Where are Sheffield and Ulster University Medical School located, and how does that affect cost?

Sheffield is in Sheffield, 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?

Sheffield typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. 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

Sheffield vs Ulster University Medical School

Q: How are GCSEs weighted at Sheffield vs Ulster University Medical School?

Sheffield — Minimum five GCSEs at grade 7/A, plus grade 6/B or above in Mathematics, English Language and at least one science subject. Used as a minimum threshold only - once met, shortlisting is by UCAT rank. Ulster University Medical School — Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science.

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

Sheffield is the older institution (founded 1828); the other (founded 2021) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Sheffield and Ulster University Medical School.
Comparison field	SheffieldSheffield	Ulster University Medical SchoolLondonderry
Quick comparison
Location	Sheffield, UK	Londonderry, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level including Chemistry or Biology, plus a second science. A pass in the practical element is required for science A-levels.	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any honours degree
TrueScore	Sheffield TrueScore 2150	-
UCAT home cut-off	1800+ /2700 is the published minimum for 2027 entry; the actual cut-off runs well above it (2120 for 2026 entry) because applicants above the minimum are then ranked by UCAT.	-
Interview format	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	All Students (2024): 722/1029 = 70%; International: 55/104 = 53%	-
Decision date	March onwards	March onwards

A-Level offer	AAA at A-level including Chemistry or Biology, plus a second science. A pass in the practical element is required for science A-levels.	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any honours degree
Contextual A-Level offer	AAB for Access Sheffield (widening-access) applicants, including Chemistry or Biology at grade A plus a second science. AAB with an EPQ at grade A is also accepted.	-
Required A-Level subjects	Chemistry or Biology required, plus a second science	-
A-Level resit policy	Resit accepted with achieved BBB at first sitting; otherwise apply with achieved results.	Resits accepted.
GCSE requirements	Minimum five GCSEs at grade 7/A, plus grade 6/B or above in Mathematics, English Language and at least one science subject.	-
GCSE scoring methodology	Used as a minimum threshold only - once met, shortlisting is by UCAT rank.	-
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	36 points overall with 6 in three Higher Level subjects including Chemistry or Biology and a second science, and no less than 4 in any Standard Level subject.	-
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	1800+ /2700 - Access to Sheffield (Medicine) and university pathway students who clear the minimum go straight to interview.	-
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	2070+ /2700 (2026 entry)	-
Graduate cut-off	1800+ /2700 (A101, contextual only)	Not applicable - Ulster uses GAMSAT, not the UCAT. Recent thresholds have been around 61.
SJT band	Band 1/2 appropriate, band 3 may consider, band 4 deprioritised	-
UCAT notes	Two numbers matter and they are not the same: the published MINIMUM (1800 for 2027) only makes you eligible, after which shortlisting is wholly by UCAT rank. Large year-on-year variation.	GAMSAT is scored out of 100. Do not sit the UCAT for this course.

Degree awarded	MBChB	MBBS
Course length	5 years	4 years (graduate entry)
Teaching style	Integrated	Integrated
Anatomy teaching	Imaging and models	Imaging and models
First patient contact	Year 1	-
Placement geography	South Yorkshire and north Derbyshire	Across Northern Ireland
Named placement sites	-	-
Intercalation	An intercalated year is available.	-
Course highlight	The Patients as Educators programme is the largest of its kind.	Based at the Magee campus in Derry~Londonderry, alongside other healthcare programmes.

Interview window	November - February	December - March
Interview details	An MMI of eight stations, each typically 8 minutes, covering communication, breadth of interests, empathy, knowledge of and interest in studying at Sheffield, work experience, motivation, numeracy, cr…	MMI format with multiple stations. Focus on serving Northern Ireland's healthcare needs alongside standard motivation, ethics and communication content.

Specialities	Medicine, Dentistry, Biomedical Sciences	Medicine, Community Medicine
Established	1828	2021
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	SJT used post-interview as a virtual MMI station rather than in shortlisting. Sheffield prioritises balanced performance - applicants achieving 3/5 or more in every section are favoured over those who…	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://sheffield.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/2027/medicine-mbchb	https://www.ulster.ac.uk/courses/202627/medicine-41407

Sheffield

Quick comparison

Location: Sheffield, UK
A-Level offer: AAA at A-level including Chemistry or Biology, plus a second science. A pass in the practical element is required for science A-levels.
TrueScore: Sheffield TrueScore 2150
UCAT home cut-off: 1800+ /2700 is the published minimum for 2027 entry; the actual cut-off runs well above it (2120 for 2026 entry) because applicants above the minimum are then ranked by UCAT.
Interview format: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance: All Students (2024): 722/1029 = 70%; International: 55/104 = 53%
Decision date: March onwards

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

Sheffield vs Ulster University Medical School - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Sheffield requires AAA at A-level including Chemistry or Biology, plus a second science. A pass in the practical element is required for science A-levels.

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

GCSE profile matters at both schools — Sheffield: Minimum five GCSEs at grade 7/A, plus grade 6/B or above in Mathematics, English Language and at least one science subject. Used as a minimum threshold only - once met, shortlisting is by UCAT rank. Ulster University Medical School: Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science.

Interview formats

Both Sheffield 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: Sheffield interviews in November - February; Ulster University Medical School in December - March.

Curriculum and teaching style

Sheffield runs a PBL curriculum; Ulster University Medical School runs a Integrated curriculum. The teaching philosophies are different — Sheffield 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 MBChB with problem-based learning core. Clinical placements across Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Yorkshire region. Four-year accelerated MBBS for graduates. Clinical placements across Northern Ireland NHS sites (Magee Campus, Western HSC, Northern HSC).

Intake size: Sheffield — Plans to invite ~1,150 home + ~100 international applicants for 2026 entry. ~250 places.; 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

Sheffield: SJT used post-interview as a virtual MMI station rather than in shortlisting. Sheffield prioritises balanced performance - applicants achieving 3/5 or more in every section are favoured over those who peak in some and dip in others.

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 — Sheffield 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 Sheffield; 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. Sheffield guidance: 1800+ /2700 is the published minimum for 2027 entry; the actual cut-off runs well above it (2120 for 2026 entry) because applicants above the minimum are then ranked by UCAT.. Ulster University Medical School guidance: GAMSAT is scored out of 100. Do not sit the UCAT for this course..

Sheffield 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: November - February (Sheffield); December - March (Ulster University Medical School).

Sheffield requires AAA including Chemistry or Biology, plus one of Biology / Chemistry / Mathematics / Physics / 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: Sheffield — Resits accepted: only subjects that don't meet requirements may be re-sat, only one resit, all in same sitting.. Ulster University Medical School — Resits accepted..

Sheffield's selection methodology: Three consecutive stages. Stage 1 checks that you meet BOTH the academic and the UCAT threshold - miss either and the application ends there. Stage 2 ranks everyone who cleared both by UCAT score, with Home/EU and Overseas ranked in separate pools, and only the highest scorers go through. Stage 3 is the MMI. Sheffield typically interviews around 1,150 Home/EU and 150 Overseas applicants, and warns that clearing the minimum threshold is not an assurance of an interview. Access Sheffield (Medicine) participants and Sheffield biosciences students are exempt from the UCAT ranking and progress straight to interview once they meet both thresholds. 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.

Sheffield 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. Sheffield specifics: Five-year MBChB with problem-based learning core. Clinical placements across Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Yorkshire region. 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

SheffieldEntry 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.

Sheffield vs Ulster University Medical School

Side-by-side comparison

Sheffield 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 Sheffield vs Ulster University Medical School?

How do interviews differ between Sheffield and Ulster University Medical School?

What A-Level grades do Sheffield and Ulster University Medical School require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Sheffield vs Ulster University Medical School?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

Where are Sheffield and Ulster University Medical School located, and how does that affect cost?

When does each school release decisions?

What curriculum style do Sheffield and Ulster University Medical School use?

Should I apply to both Sheffield and Ulster University Medical School?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons