Medical and Dental School Rankings
UK medical and dental schools ranked on what actually decides an application, computed from each school's own published figures across all 68 courses.
These are not league tables. The published ones rank research income and student satisfaction, which tell you nothing about whether you can get in, and they are somebody else's data. Every table below is computed from the admissions facts on this site: 51 medicine and 17 dentistry courses, each read from the university's own admissions pages.
The gaps matter as much as the order. Most schools publish no application counts and no UCAT threshold, so most tables here rank a minority of the 68. Where a school is missing, it published nothing, and the count under each table says how many that is. Anyone showing you a complete ranking of every school on these measures is filling the silence with estimates.
Hardest to get an interview
Home applications divided by the number interviewed. The interview gate is where the UCAT does most of its work, so this is the table your score is really competing in.
| # | School | Applications per interview |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Queen Mary University of LondonDentistry900 applications, 227 interviewed | 4 applications per interview |
| 2 | King's College LondonDentistry1,170 applications, 299 interviewed | 3.9 applications per interview |
| 3 | University of ManchesterDentistry981 applications, 319 interviewed | 3.1 applications per interview |
| 4 | King's College LondonMedicine1,981 applications, 796 interviewed | 2.5 applications per interview |
| 5 | University of OxfordMedicine1,026 applications, 425 interviewed | 2.4 applications per interview |
| 6 | University of WarwickMedicine1,326 applications, 549 interviewed | 2.4 applications per interview |
| 7 | University of DundeeDentistry783 applications, 334 interviewed | 2.3 applications per interview |
| 8 | University of DundeeMedicine1,951 applications, 844 interviewed | 2.3 applications per interview |
| 9 | University of EdinburghMedicine545 applications, 233 interviewed | 2.3 applications per interview |
| 10 | St George's, University of LondonMedicine1,279 applications, 773 interviewed | 1.7 applications per interview |
| 11 | Lancaster UniversityMedicine926 applications, 581 interviewed | 1.6 applications per interview |
| 12 | University of ManchesterMedicine2,607 applications, 1,667 interviewed | 1.6 applications per interview |
| 13 | University of BirminghamMedicine1,503 applications, 1,061 interviewed | 1.4 applications per interview |
| 14 | University of St AndrewsMedicine417 applications, 298 interviewed | 1.4 applications per interview |
| 15 | University of East AngliaMedicine1,012 applications, 699 interviewed | 1.4 applications per interview |
| 16 | Queen Mary University of LondonMedicine1,732 applications, 1,294 interviewed | 1.3 applications per interview |
| 17 | University of AberdeenMedicine164 applications, 133 interviewed | 1.2 applications per interview |
51 of 68 courses publish nothing for this measure and are not ranked. That is their position, not a low score.
Hardest to get an offer
Home applications divided by offers made, from each school's own published admissions statistics. This is the closest thing to a real difficulty ranking, and it is not the same as prestige.
| # | School | Applications per offer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | King's College LondonDentistry1,170 applications, 155 offers | 7.5 applications per offer |
| 2 | University of ManchesterDentistry981 applications, 139 offers | 7.1 applications per offer |
| 3 | University of DundeeDentistry783 applications, 116 offers | 6.8 applications per offer |
| 4 | University of OxfordMedicine1,026 applications, 175 offers | 5.9 applications per offer |
| 5 | Queen Mary University of LondonDentistry900 applications, 179 offers | 5 applications per offer |
| 6 | University of WarwickMedicine1,326 applications, 311 offers | 4.3 applications per offer |
| 7 | St George's, University of LondonMedicine1,279 applications, 369 offers | 3.5 applications per offer |
| 8 | University of DundeeMedicine1,951 applications, 570 offers | 3.4 applications per offer |
| 9 | King's College LondonMedicine1,981 applications, 609 offers | 3.3 applications per offer |
| 10 | University of EdinburghMedicine545 applications, 182 offers | 3 applications per offer |
| 11 | Lancaster UniversityMedicine926 applications, 325 offers | 2.8 applications per offer |
| 12 | University of ManchesterMedicine2,607 applications, 985 offers | 2.6 applications per offer |
| 13 | University of St AndrewsMedicine417 applications, 216 offers | 1.9 applications per offer |
| 14 | University of BirminghamMedicine1,503 applications, 845 offers | 1.8 applications per offer |
| 15 | Queen Mary University of LondonMedicine1,732 applications, 991 offers | 1.7 applications per offer |
| 16 | University of East AngliaMedicine1,012 applications, 599 offers | 1.7 applications per offer |
| 17 | University of AberdeenMedicine164 applications, 133 offers | 1.2 applications per offer |
51 of 68 courses publish nothing for this measure and are not ranked. That is their position, not a low score.
Lowest published UCAT threshold
Every school in this dataset that publishes a minimum UCAT score, lowest first. Most publish none at all, and a threshold is a floor rather than a target: clearing it rarely guarantees an interview.
| # | School | Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keele UniversityMedicine2026 entry | 1,700 |
| 2 | University of SheffieldMedicine2026 entry | 1,800 |
| 3 | University of EdinburghMedicine2027 entry | 1,850 |
| 4 | University of GlasgowMedicine2026 entry | 1,870 |
| 5 | Swansea UniversityMedicine2026 entry | 1,900 |
| 6 | University of WarwickMedicine2026 entry | 1,910 |
| 7 | Lancaster UniversityMedicine2026 entry | 1,920 |
| 8 | Anglia Ruskin UniversityMedicine2026 entry | 2,010 |
| 9 | Queen Mary University of LondonMedicine2026 entry | 2,030 |
| 10 | University of ManchesterMedicine2026 entry | 2,060 |
| 11 | University College LondonMedicine2026 entry | 2,190 |
| 12 | University of ManchesterDentistry2026 entry | 2,200 |
| 13 | Queen Mary University of LondonDentistry2026 entry | 2,210 |
| 14 | Imperial College LondonMedicine2026 entry | 2,320 |
54 of 68 courses publish nothing for this measure and are not ranked. That is their position, not a low score.
Schools you can reach without a UCAT score
A disappointing UCAT is less final than it looks. These schools either ask for no UCAT at all, take a different test instead, or accept the GAMSAT alongside it, and a GAMSAT score stays valid for two years.
| # | School | Admissions test |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of BuckinghamMedicine | No UCAT required |
| 2 | Ulster UniversityMedicine | GAMSAT instead of the UCAT |
| 3 | Brunel University LondonMedicine | UCAT or GAMSAT |
| 4 | Pears Cumbria School of MedicineMedicine | UCAT or GAMSAT |
| 5 | University of SurreyMedicine | UCAT or GAMSAT |
| 6 | University of WorcesterMedicine | UCAT or GAMSAT |
Where the personal statement still counts
Schools that score or formally assess the statement. Everywhere else it is screened for red flags, used only at interview, or not used at all, which is why writing for the strictest school on your list is the only strategy that works.
| # | School | How it is used |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keele UniversityMedicineSCORED, and one of only two schools found in this dataset that scores it. Keele ranks home applicants on a combination of UCAT and personal statement scores, so the statement carries direct weight in whether an interview happens at all. International applicants are shortlisted on UCAT ranking alone. | Scored |
| 2 | University of LancashireMedicineSCORED, and the most explicit of the three schools that do. Lancashire states that the personal statement and academic reference will be evaluated and scored to determine whether an interview is offered, and publishes the criteria: motivation for medicine, academic preparation, and practical experience covering caring roles, teamwork, initiative and work-life balance. It also says it can only assess an application on the information given, so anything left out is simply absent. | Scored |
| 3 | University of PortsmouthDentistryThe personal statement is reviewed by admissions tutors and scored against values-based selection criteria, so it carries marks rather than being read for context alone. | Scored |
| 4 | Pears Cumbria School of MedicineMedicineWork experience with service users is strongly recommended and is assessed at interview together with other information from the personal statement, so the statement feeds the interview rather than the shortlisting. | Assessed |
| 5 | University of BirminghamDentistryReviewed and used, which makes Birmingham Dentistry one of the few schools where the statement carries real weight. Statements are reviewed for motivation to do the course, specific mentions of dentistry, and the reasoning behind the application, so a statement written generically for medicine and dentistry together is a visible weakness here. | Assessed |
| 6 | University of Greater ManchesterMedicineThe personal statement is assessed during shortlisting when deciding whether to invite an applicant to interview, and applicants are expected to have undertaken work experience before applying. | Assessed |
| 7 | University of SheffieldDentistryAssessed, and then used again at interview, which is the opposite of the position Sheffield Medicine takes. The dental school initially assesses the academic record, evidence of career exploration, and the personal qualities and values demonstrated in the personal statement and academic reference. Assessors then interview with reference to the information given in the statement, expecting candidates to show they are well informed about choosing dentistry. | Assessed |
| 8 | University of St AndrewsMedicineAssessed, and the most explicit statement of it found in this dataset. St Andrews says its selection process includes an assessment of all information on the application form, naming academic performance, the personal statement and reference, and UCAT scores together. It also sets out what a successful statement must evidence: empathy, communication and listening, leadership, teamwork, commitment to academic study, resilience and intellectual potential, plus paid or unpaid work or shadowing in a caring or health environment. | Assessed |
60 of 68 courses publish nothing for this measure and are not ranked. That is their position, not a low score.
How to use these
Read the interview table first. The interview gate is where the UCAT does most of its work, so that ratio is the one your score is really competing against, and it is usually far steeper than the offer ratio that follows it.
Then read the two tables that widen your options rather than narrow them. A school that takes the GAMSAT, or no admissions test at all, changes what a disappointing UCAT means for your five choices. So does knowing which schools still score the personal statement, because that is effort worth spending in one place and wasted in another.