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

UCL — Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE English Language and Mathematics. No score or assessment of other GCSEs. GCSE resits accepted. Used only as minimum threshold (Eng + Maths grade 6/B). Other GCSEs not scored or assessed. University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) — GCSE performance considered as part of the broader academic profile; specific scoring not published.

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

UCL is in London, 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?

UCL typically releases medicine decisions Decisions are made after all the Interviews have been completed. 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.

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Medical school comparison

UCL vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)

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

UCL requires A*AA including Chemistry and Biology. 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.

UCL and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. UCL is based in London (London) while University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) sits in Preston (England), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination.

Their A-Level requirements (A*AA vs AAB) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers. UCL is the older institution (founded 1826); the other (founded 2014) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: UCL and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).
Comparison field	UCLLondon	University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)Preston
Quick comparison
Location	London, UK	Preston, UK
A-Level offer	AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) with the A in Chemistry or Biology	AAB at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (home applicants)
TrueScore	2120	-
UCAT home cut-off	~2100+ /2700 (2025 entry cut-off ≈ 2100, first UCAT cycle replacing BMAT)	UCAT used for home applicant shortlisting; no published cut-off
Interview format	MMI (Home), Traditional (International)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	Home Fee Status (2024): 562/1032 = 54%; Contextual (2025): 58%; International (2023): 55/131 = 42%	-
Decision date	Decisions are made after all the Interviews have been completed	March - April

A-Level offer	AAA at A-level (offer and prediction) with the A in Chemistry or Biology	AAB at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (home applicants)
Contextual A-Level offer	AAB at A-level for Access UCL contextual applicants - Biology and Chemistry both at grade A	-
Required A-Level subjects	Chemistry and Biology both required	-
A-Level resit policy	Resits not accepted	-
GCSE requirements	Minimum grade 6/B in GCSE English Language and Mathematics. No score or assessment of other GCSEs. GCSE resits accepted.	-
GCSE scoring methodology	Used only as minimum threshold (Eng + Maths grade 6/B). Other GCSEs not scored or assessed.	-
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	39 points overall, 19 at Higher Level - including HL 7,6,6 with HL Chemistry and HL Biology	-
Graduate-entry degree requirement	Graduate applicants accepted on the standard 6-year MBBS BSc - typically holding 2:1 or above with required A-level Chemistry and Biology	-
Alternative qualifications	-	-

Contextual cut-off	~1950+ /2700 (Access UCL - 2025 cut-off ≈ 1950)	-
Scottish (where applicable)	-	-
Rest of UK (where applicable)	-	-
International cut-off	~2300+ /2700 (2025 cut-off ≈ 2295)	Cognitive subtests considered alongside academic and personal-statement assessment
Graduate cut-off	-	-
SJT band	Only used where candidates are on the same UCAT score	-
UCAT notes	2024/25 was UCL's first cycle using UCAT (replacing BMAT). Wholly UCAT-based shortlisting. SJT only for tie-breaks. Personal statement not used in shortlisting.	UCLan publishes limited shortlisting detail. Threshold varies year-on-year; check the official course page closer to your application year.

Interview window	December - March	December - February
Interview details	Eight-station MMI run online, with one station serving as a five-minute rest. Stations are conversational and probe motivation, real-world medical and social issues, communication skills and your scie…	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, Medical Sciences, Global Health	Medicine, Community Medicine
Established	1826	2014
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	Cut-offs differ from Imperial - UCL's home threshold is lower while its international threshold is higher, partly because UCL holds more interviews relative to offers. SJT is only used as a tie-breake…	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.ucl.ac.uk/study/prospective-students/undergraduate/courses/medicine-mbbs-bsc	https://www.lancashire.ac.uk/

UCL

London

Quick comparison

Location: London, UK
A-Level offer: A*AA at A-level (offer and prediction) with the A* in Chemistry or Biology
TrueScore: 2120
UCAT home cut-off: ~2100+ /2700 (2025 entry cut-off ≈ 2100, first UCAT cycle replacing BMAT)
Interview format: MMI (Home), Traditional (International)
Post-interview chance: Home Fee Status (2024): 562/1032 = 54%; Contextual (2025): 58%; International (2023): 55/131 = 42%
Decision date: Decisions are made after all the Interviews have been completed

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

UCL vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

UCL requires A*AA at A-level (offer and prediction) with the A* in Chemistry or Biology.

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

UCL 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 UCL 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.

That said, the specifics differ slightly: UCL runs mmi (home), traditional (international); University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) runs multiple mini interviews (mmi). Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep.

Interview windows: UCL interviews in December - March; University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in December - February.

What makes each distinctive

UCL: Cut-offs differ from Imperial - UCL's home threshold is lower while its international threshold is higher, partly because UCL holds more interviews relative to offers. SJT is only used as a tie-breaker between equally scored candidates.

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. Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — UCL feeds into the London foundation programme network; University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) into the England 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. UCL guidance: ~2100+ /2700 (2025 entry cut-off ≈ 2100, first UCAT cycle replacing BMAT). University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) guidance: UCAT used for home applicant shortlisting; no published cut-off.

UCL uses Multiple Mini Interviews: MMI (Home), Traditional (International). 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: December - March (UCL); December - February (University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)).

UCL's selection methodology: Beyond minimum academic requirements, shortlisting is wholly by UCAT total score. Higher post-interview offer rate (more interviews relative to offers) than Imperial. 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

UCLEntry requirements, interview format and key dates in full University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)Entry requirements, interview format and key dates in full

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School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 18 August 2026.