Where are Peninsula (Plymouth) and Ulster University Medical School located, and how does that affect cost?

Peninsula (Plymouth) is in Plymouth, 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?

Peninsula (Plymouth) typically releases medicine decisions Not available. 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

Peninsula (Plymouth) vs Ulster University Medical School

Peninsula (Plymouth) and Ulster University Medical School are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Peninsula (Plymouth) is based in Plymouth (England) while Ulster University Medical School sits in Londonderry (London), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Peninsula (Plymouth) and Ulster University Medical School.
Comparison field	Peninsula (Plymouth)Plymouth	Ulster University Medical SchoolLondonderry
Quick comparison
Location	Plymouth, UK	Londonderry, UK
A-Level offer	A*AA or AAA at A-level (offer depends on strength of applicant pool - historically usually AAA prediction required) including A in Biology and A in a second science from Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Psychology	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any honours degree
TrueScore	Peninsula (Plymouth) TrueScore 1900	-
UCAT home cut-off	Not published in advance. Peninsula states the threshold alters each year with the number and quality of applications, and that it cannot confirm the cut-off until all applications have been received and assessed.	-
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	All Applicants: 434/761 = 57% (2025)	-
Decision date	Not available	March onwards

A-Level offer	A*AA or AAA at A-level (offer depends on strength of applicant pool - historically usually AAA prediction required) including A in Biology and A in a second science from Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Psychology	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any honours degree
Contextual A-Level offer	AAB at A-level for UKWPMED widening-access applicants	-
Required A-Level subjects	Biology required at grade A, plus a second science from Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics / Psychology at grade A	-
A-Level resit policy	Resits accepted with ABB at first attempt (ABC for widening access). If achieved A-level resit grades held, first-sitting requirements waived.	Resits accepted.
GCSE requirements	Seven GCSEs at grade 4/C or above, including English Language, Mathematics and two science subjects (or Dual Award)	-
GCSE scoring methodology	Used only as minimum threshold - wholly UCAT-based shortlisting once academic minimums met. Personal statement and work experience explicitly NOT considered.	-
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	36 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level - including Biology and a second science / Maths / Psychology	-
Graduate-entry degree requirement	-	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	-	-
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	-	-
Graduate cut-off	-	Not applicable - Ulster uses GAMSAT, not the UCAT. Recent thresholds have been around 61.
SJT band	No use of SJT	-
UCAT notes	Shortlisting is UCAT-led once the academic minimum is met, and the Admissions Advisory Panel reserves the right to consider any aspect of the UCAT when shortlisting. The personal statement and work ex…	GAMSAT is scored out of 100. Do not sit the UCAT for this course.

Degree awarded	BMBS	MBBS
Course length	5 years	4 years (graduate entry)
Teaching style	Case-based learning	Integrated
Anatomy teaching	-	Imaging and models
First patient contact	Year 1	-
Placement geography	The south west of England	Across Northern Ireland
Named placement sites	-	-
Intercalation	-	-
Course highlight	Plymouth graduates consistently report the highest measures of feeling prepared for professional practice in GMC Foundation doctor surveys.	Based at the Magee campus in Derry~Londonderry, alongside other healthcare programmes.

Interview window	Not available	December - March
Interview details	Five stations of around 5 minutes each, with a single assessor at each station. Total interview lasts about 50 minutes. Stations cover communication, ethical reasoning, GMC-aligned values and motivati…	MMI format with multiple stations. Focus on serving Northern Ireland's healthcare needs alongside standard motivation, ethics and communication content.

Specialities	Medicine, Dentistry, Community Medicine	Medicine, Community Medicine
Established	2000	2021
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	Plymouth publishes the qualities they assess: communication, decision making, reflection and self-insight, motivation and commitment, integrity and inclusivity, resilience and adaptability, and teamwo…	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.plymouth.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/bmbs-bachelor-of-medicine-bachelor-of-surgery	https://www.ulster.ac.uk/courses/202627/medicine-41407

Peninsula (Plymouth)

Plymouth

Quick comparison

Location: Plymouth, UK
A-Level offer: A*AA or AAA at A-level (offer depends on strength of applicant pool - historically usually AAA prediction required) including A in Biology and A in a second science from Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Psychology
TrueScore: Peninsula (Plymouth) TrueScore 1900
UCAT home cut-off: Not published in advance. Peninsula states the threshold alters each year with the number and quality of applications, and that it cannot confirm the cut-off until all applications have been received and assessed.
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: All Applicants: 434/761 = 57% (2025)
Decision date: Not available

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

Peninsula (Plymouth) vs Ulster University Medical School - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Peninsula (Plymouth) requires A*AA or AAA at A-level (offer depends on strength of applicant pool - historically usually AAA prediction required) including A in Biology and A in a second science from Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Psychology.

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

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Peninsula (Plymouth): Seven GCSEs at grade 4/C or above, including English Language, Mathematics and two science subjects (or Dual Award). Used only as minimum threshold - wholly UCAT-based shortlisting once academic… Ulster University Medical School: Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science.

Interview formats

Both Peninsula (Plymouth) 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: Peninsula (Plymouth) interviews in Not available; Ulster University Medical School in December - March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Peninsula (Plymouth) runs a PBL curriculum; Ulster University Medical School runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Peninsula (Plymouth) leans on small-group case-based learning from year 1, while Ulster University Medical School uses a more traditional lecture-led structure.

Specifics: Five-year MBBS with PBL and case-based learning. Distinctive rural/coastal placement strand across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset. Four-year accelerated MBBS for graduates. Clinical placements across Northern Ireland NHS sites (Magee Campus, Western HSC, Northern HSC).

Intake size: Peninsula (Plymouth) — ~140 home + ~25 international places per year (Plymouth University Peninsula MBChB).; 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

Peninsula (Plymouth): Plymouth publishes the qualities they assess: communication, decision making, reflection and self-insight, motivation and commitment, integrity and inclusivity, resilience and adaptability, and teamwork. Personal statement and work experience are NOT considered in interview selection.

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?

Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Peninsula (Plymouth) feeds into the England foundation programme network; Ulster University Medical School into the London network. If you learn best in small-group case discussion, prefer Peninsula (Plymouth); if you prefer lecture-led foundations, the other suits better.

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. Peninsula (Plymouth) guidance: Not published in advance. Peninsula states the threshold alters each year with the number and quality of applications, and that it cannot confirm the cut-off until all applications have been received and assessed.. Ulster University Medical School guidance: GAMSAT is scored out of 100. Do not sit the UCAT for this course..

Peninsula (Plymouth) 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: Not available (Peninsula (Plymouth)); December - March (Ulster University Medical School).

Peninsula (Plymouth) requires A*AA or AAA including Biology and a second science from Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Psychology. 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: Peninsula (Plymouth) — Resits accepted.. Ulster University Medical School — Resits accepted..

Peninsula (Plymouth) — Seven GCSEs at grade 4/C or above, including English Language, Mathematics and two science subjects (or Dual Award). Used only as minimum threshold - wholly UCAT-based shortlisting once academic minimums met. Personal statement and work experience explicitly NOT considered. Ulster University Medical School — Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science.

Peninsula (Plymouth)'s selection methodology: UCAT + academic + Multiple Mini Interview. Strong South-West focus with rural/community placement strand. 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.

Peninsula (Plymouth) runs a PBL curriculum. Ulster University Medical School runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies differ — pick the style that matches how you learn best. Peninsula (Plymouth) specifics: Five-year MBBS with PBL and case-based learning. Distinctive rural/coastal placement strand across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset. 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

Peninsula (Plymouth)Entry 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.

Peninsula (Plymouth) vs Ulster University Medical School

Side-by-side comparison

Peninsula (Plymouth) 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 Peninsula (Plymouth) vs Ulster University Medical School?

How do interviews differ between Peninsula (Plymouth) and Ulster University Medical School?

What A-Level grades do Peninsula (Plymouth) and Ulster University Medical School require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Peninsula (Plymouth) vs Ulster University Medical School?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Where are Peninsula (Plymouth) and Ulster University Medical School located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Peninsula (Plymouth) and Ulster University Medical School use?

Should I apply to both Peninsula (Plymouth) and Ulster University Medical School?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons