When does each school release decisions?

Ulster University Medical School typically releases medicine decisions March onwards. 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.

Medical school comparison

Ulster University Medical School vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)

Q: How are GCSEs weighted at Ulster University Medical School vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)?

Ulster University Medical School — Min 5 GCSEs at grade 6 (B) including Maths, English Language, dual-award Science. University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) — GCSE performance considered as part of the broader academic profile; specific scoring not published.

Q: Where are Ulster University Medical School and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) located, and how does that affect cost?

Ulster University Medical School is in Londonderry, 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).

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

Side-by-side comparison

Show only differences

Side-by-side comparison: Ulster University Medical School and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).
Comparison field	Ulster University Medical SchoolLondonderry	University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)Preston
Quick comparison
Location	Londonderry, UK	Preston, UK
A-Level offer	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any honours degree	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)	Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance	-	-
Decision date	March onwards	March - April

A-Level offer	Graduate entry - 2:1 or above in any honours degree	AAB at A-level including Biology and Chemistry (home applicants)
Contextual A-Level offer	-	-
Required A-Level subjects	-	-
A-Level resit policy	Resits accepted.	-
GCSE requirements	-	-
GCSE scoring methodology	-	-
Scottish Highers	-	-
Scottish Advanced Highers	-	-
International Baccalaureate	-	-
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	-	Cognitive subtests considered alongside academic and personal-statement assessment
Graduate cut-off	Not applicable - Ulster uses GAMSAT, not the UCAT. Recent thresholds have been around 61.	-
SJT band	-	-
UCAT notes	GAMSAT is scored out of 100. Do not sit the UCAT for this course.	UCLan publishes limited shortlisting detail. Threshold varies year-on-year; check the official course page closer to your application year.

Degree awarded	MBBS	MBBS
Course length	4 years (graduate entry)	5 years
Teaching style	Problem-based learning	Spiral
Anatomy teaching	Imaging and models	-
First patient contact	Year 1	Year 1
Placement geography	Northern Ireland	Lancashire and Cumbria
Named placement sites	Western Health and Social Care Trust (including Altnagelvin Area Hospital), South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust (Ulster Hospital, Dundonald), Southern Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, GP practices across Northern Ireland	East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
Intercalation	-	Optional and selective: after year 4, high-performing students may be offered an additional year to gain a master’s degree.
Course highlight	Based at the Magee campus in Derry~Londonderry, alongside other healthcare programmes.	-

Interview window	December - March	December - February
Interview details	MMI format with multiple stations. Focus on serving Northern Ireland's healthcare needs alongside standard motivation, ethics and communication content.	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, Community Medicine	Medicine, Community Medicine
Established	2021	2014
Course type	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
What makes it different	New medical school serving Northern Ireland. Strong regional focus, with the course oriented around local workforce needs. Cut-offs have not yet stabilised.	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.ulster.ac.uk/courses/202627/medicine-41407	https://www.lancashire.ac.uk/

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

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

Ulster University Medical School vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

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

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

Interview formats

Both Ulster University Medical School 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: Ulster University Medical School interviews in December - March; University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in December - February.

What makes each distinctive

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.

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?

Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Ulster University Medical School 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

Ulster University Medical School: no fixed home cut-off published; gAMSAT is scored out of 100. University of Central Lancashire (UCLan): home applicants — no published cut-off. These are the figures on record for 2027-entry applicants. Schools without a fixed cut-off rank UCAT inside a composite shortlisting score, so thresholds move with each year's applicant pool — confirm the latest figure on each school's admissions page.

Ulster University Medical School 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: December - March (Ulster University Medical School); December - February (University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)).

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. 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

Ulster University Medical SchoolEntry 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 14 August 2026.

Ulster University Medical School vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)

Side-by-side comparison

Ulster University Medical School 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 Ulster University Medical School vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)?

How do interviews differ between Ulster University Medical School and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)?

What A-Level grades do Ulster University Medical School and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) require?

How are GCSEs weighted at Ulster University Medical School vs University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)?

How does each school actually shortlist applicants?

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

When does each school release decisions?

Should I apply to both Ulster University Medical School and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)?

Where to go next

Other medical school comparisons