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

Peninsula (Plymouth) is in Plymouth, 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?

Peninsula (Plymouth) typically releases medicine decisions Not available. 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.

Back to Medical School Compare

Medical school comparison

Peninsula (Plymouth) vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)

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

Peninsula (Plymouth) requires A*AA or AAA including Biology and a second science from Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Psychology. 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.

Peninsula (Plymouth) 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 (A*AA vs AAB) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Peninsula (Plymouth) and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).
Comparison field	Peninsula (Plymouth)Plymouth	University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)Preston
Quick comparison
Location	Plymouth, UK	Preston, 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	AAB at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (home applicants)
TrueScore	1900	-
UCAT home cut-off	~1900+ /2700 (2024 entry lowest invited ≈ 1658; mean ≈ 2037)	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: 434/761 = 57% (2025)	-
Decision date	Not available	March - April

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	AAB at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (home applicants)
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.	-
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	-	-
Alternative qualifications	-	-

Contextual cut-off	~1700+ /2700 (UKWPMED or AAB; 2024 entry contextual lowest invited ≈ 1658)	-
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	~2000+ /2700 (2024 entry lowest invited ≈ 1950)	Cognitive subtests considered alongside academic and personal-statement assessment
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	No use of SJT	-
UCAT notes	Wholly UCAT-based shortlisting once academic minimum met. Personal statement and work experience NOT considered. SJT not used.	UCLan publishes limited shortlisting detail. Threshold varies year-on-year; check the official course page closer to your application year.

Interview window	Not available	December - February
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 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, Community Medicine	Medicine, Community Medicine
Established	2000	2014
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…	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.plymouth.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/bmbs-bachelor-of-medicine-bachelor-of-surgery	https://www.lancashire.ac.uk/

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: 1900
UCAT home cut-off: ~1900+ /2700 (2024 entry lowest invited ≈ 1658; mean ≈ 2037)
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: All Applicants: 434/761 = 57% (2025)
Decision date: Not available

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

Peninsula (Plymouth) vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) - 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.

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

Peninsula (Plymouth) 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 Peninsula (Plymouth) 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: Peninsula (Plymouth) interviews in Not available; University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in December - February.

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.

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. Peninsula (Plymouth) guidance: ~1900+ /2700 (2024 entry lowest invited ≈ 1658; mean ≈ 2037). University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) guidance: UCAT used for home applicant shortlisting; no published cut-off.

Peninsula (Plymouth) 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: Not available (Peninsula (Plymouth)); December - February (University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)).

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

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

Peninsula (Plymouth)Entry 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.

Peninsula (Plymouth) vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)

Side-by-side comparison

Peninsula (Plymouth) 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 Peninsula (Plymouth) vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)?

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

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

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

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

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

When does each school release decisions?

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

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons