 74%; Scottish + RUK: 411/505 = 81%; International (2023): 56/82 = 68%
Decision date	January	March onwards

A-Level offer	AAA at A-level (and AAA predictions) including Chemistry plus one of Biology, Mathematics, Further Mathematics or Physics	AAA at A-level (offer and predicted) including Chemistry and one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics
Contextual A-Level offer	-	AAB at A-level for widening-access applicants
Required A-Level subjects	Chemistry plus one of Biology / Mathematics / Further Mathematics / Physics. Combinations like Chemistry + Biology + Psychology are acceptable - Maths/Physics is not a barrier. Students can in theory be selected without Biology (interview prep would be more challenging).	Chemistry plus one of Biology / Mathematics / Physics
A-Level resit policy	Resits accepted with extenuating circumstances - must resit all 3 subjects in the same sitting	Resits considered with extenuating circumstances.
GCSE requirements	No minimum is published. 2026 entry means: 10.1 grade A*/9/8 (96% of grades) for shortlisted applicants and 10.3 (97%) for offer-holders, against 8.9 (86%) across all applicants. Contextualised to school performance.	Minimum 5 GCSEs at grade 7/A in one sitting (achieved A-level applicants may be considered with fewer). GCSE grade 5 in Biology, Mathematics, and English (Language or Literature) required if not offered at A-level. GCSE resit allowed.
GCSE scoring methodology	Oxford scores the number of A/9/8 grades and the mean proportion of grades at A/9/8, contextualised against school-level performance data; grades 8 and 9 are treated alike. The relative weighting of…	Used only as a minimum threshold - once met, shortlisting is entirely UCAT-based
Scottish Highers	-	Standard entry: AAAAB in S5, predicted to achieve at least BBB in Highers, Advanced Highers or a mix in S6. Minimum entry: AAABB in S5, predicted at least BB in S6.
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	Mix of Highers and Advanced Highers in S6 acceptable - minimum BB
International Baccalaureate	39 points overall, 7,6,6 at Higher Level including HL Chemistry plus one of Biology / Mathematics / Physics	38 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level + 6,6,6 at Standard Level. Minimum: 36 points (6,6,5 HL + 6,6,5 SL). Must include HL Chemistry and HL in one of Biology / Mathematics / Physics. If Maths not at HL, applicants must have SL in Biology, Maths and English. Either Maths Analysis & Approaches or Applications & Interpretation accepted.
Graduate-entry degree requirement	Two routes. Graduates may apply to the standard six-year A100, and Oxford also runs A101, a four-year accelerated Graduate-Entry course of roughly 30 places, open to applicants with a 2:1 or above (or GPA above 3.5) in an applied or experimental science. A101 needs A-levels of at least AAB with an A/A* in Chemistry - waived for Chemistry or Biochemistry graduates - plus one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics; the A-level grade rule relaxes if exams were sat more than five years ago. IB route: 36 points with 6s at Higher Level.	ScotGEM applicants must have achieved (or be predicted to achieve) a 1st or 2:1 Honours degree in any discipline (Arts, Science, etc.). Plus: Chemistry Higher or A-level (grade A or B) or equivalent; Mathematics at Standard Grade Credit 1/2, Intermediate 2 (A or B), National 5 (A or B), or GCSE (B). GAMSAT required.
Alternative qualifications	4 A-levels and/or EPQ are not beneficial in the shortlisting algorithm. Three A-levels is sufficient.	-

Contextual cut-off	-	Widening-access applicants receive a 10% uplift on their UCAT score.
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	Mean 2,537.2 among the 32 international-fee applicants shortlisted for 2026 entry, of whom 8 received offers.	-
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	Not used for shortlisting. Theoretically post-interview alongside other factors. Bands 1, 2, 3 no cause for concern; band 4 also selected last year.	No use of SJT (was many years ago but not any more or in the future)
UCAT notes	Shortlisting combines UCAT with a contextualised GCSE score. Around 425 applicants are interviewed each year (~2.5 per place): the bulk are ranked in automatically, and the Shortlisting Committee adde…	St Andrews warns explicitly that the 2025 UCAT changes - three subtests and a maximum of 2,700 - mean historical UCAT figures are not comparable with current cycles, so older "lowest invited" numbers…

Degree awarded	BM BCh	BSc (Hons) Medicine, then MBChB/MBBS elsewhere
Course length	6 years (3 pre-clinical + 3 clinical)	6 years (3 at St Andrews + 3 clinical)
Teaching style	Traditional / lecture-led	Integrated
Anatomy teaching	Prosection	Dissection
First patient contact	-	Year 1
Placement geography	Oxford	St Andrews for three years, then a partner school
Named placement sites	John Radcliffe Hospital	-
Intercalation	Built in — the BA in Medical Sciences is taken as year 3 by every student on the standard course.	-
Course highlight	-	You graduate with a BSc Honours before you begin clinical training.

Interview window	December	December - March
Interview details	Two college-based panel interviews held in December, each typically 20-30 minutes. Tutors push you on scientific reasoning rather than rehearsed answers - expect questions that build on what you say a…	MMI format with chatty, casual interviewers across multiple stations. Topics include ethical scenarios, role-play and motivation for the unusual three-year BSc Honours course before transferring to a…

Specialities	Clinical Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Medical Research	Medicine, Medical Sciences, Gateway to Medicine
Established	1096	1413
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	Pooling system means each applicant is assessed at two colleges, with a centralised shortlist - applying to a "less competitive" college gives no real advantage. GCSE performance is contextualised to…	Three-year pre-clinical course at St Andrews followed by transfer to a partner medical school for clinical years. SJT not used (was used many years ago, not now or in future). Scottish students face m…
Official course page	https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/course-listing/medicine	https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/medicine/medicine-bsc-a100/

Oxford

Quick comparison

Location: Oxford, UK
A-Level offer: A*AA at A-level (and A*AA predictions) including Chemistry plus one of Biology, Mathematics, Further Mathematics or Physics
TrueScore: Oxford TrueScore 2230
UCAT home cut-off: No published cut-off. For 2026 entry the mean UCAT was 2,217.5 across all applicants, 2,377.5 among those shortlisted and 2,407.1 among offer-holders.
Interview format: Traditional or Panel Interviews
Post-interview chance: Strong. Of ~425 shortlisted for 2026 entry, 175 received offers - roughly 42% of home-fee interviewees (about 167 offers from ~393 interviews) and 8 of the 32 international interviewees (25%).
Decision date: January

St Andrews

Quick comparison

Location: St Andrews, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level (offer and predicted) including Chemistry and one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics
TrueScore: St Andrews TrueScore 1850
UCAT home cut-off: No threshold published. Applicants who meet the requirements are ranked on their UCAT global score, and roughly the top 650 are invited to interview.
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: RUK Student (2025): 123/162 = 74%; Scottish + RUK: 411/505 = 81%; International (2023): 56/82 = 68%
Decision date: March onwards

Oxford vs St Andrews - in detail

UCAT thresholds compared

Oxford's published UCAT threshold for home applicants is around 2026, while St Andrews sits at approximately 650.

That's a 1376-point gap — large enough to put the two schools in completely different competitiveness tiers. An applicant scoring in the 1100-1600 band would be competitive at St Andrews but borderline at Oxford.

Contextual / widening-participation cut-offs differ — Oxford: not separately disclosed; St Andrews: Widening-access applicants receive a 10% uplift on their UCAT score.. Eligible applicants should weight this heavily when choosing.

A-Level and academic profile

Oxford requires A*AA at A-level (and A*AA predictions) including Chemistry plus one of Biology, Mathematics, Further Mathematics or Physics.

St Andrews requires AAA at A-level (offer and predicted) including Chemistry and one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics.

Oxford is the stricter A-Level offer; St Andrews is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, St Andrews carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Oxford: No minimum is published. 2026 entry means: 10.1 grade A*/9/8 (96% of grades) for shortlisted applicants and 10.3 (97%) for offer-holders, against 8.9 (86%) across all applicants. Contextualised to… St Andrews: Minimum 5 GCSEs at grade 7/A in one sitting (achieved A-level applicants may be considered with fewer).

GCSE grade 5 in Biology, Mathematics, and English (Language or Literature) required if not…

Interview formats

Oxford uses Panel (Traditional or Panel Interviews); St Andrews uses MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)). These two formats reward different skills — Panel emphasises narrative coherence and the ability to develop a thread under follow-up questioning, while MMI rewards breadth and quick recovery.

If your strengths lie in conversational depth, Oxford may suit you more. If you prefer discrete capsule answers under time pressure, St Andrews is the better fit.

Interview windows: Oxford interviews in December; St Andrews in December - March.

Curriculum and teaching style

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

Specifics: Three years pre-clinical (Years 1-3 BMBCh first part) at Oxford, then three years clinical at Oxford-affiliated NHS hospitals. Tutorial system means s First 3 years at St Andrews leading to BSc (Hons) Medicine. Most students then transfer to a partner clinical school for years 4-6 of MBChB.

Intake size: Oxford — Around 175 offers are made for roughly 165 A100 places; the realised intake averages about 155 students.

A government quota caps international-fee students at a maximum of fourteen per year across A100 and A101 combined - there is no separate 24-place overseas allocation.; St Andrews — RUK ~24 places, Scottish ~150, International ~30 (3-year pre-clinical only - clinical years at partner schools).. A larger cohort means more peer breadth; a smaller cohort means more tutor contact.

Post-interview offer rate

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

Oxford: Pooling system means each applicant is assessed at two colleges, with a centralised shortlist - applying to a "less competitive" college gives no real advantage. GCSE performance is contextualised to your school. Tutors prize lateral reasoning and willingness to engage with the unfamiliar.

St Andrews: Three-year pre-clinical course at St Andrews followed by transfer to a partner medical school for clinical years. SJT not used (was used many years ago, not now or in future). Scottish students face much lower cut-offs than RUK applicants.

Which is right for you?

If your UCAT lands below the UK median (~1880/2700), St Andrews is the more realistic firm-choice option. For applicants with predicted A-Level grades at the lower end of the AAA-A*AA range, St Andrews is the lower-risk academic option.

Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Oxford feeds into the England foundation programme network; St Andrews into the Scotland 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

Oxford's typical home cut-off is around 2026, while St Andrews sits at approximately 650 — a 1376-point spread. That's a meaningful gap; St Andrews is materially more accessible for an average-to-good UCAT, while Oxford expects performance closer to the top 25% 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.

Oxford requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology/Physics/Mathematics. St Andrews requires AAA including Chemistry and one of Biology, Mathematics or Physics. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school. Resit policies differ: Oxford — Resits accepted in extenuating circumstances only - competitive applicants typically achieve A*AA in one sitting.. St Andrews — Resits considered with extenuating circumstances..

Oxford — No minimum is published. 2026 entry means: 10.1 grade A*/9/8 (96% of grades) for shortlisted applicants and 10.3 (97%) for offer-holders, against 8.9 (86%) across all applicants. Contextualised to school performance. Oxford scores the number of A*/9/8 grades and the mean proportion of grades at A*/9/8, contextualised against school-level performance data; grades 8 and 9 are treated alike. The relative weighting of GCSE against UCAT is not published. Applicants with five or fewer GCSEs, or who sat them in summer 2020-2021, are handled separately. St Andrews — Minimum 5 GCSEs at grade 7/A in one sitting (achieved A-level applicants may be considered with fewer). GCSE grade 5 in Biology, Mathematics, and English (Language or Literature) required if not offered at A-level. GCSE resit allowed. Used only as a minimum threshold - once met, shortlisting is entirely UCAT-based

Oxford's selection methodology: Initial shortlisting is algorithmic, combining UCAT with a GCSE measure (number and proportion of A*/9/8) contextualised to the applicant's school. Tutors then review every non-shortlisted applicant and nominate any the algorithm may have underrated; those plus the 80 candidates just below the cut-off go to the A100 Shortlisting Committee, which added 80 applicants in the 2025 round. Roughly 425 are interviewed from ~1,026 eligible applicants. St Andrews's selection methodology: Applicants who meet the academic requirements, provide a positive reference and can show relevant medically related work experience are ranked on their UCAT global score; roughly the top 650 are interviewed. Offers then turn on the interview score and the route applied for. St Andrews teaches the first three years (BSc Medicine) and most students then transfer to a partner clinical school such as Glasgow, Manchester or Dundee. 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.

Oxford: Strong. Of ~425 shortlisted for 2026 entry, 175 received offers - roughly 42% of home-fee interviewees (about 167 offers from ~393 interviews) and 8 of the 32 international interviewees (25%).. St Andrews: RUK Student (2025): 123/162 = 74%; Scottish + RUK: 411/505 = 81%; International (2023): 56/82 = 68%. 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%.

Oxford runs a Traditional curriculum. St Andrews runs a Traditional curriculum. Both schools deliver teaching in the same broad style, so day-to-day study habits will feel similar. Oxford specifics: Three years pre-clinical (Years 1-3 BMBCh first part) at Oxford, then three years clinical at Oxford-affiliated NHS hospitals. Tutorial system means small-group teaching alongside lectures throughout. St Andrews specifics: First 3 years at St Andrews leading to BSc (Hons) Medicine. Most students then transfer to a partner clinical school for years 4-6 of MBChB.

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

OxfordEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

St AndrewsEntry 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.