Where are Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and St Mary's Twickenham located, and how does that affect cost?

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) is in Belfast, UK. St Mary's Twickenham is in Twickenham, London, 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?

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) typically releases medicine decisions April onwards. St Mary's Twickenham 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

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) vs St Mary's Twickenham

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and St Mary's Twickenham are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Queen's University Belfast (QUB) is based in Belfast (Northern Ireland) while St Mary's Twickenham sits in Twickenham, London (London), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.

Their A-Level requirements (A*AA vs AAA) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers. Queen's University Belfast (QUB) is the older institution (founded 1849); the other (founded 2025) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and St Mary's Twickenham.
Comparison field	Queen's University Belfast (QUB)Belfast	St Mary's TwickenhamTwickenham, London
Quick comparison
Location	Belfast, UK	Twickenham, London, UK
A-Level offer	A*AA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (or Maths/Physics - see subject rules)	AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry or Biology and one of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics
TrueScore	Queen's University Belfast (QUB) TrueScore 1700	St Mary's Twickenham TrueScore 1700intl
UCAT home cut-off	No cut-off published. Queen's ranks applicants on cognitive performance, with the overall UCAT score contributing points alongside GCSE attainment, and invites roughly the top 700 to interview.	-
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	Good. Queen's states that once you reach interview it anticipates at least a one-in-two chance of an offer, so the hard part is being among the roughly 700 selected.	-
Decision date	April onwards	March onwards

A-Level offer	A*AA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (or Maths/Physics - see subject rules)	AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry or Biology and one of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics
Contextual A-Level offer	-	-
Required A-Level subjects	Standard offer: A*AA inc Chemistry and Biology, OR Chemistry and Maths/Physics with grade B in AS Biology. Alternative: AAA + grade A in 4th AS-level/EPQ (Chemistry + one of Biology/Maths/Physics; if Maths or Physics chosen, AS Biology grade A required).	Chemistry or Biology required, plus one of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics
A-Level resit policy	Resits accepted only for previous Belfast applicants who held a conditional firm offer and must have achieved AAA or A*AB on first attempt	Resits only considered in exceptional circumstances
GCSE requirements	Minimum grade C/4 in GCSE Mathematics, English and Physics (or 4-4 in Double Science) if not offered at AS-level or A-level	Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE Mathematics, English Language, Biology and Chemistry (or Dual Award Science)
GCSE scoring methodology	Top 9 GCSEs scored /36: A*/9 = 4 pts, A/7-8 = 3 pts, B/6 = 2 pts, C/4-5 = 1 pt. GCSEs are 80% of pre-interview score under the 2026 system (UCAT 20%).	-
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	36 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level including Chemistry and Biology (or Chemistry plus Maths/Physics)	36 points overall, 6,6,6 at Higher Level including Chemistry or Biology and a second science / Maths
Graduate-entry degree requirement	-	-
Alternative qualifications	-	New international-only medicine course for 2026 entry - first cohort. Applied to directly outside standard UCAS medicine route. UCAT contributes to combined admissions test + academic ranking. No SJT use.

Contextual cut-off	-	-
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	-	No cut-off exists yet. UCAT contributes to the shortlisting rank, but the first cohort is September 2026 so no historic threshold exists.
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	May be used if borderline before/after interview. 2025: anyone with 30/42 received interview, didn't matter. 2024: 38/42 cut off, or 37/42 with B1 or B2.	No usage mentioned in any selection policy
UCAT notes	Because UCAT is only part of a combined score, a lower UCAT can still be carried by a strong GCSE profile and vice versa. Queen's publishes the exact scoring system each cycle in its "How we choose ou…	International (non-UK/Irish) applicants only. No SJT use stated. Any quoted 'cut-off' for this school is guesswork - it has not yet completed an admissions cycle.

Degree awarded	MB BCh BAO	MBBS
Course length	5 years	5 years
Teaching style	Traditional / lecture-led + Integrated	Case-based learning
Anatomy teaching	Dissection	-
First patient contact	Year 1	Year 1
Placement geography	Across Northern Ireland	London, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire
Named placement sites	Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Northern Health and Social Care Trust, South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, Southern Health and Social Care Trust, Western Health and Social Care Trust	West London Trust, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Basingstoke), Practice Plus Group (Ilford), Royal Trinity Hospice, Princess Alice Hospice, Meadow House
Intercalation	-	-
Course highlight	-	Currently accepts international students only.

Interview window	January - February	December - March
Interview details	MMI format with stations centred around the qualities of a good doctor - for example, "describe a time you have shown resilience" rather than NHS-policy or current-affairs questions.	Applications are scored on academic record and admissions tests to produce a shortlisting rank. Interviews are online Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs).

Specialities	Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy	Medicine, International Medicine
Established	1849	2025
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	Less weight on NHS hot topics than most schools. Stronger emphasis on reflective examples of personal qualities. SJT may be used if borderline before or after interview, but in 2025 anyone with 30/42…	International (non-UK/Irish) applicants only, applying direct rather than through UCAS, so it costs none of your four UCAS medical choices. Weigh that against the accreditation risk: the MBBS is not y…
Official course page	https://www.qub.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/medicine-mb-a100/	https://www.stmarys.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/mbbs-medicine-degree

Queen's University Belfast (QUB)

Belfast

Quick comparison

Location: Belfast, UK
A-Level offer: A*AA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (or Maths/Physics - see subject rules)
TrueScore: Queen's University Belfast (QUB) TrueScore 1700
UCAT home cut-off: No cut-off published. Queen's ranks applicants on cognitive performance, with the overall UCAT score contributing points alongside GCSE attainment, and invites roughly the top 700 to interview.
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: Good. Queen's states that once you reach interview it anticipates at least a one-in-two chance of an offer, so the hard part is being among the roughly 700 selected.
Decision date: April onwards

St Mary's Twickenham

Twickenham, London

Quick comparison

Location: Twickenham, London, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry or Biology and one of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics
TrueScore: St Mary's Twickenham TrueScore 1700intl
UCAT home cut-off: -
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: -
Decision date: March onwards

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) vs St Mary's Twickenham - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) requires A*AA at A-level including Chemistry and Biology (or Maths/Physics - see subject rules).

St Mary's Twickenham requires AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) including Chemistry or Biology and one of Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics.

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) is the stricter A-Level offer; St Mary's Twickenham is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, St Mary's Twickenham carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Queen's University Belfast (QUB): Minimum grade C/4 in GCSE Mathematics, English and Physics (or 4-4 in Double Science) if not offered at AS-level or A-level.

Top 9 GCSEs scored /36: A*/9 = 4 pts, A/7-8 = 3 pts, B/6 = 2 pts, C/4-5 =… St Mary's Twickenham: Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE Mathematics, English Language, Biology and Chemistry (or Dual Award Science).

Interview formats

Both Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and St Mary's Twickenham 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: Queen's University Belfast (QUB) interviews in January - February; St Mary's Twickenham in December - March.

What makes each distinctive

Queen's University Belfast (QUB): Less weight on NHS hot topics than most schools. Stronger emphasis on reflective examples of personal qualities. SJT may be used if borderline before or after interview, but in 2025 anyone with 30/42 received an interview regardless.

St Mary's Twickenham: International (non-UK/Irish) applicants only, applying direct rather than through UCAS, so it costs none of your four UCAS medical choices. Weigh that against the accreditation risk: the MBBS is not yet GMC-accredited, and St Mary's contingency is that students would transfer to the University of Lancashire if accreditation is not achieved.

Which is right for you?

For applicants with predicted A-Level grades at the lower end of the AAA-A*AA range, St Mary's Twickenham is the lower-risk academic option. Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Queen's University Belfast (QUB) feeds into the Northern Ireland foundation programme network; St Mary's Twickenham into the London 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

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. Queen's University Belfast (QUB) guidance: No cut-off published. Queen's ranks applicants on cognitive performance, with the overall UCAT score contributing points alongside GCSE attainment, and invites roughly the top 700 to interview.. St Mary's Twickenham guidance: International (non-UK/Irish) applicants only. No SJT use stated. Any quoted 'cut-off' for this school is guesswork - it has not yet completed an admissions cycle..

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). St Mary's Twickenham 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: January - February (Queen's University Belfast (QUB)); December - March (St Mary's Twickenham).

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology (or Maths/Physics - see subject rules). St Mary's Twickenham requires AAA prediction and offer requirements, must include chemistry or biology as well as one of biology/chemistry/physics/maths. Resits only considered in exceptional circumstances. GCSEs: grade 6 minimum in maths, English language, biology and chemistry (or dual award science).. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school.

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) — Minimum grade C/4 in GCSE Mathematics, English and Physics (or 4-4 in Double Science) if not offered at AS-level or A-level. Top 9 GCSEs scored /36: A*/9 = 4 pts, A/7-8 = 3 pts, B/6 = 2 pts, C/4-5 = 1 pt. GCSEs are 80% of pre-interview score under the 2026 system (UCAT 20%). St Mary's Twickenham — Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE Mathematics, English Language, Biology and Chemistry (or Dual Award Science).

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

Queen's University Belfast (QUB)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

St Mary's TwickenhamEntry 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.