Which UK medical schools have the lowest UCAT cut-offs?
6 UK medical schools share the lowest predicted UCAT cut-off for home applicants: Cardiff, Lincoln Medical School, North Wales (Bangor), Norwich (UEA), Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and Sunderland — all at around 1700 out of 2700 for 2027 entry. The highest is Imperial College London at around 2340. These are NGMP TrueScore predictions of the score needed to win an interview, not official school thresholds: 35 of the 51 UK medical schools in our catalogue publish enough data for a home-applicant prediction.
TrueScore is an independent prediction built from multi-year Freedom-of-Information data and published admissions guidance — see the full methodology. Always cross-check against the school’s own published guidance for the cycle you are applying in, which is the source of truth.
Every UK medical school by predicted UCAT cut-off, lowest first
Ranked ascending on the predicted home-applicant UCAT score. Ties are listed alphabetically, not by any hidden second criterion.
| # | Medical school | Predicted UCAT | Confidence | Interview format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CardiffCardiff | 1700 /2700 | Moderate confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 2 | Lincoln Medical SchoolLincoln | 1700 /2700 | Moderate confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 3 | North Wales (Bangor)Bangor | 1700 /2700 | Indicative | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 4 | Norwich (UEA)Norwich | 1700 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 5 | Queen's University Belfast (QUB)Belfast | 1700 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 6 | SunderlandSunderland | 1700 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 7 | LeicesterLeicester | 1750 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 8 | Brunel Medical SchoolUxbridge | 1850 /2700 | Indicative | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 9 | EdinburghEdinburgh | 1850 /2700 | Indicative | Half-day assessment day, held at Edinburgh Medical School or online (Edinburgh describes it as 'not a typical MMI format') |
| 10 | NottinghamNottingham | 1850 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 11 | ExeterExeter, Devon, England, UK | 1900 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 12 | KeeleStaffordshire | 1900 /2700 | High confidence | Two 15-minute structured online interviews (traditional format, not MMI; Microsoft Teams), usually around two hours apart |
| 13 | Kent and Medway (KMMS)Canterbury/Medway | 1900 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 14 | LiverpoolLiverpool | 1900 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 15 | Peninsula (Plymouth)Plymouth | 1900 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 16 | Aston UniversityBirmingham | 1950 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 17 | Edge HillOrmskirk | 1950 /2700 | Moderate confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 18 | LancasterLancaster | 1950 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 19 | LeedsLeeds | 1950 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 20 | NewcastleNewcastle | 1950 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 21 | St George'sLondon | 1950 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 22 | Hull York (HYMS)Hull/York | 1980 /2700 | Moderate confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 23 | Brighton & Sussex (BSMS)Brighton | 1990 /2700 | Moderate confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 24 | SouthamptonSouthampton | 2000 /2700 | High confidence | Selection Day - Panel and Group |
| 25 | Barts and The London (Queen Mary)London | 2010 /2700 | High confidence | Panel interview with two senior academic or clinical staff, sometimes a lay selector (online) |
| 26 | Anglia Ruskin (ARU)Chelmsford | 2030 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 27 | BirminghamBirmingham | 2030 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 28 | ManchesterManchester | 2060 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 29 | CambridgeCambridge | 2150 /2700 | Indicative | Traditional panel interviews with academic focus |
| 30 | King's College London (KCL)London | 2150 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 31 | SheffieldSheffield | 2150 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 32 | UCLLondon | 2190 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 33 | OxfordOxford | 2230 /2700 | High confidence | Traditional or Panel Interviews |
| 34 | BristolBristol | 2280 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
| 35 | Imperial College LondonLondon | 2340 /2700 | High confidence | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
The 16 UK medical schools this table cannot rank — and why
A ranked table that quietly drops a third of the schools reads as a complete answer and is not one. These courses publish no home-applicant prediction, so ranking them here would mean comparing scores set against different applicant pools.
- Scottish schools (Scottish-domicile tier)
- Scottish medical schools set their bar per fee tier, so their published prediction is a Scottish-domicile score that an applicant from elsewhere in the UK cannot apply against. Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and St Andrews.
- Graduate-entry courses (graduate tier)
- Graduate-entry course — the prediction covers the graduate tier, which is scored against a different applicant pool. Chester Medical School (GEM), Pears Cumbria (GEM), Surrey (GEM), Warwick (GEM) and Worcester Medical School.
- International-intake courses
- The prediction covers international applicants only; the course records no standard home-applicant intake. Hertfordshire, St Mary's Twickenham and University of Greater Manchester.
- No prediction published
- No TrueScore prediction: the school publishes too little UCAT data to support one. Buckingham, Swansea (GEM), Ulster University Medical School and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).
Do any UK medical schools not require the UCAT?
Yes — 7 of the 51 UK medical courses in our catalogue record an alternative to the UCAT. Liverpool and Ulster University Medical School do not use the UCAT at all, selecting on the GAMSAT instead. Chester Medical School (GEM), Pears Cumbria (GEM), Surrey (GEM), Swansea (GEM) and Worcester Medical School accept an alternative score alongside the UCAT — the exact wording for each is quoted in the table below.
| Course | What the school accepts |
|---|---|
| Chester Medical School (GEM) | UCAT, GAMSAT or MCAT accepted - the applicant submits their best score. No fixed cut-off: Chester sets the threshold annually 'above the national mean'. |
| Liverpool | Graduate applicants to A100 sit the GAMSAT, not the UCAT - a genuine difference from most UK schools. |
| Pears Cumbria (GEM) | 1960+ /2700 for 2026 entry (1910+ contextual). GAMSAT alternative: 59 overall (53 contextual). UCAT or GAMSAT — the applicant chooses one; MCAT is NOT accepted. Both are minimum-threshold hurdles rather than ranked scores. The UCAT must be sat in the same year as the UCAS submission; the GAMSAT within the two years before it. |
| Surrey (GEM) | GAMSAT is the general route. UCAT is accepted ONLY from applicants holding a degree in Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedical Science, Chemistry or Natural Sciences. No numeric cut-off is published; scores sort applicants into interview, waitlist or rejection. Do not assume a UCAT route - for most degree subjects GAMSAT is the only option. |
| Swansea (GEM) | 1900+ /2700 minimum considered. Swansea accepts EITHER UCAT or GAMSAT - it is not a GAMSAT-only school. International applicants may alternatively submit an MCAT score, minimum 500. Three routes in: UCAT (min 1900), GAMSAT (min 50 overall AND 50 in Paper 3), or MCAT (min 500, international only). Selection day is three 20-30 minute face-to-face stations - there is no separate written or SJT paper. |
| Ulster University Medical School | Not applicable - Ulster uses GAMSAT, not the UCAT. Recent thresholds have been around 61. GAMSAT is scored out of 100. Do not sit the UCAT for this course. |
| Worcester Medical School | Graduate-entry programme accepting UCAT OR GAMSAT (applicant submits the better score). Partnership with Swansea University Medical School for degree accreditation while completing GMC accreditation. |
Which UK medical schools do not interview?
None of them. All 51 UK medical schools in our catalogue interview shortlisted applicants for 2027 entry — unlike Australia and New Zealand, where 3 courses select on grades and admissions-test scores with no interview at all. What varies in the UK is the format: 41 run MMI circuits, 7 run panel interviews, 4 run traditional one-to-one interviews, 3 run an assessment or selection day (schools running more than one format appear in more than one count).
- 41Multiple mini interview (MMI)
- 7Panel interview
- 4Traditional / structured one-to-one
- 3Assessment or selection day
Format guides: MMI schools, panel schools, traditional schools.
Which UK medical school is easiest to get into?
There is no single easiest UK medical school, and the UCAT bar alone will not tell you which is easiest for you. Schools weight GCSEs, contextual flags, SJT band, predicted grades and the interview very differently, and a school with a low UCAT threshold often compensates with heavy GCSE weighting. What the data does support is narrower and more useful: for 2027 entry the lowest predicted UCAT bar for home applicants sits at around 1700 out of 2700 at Cardiff, Lincoln Medical School, North Wales (Bangor), Norwich (UEA), Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and Sunderland, so those are the most realistic targets for a strong application carrying a modest UCAT score.