Best UK Medical Schools to Apply to With a High UCAT Score: 2027 Entry Guide

30 Sept

Updated 30 September 2026 with the UCAT Consortium's final 2026 test statistics.

You've done the hard part. Weeks of question banks, timed mocks, and two slightly surreal hours in a test centre – and the number on your score report is a good one. 🎉

Now comes the bit that decides whether all that work pays off.

A high University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) score is the strongest card most applicants will ever hold. But it isn't worth the same everywhere. At some medical schools it decides your interview almost single-handedly. At others it's a small slice of a points total, or a tiebreaker nobody looks at unless two applicants are level.

This guide is written for students applying in October 2026 for 2027 entry. It covers what counts as a high score this year (the final numbers are now in), the UK medical schools that reward it most, the cut-offs they published last cycle, and how to turn a strong result into four smart choices on your Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) application.

📊 What Is a High UCAT Score for 2027 Entry?

The simple definition: a high UCAT score sits in the 9th decile or above, meaning the top 10% of candidates. Anything from the 8th decile upwards is strong enough to make the UCAT-heavy medical schools a realistic target.

For 2027 entry, we now know exactly what that means in points.

The final UCAT 2026 deciles 🆕

The UCAT Consortium published its final 2026 statistics after testing closed on 24 September 2026, based on 42,359 tests. The final mean total cognitive score is 1,918, and the decile boundaries are:

1st decile – 1,590
2nd decile – 1,700
3rd decile – 1,780
4th decile – 1,850
5th decile – 1,920
6th decile – 1,980
7th decile – 2,050
8th decile – 2,140
9th decile – 2,250

So the top 10% of candidates this year begins at 2,250.

The subtest means were 602 for Verbal Reasoning, 640 for Decision Making and 675 for Quantitative Reasoning. In the Situational Judgement Test (SJT), 15% of candidates achieved Band 1, 40% Band 2, 34% Band 3 and 11% Band 4.

Last year's final figures, from 41,354 tests, gave a mean of 1,891 and a 9th decile of 2,220. So this cohort scored a little higher: the mean is up 27 points and the 9th decile up 30. 📈

How the final figures compare with the preliminary ones

Back in mid-September, the preliminary table put the mean at 1,970 and the 9th decile at 2,300. Both dropped by around 50 points once everyone had tested, which is exactly what usually happens – students who test early in the summer tend to be the best prepared, so the early figures always start high.

Our estimate on this page two weeks ago was a final 9th decile of about 2,240 and a mean near 1,920. The official numbers came in at 2,250 and 1,918. ✅

If you've been judging your score against those preliminary figures, you've been selling yourself short by roughly half a decile.

What the subtest deciles tell you

The Consortium also publishes deciles for each individual subtest, and they show how differently the three sections behave:

9th decile: 710 in Verbal Reasoning, 760 in Decision Making, 820 in Quantitative Reasoning
5th decile: 600 in Verbal Reasoning, 640 in Decision Making, 670 in Quantitative Reasoning

A 710 in Verbal Reasoning puts you in the top 10% of that section. Getting the same ranking in Quantitative Reasoning takes an 820. Verbal Reasoning was also the only subtest that didn't move this year, holding at a mean of 602 while Decision Making rose 12 points and Quantitative Reasoning 14.

In other words, a high Verbal Reasoning score is scarcer than a high Quantitative Reasoning one. That's quietly useful at Nottingham, where Verbal Reasoning is double-weighted.

What your score means

The final figures are settled now, so these bands hold for the whole cycle:

🟢 2,320 and above – clears every published UCAT threshold in the UK, including Imperial's Home figure. You're a strong candidate at every school in this guide.
🟢 2,250 to 2,319 – the 9th decile, meaning the top 10% nationally. Everything except Imperial's 2026-entry Home threshold is behind you.
🟢 2,140 to 2,249 – the 8th decile, top 20%. Competitive at most UCAT-ranked schools and right around the line at the most selective, including Bristol's 2,240 last cycle.
🟡 2,050 to 2,139 – the 7th decile, top 30%. A good score that still opens plenty of doors, as long as you mix the selection models across your four choices.
🟠 Below 2,050 – still very workable, but a different strategy suits you. Read our guide to where to apply to medicine with a low UCAT score.

One thing worth knowing before you compare yourself with older guides: the same raw score is worth slightly less than it was last year. A 2,100 sat exactly on the 8th decile boundary in 2025. This year it falls in the 7th.

🔄 UCAT Changes: What High Scorers Still Get Wrong

The 2,700 scale in one paragraph

Abstract Reasoning was removed from the UCAT in 2025. The test now has three cognitive subtests – Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making and Quantitative Reasoning – each scored from 300 to 900, so your total runs from 900 to 2,700. The SJT is reported separately as a band from 1 (highest) to 4 and never adds to your total.

Why old cut-offs on the 3,600 scale are useless now

The previous version of this guide, like most websites, quoted figures such as 2,940 for Bristol (2024 entry) and 2,820 for Newcastle (2023 entry). Those numbers came from the old four-subtest test, marked out of 3,600. On today's test, a 2,940 isn't just unlikely – it's impossible.

Students still find those numbers on forums, decide their 2,250 isn't good enough, and quietly drop the very schools they should be targeting. Before you use any cut-off, check two things: which scale it's on and which entry year it applies to. The University of St Andrews says this directly on its own admissions page – historical UCAT data simply isn't comparable with the new scores.

Almost every UK medical school now uses the UCAT

The BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) ended after 2024, so the medical schools that used it – including Oxford, Cambridge, University College London (UCL) and Imperial – now use the UCAT instead. For a high scorer, that's genuinely good news. Some of the most competitive medical schools in the country are now places where your score counts.

The main exception for school leavers is the University of Buckingham, a private medical school that doesn't use the UCAT at all. Some graduate-entry programmes also use the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) instead.

Once your score gets you the interview

Your UCAT gets you the interview. The interview gets you the offer.

A mid-range score can win offers when your interview is strong, and even a high one can fall short without preparation. Our interview course is taught in small groups by NHS doctors, with realistic MMI practice and feedback on every station.

See the medical interview course Add a mock MMI circuit

🎯 How Medical Schools Use Your UCAT Score

Knowing which model a school uses matters more than knowing its cut-off. Almost every UK medical school falls into one of four groups.

Ranked from the top down

Every eligible applicant is ordered by UCAT score and interview invitations go out from the top until the slots run out. There's no bar to clear, just a queue to be near the front of. Bristol, UCL, St Andrews and Southampton work this way, and it's where a high score is worth the most.

Threshold first, then ranked

A minimum is set, everyone below it is rejected, and the rest are ranked on score anyway. Clearing the bar isn't enough. Sheffield and Imperial are the clearest examples.

Points, with the UCAT as one ingredient

Your score is converted into points and added to points for General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) grades, A-levels or contextual factors. A strong UCAT helps, but its value is capped. Newcastle, Birmingham, Nottingham and Edinburgh all sit here, and the balance between ingredients varies hugely.

Barely used at all

A few schools use the UCAT only to separate applicants tied on academic score, or don't require it. Cardiff and Buckingham fall into this group, and your high score buys you very little there.

The SJT band that can undo a brilliant score 🚩

Your cognitive total and your SJT band are assessed separately, and at some schools the band alone can end your application.

Manchester does not currently consider Band 3 or Band 4. On the final 2026 figures, that rules out 45% of all candidates before anyone looks at their total.
Band 4 is rejected at a long list of schools, including Newcastle, Edinburgh, Imperial, Queen Mary, Nottingham, Edge Hill and Anglia Ruskin.
Liverpool asks Home applicants for Bands 1 to 3.
Bristol and Glasgow don't use the SJT at all, and Cambridge won't use it for 2027 entry.

Two shifts to note from the final figures. Band 4 crept up from 10% of candidates to 11%, so roughly one in nine is affected by those automatic rejections. And Band 1 became rarer, falling from 21% last year to 15%, which makes it worth more at schools that score your band as points – Newcastle, Hull York Medical School (HYMS), Edinburgh and Sheffield among them.

✅ Best Medical Schools to Target With a High UCAT Score (2027 Entry)

These are the schools where a top score does the most work. Most thresholds below are the latest published figures, which usually means 2026 entry. Schools recalculate them every cycle, and with a slightly stronger cohort this year, expect some to rise. Always check the school's own admissions page before you apply.

✅ University of Bristol – your score is the shortlist

Bristol selects for interview on your combined cognitive score, with the SJT excluded completely. For 2026 entry, the final threshold was 2,240 for Home applicants and 2,270 for Overseas applicants, and Bristol is clear that the number changes every year.

If your cognitive total is strong but your SJT band isn't, Bristol belongs near the top of your list. Very little else stands between you and an interview.

✅ Imperial College London – one of the highest bars in the UK

Imperial published a threshold of 2,320 for Home applicants for 2026 entry, with a contextual threshold of 2,170 for applicants who meet its widening participation criteria. Band 4 is not considered, and Imperial normally interviews around the top third of its applicants.

That 150-point gap between the standard and contextual thresholds is one of the biggest in the country. If you've never checked whether you qualify for contextual consideration, check now.

✅ University College London (UCL) – ranked on your cognitive total

UCL ranks applicants on the combined score from the three cognitive subtests and interviews for around 1,000 applicants a year. Where applicants are tied on total score, the SJT is used to separate them.

Published 2026-entry thresholds were 2,190 for Home applicants, 2,300 for Overseas applicants and 2,080 through the Access UCL scheme. There's no academic score to balance things out, so the ranking really is the ranking.

✅ Newcastle University – 60 points for a top score

Newcastle awards up to 60 points for your UCAT total for Home A100 applicants. You get the full 60 at 2,400 and above, falling to a single point at 1,810 and below. Those points are added to an academic score to create your screening total.

Here's a detail most students miss: Newcastle's table uses fixed scores rather than deciles, so a stronger national cohort doesn't move the goalposts. A 2,400 earns 60 points whatever everyone else scores – and this year, 2,400 sits well above the 9th decile of 2,250, so very few applicants will bank the full amount.

International and A101 applicants are ranked on UCAT score alone. Band 4 is not considered, and at interview your band is worth 5 points for Band 1, 3 for Band 2 and 1 for Band 3.

✅ University of Sheffield – the minimum isn't the target

Sheffield's published minimum for 2027 entry is 1,800, based on the average 40th centile over the previous three years. But that isn't the number that matters.

Everyone above the minimum is ranked on score to fill a fixed number of Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) places. For 2026 entry, that meant 2,120 for Home A100 applicants and 2,070 for international A100 applicants.

A nice touch for strong all-rounders: your SJT is converted into a mark out of five and added as a virtual ninth station alongside the eight real MMI stations.

✅ University of Glasgow – score-ranked, SJT ignored

Once you meet the academic requirements, Glasgow allocates interviews by UCAT score, and it states plainly that it doesn't consider the SJT. Its 2026-entry thresholds were 1,870 for Scottish-domiciled applicants, 1,990 for applicants from the rest of the UK and 2,150 for international and European Union (EU) applicants.

Two things to remember. Glasgow won't set its 2027 thresholds until November 2026, after the UCAS deadline, so you're applying on last year's guide. And the rest-of-UK bar is noticeably higher than the Scottish one.

✅ University of St Andrews – the top 650 or so

St Andrews ranks eligible applicants on their UCAT total and interviews roughly the top 650. Offers are then based on your interview score, with the UCAT only used again to separate applicants who tie.

Applicants who meet St Andrews' widening participation criteria receive a 10% increase in their UCAT score for ranking. The school also has to manage its intake against Scottish Government targets for each fee-status group, so competition differs between Scottish, rest-of-UK and overseas applicants.

✅ University of Liverpool – your score decides who gets read

Liverpool ranks non-graduate applicants on overall UCAT score at Stage 1 and only then assesses the academics of the top scorers. In other words, your UCAT decides whether anyone reads the rest of your application.

Home applicants need SJT Bands 1 to 3, while international and EU applicants can offer any band. The 2026-entry cut-offs were 1,960 for Home applicants and 2,080 for international and EU applicants. A high scorer clears these comfortably, which makes Liverpool a strong anchor choice.

✅ University of Southampton – ranked first, no published cut-off

Southampton ranks BM5 applicants by UCAT score at Stage 1 and then checks them against its academic criteria. It deliberately doesn't publish a cut-off because the score needed changes each year.

"No published cut-off" doesn't mean "low bar". Southampton ranks strictly on score, so a high UCAT is valuable here. Any figure you see quoted in the 2,600s comes from the old 3,600 scale.

✅ University of Manchester – score and band together

Manchester sets its threshold only after results arrive in November. Applicants who clear it with Band 1 or Band 2 and meet the academic requirements are normally invited to interview. Where demand is higher than capacity, Manchester ranks on total score and band together.

The hard rule bears repeating: Band 3 and Band 4 are not currently considered. A superb cognitive score won't rescue a Band 3 here.

✅ City St George's, University of London – check every subtest

City St George's applies a minimum of 500 in each individual subtest, alongside an overall cut-off calculated each year. UCAT scores are used to select for interview and can also be used to rank a post-interview waiting list.

Look at your score breakdown, not just the headline total. On the final 2026 subtest deciles, 500 in Verbal Reasoning sits right on the 1st decile, so this floor bites on roughly the bottom 10% of that section – but when it bites, it ends the application. A strong total built on one weak subtest can fail here while sailing through elsewhere.

✅ Edge Hill University – a threshold set by interview numbers

Edge Hill ranks applicants who meet its academic requirements by UCAT score, then sets a threshold based on how many interviews it plans to hold. Band 4 is an automatic rejection.

The threshold is extended for applicants who meet specific widening participation criteria or who have completed Edge Hill's Widening Access to Medicine Programme. The "average score of 2,748" you'll still find quoted online was on the old scale and tells you nothing about this year.

✅ University of Aberdeen – scored against other Aberdeen applicants

Aberdeen doesn't use a minimum UCAT cut-off. Instead, your score is judged against other Aberdeen applicants and weighed alongside your academic record – broadly 30% academics, 20% UCAT and 50% interview.

In a smaller applicant pool, a top-decile score stands out sharply. The old "2,690 cut-off for 2024 entry" was on the 3,600 scale, so ignore it.

✅ King's College London (KCL) – a high score helps, but it's holistic

King's shortlists by looking at your GCSEs, predicted or achieved A-levels, personal statement, reference and UCAT score together, and it takes your SJT into account too. It doesn't publish a UCAT cut-off.

A high UCAT is a real advantage at King's, but it won't carry weak GCSEs on its own. The "2,710 cut-off" quoted in older guides, including ours, was on the old scale.

👀 Other Notable Mentions

University of Birmingham – 40% UCAT

Birmingham's application score is 45% academic, 40% UCAT and 15% contextual. Your UCAT is converted by national decile, from 4.0 points for the top decile down to zero for the lowest. There's no minimum cut-off, and the SJT is used at the interview stage rather than for screening. A top-decile score earns you the maximum, so Birmingham suits high scorers with strong GCSEs.

Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) – clear, published cut-offs

ARU publishes its figures in unusual detail. For 2026 entry, the main cut-off was 2,010, with 1,960 for East of England applicants, 1,920 for Essex applicants and 1,830 for graduates. Band 4 applicants aren't invited, and ARU now requires Home fee status. A high scorer will clear these easily, so ARU works best as a reliable anchor rather than a place where a top score earns extra credit.

Oxford and Cambridge with a high UCAT

Oxford shortlists on a combined UCAT and GCSE score and publishes its results in rare detail. For 2026 entry, the mean UCAT was 2,217.5 across all applicants, 2,377.5 among those shortlisted and 2,407.1 among those who received offers. Around 425 applicants are interviewed, roughly 2.5 for every place.

Cambridge uses your overall cognitive score as part of selection but sets no minimum threshold, and it has confirmed it won't use the SJT for 2027 entry. It reads your UCAT alongside your academic record and interview rather than as a gate.

Nottingham and Edinburgh

Nottingham scores 40 points for UCAT against 32 for GCSEs before interview, with Verbal Reasoning counting double. That makes getting an interview UCAT-heavy. After that, though, offers are made on interview performance alone. 🎤

Edinburgh's minimum for 2027 entry is 1,850, with Band 4 rejected. Above that, your UCAT total makes up 17.5% of your pre-assessment score and your SJT band another 7.5%, with academics worth 25% and the Assessment Day the remaining 50%. Scores are ranked into deciles, so the gap between the 7th and 9th decile really counts.

Hull York Medical School (HYMS) and Leeds

HYMS awards points for both your UCAT total and your SJT band when ranking applicants for interview. Leeds combines academic and UCAT scores into a single total and says openly that a high score in one can make up for a lower score in the other, with no fixed cut-off.

📈 How Last Year's Cut-Offs Compare With This Year's Deciles

Every threshold above was set against last year's cohort. Mapping them onto the final 2026 deciles shows what ranking each school was really asking for.

Imperial's 2,320 sits above the 9th decile on both tables – the top 10% either way.
Bristol's 2,240 was just above the 9th decile in 2025 (2,220) and sits just below it this year (2,250). Call it the top 10% to 15%.
UCL's 2,190 falls between the 8th and 9th deciles, roughly the top 15%.
Glasgow's 2,150 (international) sits just above the 8th decile, around the top 20%.
Sheffield's 2,120 (Home) falls between the 7th and 8th deciles, about the top 25%.
Anglia Ruskin's 2,010 and Glasgow's 1,990 (rest of UK) sit between the 6th and 7th deciles, near the top 40%.
Liverpool's 1,960 (Home) falls between the 5th and 6th deciles, just above the national median of 1,918.
Edinburgh's 1,850 minimum lands exactly on this year's 4th decile, screening out roughly the bottom 40% of candidates.

The lesson? The ranking a school wants is far more stable than the number attached to it. If Bristol took roughly the top 10% last year, it will want something similar this year, whatever raw score that turns out to be. Since this cohort scored about 30 points higher than last year's, expect several of these thresholds to creep up by a similar amount when they're published. Work out your decile and compare that, not just your score.

🚫 Where a High UCAT Score Counts for Less

None of these are weaker medical schools. They simply give your biggest strength less weight, so they're only worth a choice if the rest of your application is strong too.

Cardiff University states there's no minimum UCAT score. It only uses a cut-off when too many applicants tie on academic score, and even then deciles 7 to 9 all earn the same 3 points. The entire range from the lowest decile to the highest is worth just two points.

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) gave the UCAT only 9 points out of 45 in its pre-interview score for 2026 entry, with 36 points for academics.

Aston University sets no minimum score for the UCAT or the SJT and considers your result alongside everything else.

Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS) uses a threshold, but says that high scorers won't necessarily be chosen over lower scorers who also pass it. Once you're over the line, your score stops being the story.

The University of Buckingham doesn't use the UCAT at all. It's also a private medical school with self-funded fees.

🧠 How to Build Your Four UCAS Choices With a High Score

Spread your choices across different models

Four purely UCAT-ranked schools sounds logical. It's actually one of the most common ways high scorers end up with no interviews. Thresholds tend to move together, so a strong year nationally can push you just outside the line at all four on the same day.

A sensible spread for a high scorer looks like this:

Two ranked or threshold schools where your score does the most work
One points-based school where your GCSEs and UCAT are both counted
One school where your whole profile is competitive, not just your score

Match your list to your SJT band

Go through your four choices one by one and confirm each accepts your band. Band 3 rules out Manchester. Band 4 rules out a long list. If your band is your weak point, remember that Bristol and Glasgow don't use it, and Cambridge won't for 2027 entry.

Check whether you qualify for contextual admissions

High scorers often skip this, assuming it isn't for them. Imperial's contextual threshold was 150 points below its standard one for 2026 entry. St Andrews adds 10% to eligible applicants' UCAT scores. Edinburgh gives uplifts of 5% to 10% to flagged applicants. It takes ten minutes to check, and it can change which schools are realistic.

Use your fifth choice wisely

Your fifth UCAS choice can't be a fifth medicine course, so pick something you'd genuinely enjoy, such as Biomedical Science, Pharmacology or Physiology. A good degree keeps graduate-entry medicine open if things don't go to plan. 🎓

If you're in the 7th or 8th decile ⏳

Be honest with yourself. A score between 2,050 and 2,249 is good, but it isn't a guaranteed interview at Bristol or Imperial. Now the final deciles are out, you can see exactly where you stand rather than guessing – so build your list around the model that suits your full profile, not the one that flatters your score.

🎤 Turning a High UCAT Score Into an Offer

This is the uncomfortable truth. A high UCAT gets you into far more interview rooms than average – and then, at many schools, it stops counting.

At Nottingham, offers are decided on interview alone. At St Andrews, offers are based on your interview score. At Edinburgh, the Assessment Day is worth 50%, and at Aberdeen the interview carries the same weight. The applicants who convert are the ones who prepare for December as seriously as they prepared for the summer.

Try these out loud, with a timer set for seven minutes:

Your UCAT is one of the strongest we've seen. What else should we know about you?
Tell us about a time you were the most capable person in a team, and it caused a problem.
A patient has researched their symptoms online and disagrees with their consultant. How would you respond?
Why this medical school specifically – and don't tell us about the campus.
What does a doctor do that a very clever computer program can't?

These are for your own practice. Thinking them through and recording your answers will take you a long way.

What they can't recreate is the real thing: a strict timer, an unfamiliar role-player, and an experienced interviewer telling you exactly where you gained and lost marks.

➡️ Ready to turn your interviews into offers? Book our Medical School Interview Course, taught by NHS doctors who teach at three UK medical schools, or join one of our Mock MMI Circuits for full timed practice with feedback on every station. 🎯

⏰ Key Dates for 2027 Entry

✅ 13 September 2026 – UCAT 2026 preliminary deciles published
✅ 24 September 2026 – last day of UCAT testing
✅ Late September 2026 – final 2026 deciles published: mean 1,918, 9th decile 2,250
⏳ 15 October 2026, 6 pm (UK time) – UCAS deadline for medicine. This is the one that matters now.
📅 22 October 2026 – deadline for UCAT Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) candidates to submit the Results Collection Form for UK applications
📅 Early November 2026 – UCAT results sent to universities
📅 November 2026 – Manchester and Glasgow calculate their thresholds
📅 December 2026 onwards – interviews begin

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – High UCAT Scores and Medical School Applications

What is considered a high UCAT score for 2027 entry?

A high UCAT score is usually one in the top 10% of candidates. On the final 2026 figures, that means 2,250 or above, up from 2,220 last year. The national mean was 1,918 across 42,359 tests, so anything from around 2,140 (the 8th decile) upwards is genuinely strong.

Which UK medical schools have the highest UCAT cut-offs?

On published 2026-entry figures, Imperial (2,320 Home), Bristol (2,240 Home, 2,270 Overseas) and UCL (2,190 Home, 2,300 Overseas) had the highest. All three sat around or above this year's 9th decile of 2,250. Oxford doesn't publish a cut-off, but its 2026-entry offer holders averaged 2,407.1. Ignore any figure above 2,700 – it comes from the old scale.

Which medical schools reward a high UCAT score the most?

The schools that rank applicants mainly on score: Bristol, UCL, St Andrews, Southampton, Liverpool and Glasgow. Newcastle's points table also rewards a top score heavily, with the full 60 points at 2,400 and above.

Does a high UCAT score guarantee an interview or offer?

No. Thresholds are recalculated each year, you still need to meet the academic requirements, and your SJT band can rule you out at some schools. Even after an interview, many schools make offers mainly or entirely on interview performance.

Can a Band 3 SJT undo a high UCAT score?

At some schools, yes. Manchester doesn't currently consider Band 3 or Band 4, which, in the final 2026 figures, rules out 45% of all candidates. Band 4, now 11% of candidates, is rejected at a long list of schools. Bristol and Glasgow don't use the SJT, and Cambridge won't for 2027 entry, so all three are worth a close look if your band is your weak point.

How have the UCAT changes affected cut-offs?

Since Abstract Reasoning was removed in 2025, scores run out of 2,700 instead of 3,600. Any cut-off from 2025 entry or earlier is on the old scale and can't be compared with your score. Use 2026-entry thresholds and the final 2026 deciles instead, and expect schools to publish slightly higher numbers this cycle, since the national mean rose by 27 points.

Do all UK medical schools require the UCAT?

Almost all of them. The BMAT ended after 2024, so Oxford, Cambridge, UCL and Imperial now use the UCAT. The main exception for school leavers is the University of Buckingham, and some graduate-entry courses use the GAMSAT.

Should I apply to Oxford or Cambridge with a high UCAT?

If your GCSEs are also excellent, it can be a sensible choice. Oxford shortlists on UCAT and GCSEs combined, with shortlisted applicants averaging 2,377.5 for 2026 entry. Cambridge has no minimum but weighs your score alongside your academics and interview. Don't let either crowd out schools where your score does even more work.

How should I prepare for interviews after a high UCAT?

Find out whether each school uses MMIs or panel interviews, then practise out loud and under timed conditions. Cover motivation, ethics, teamwork, NHS hot topics and your own experiences. Getting feedback from experienced interviewers, through a mock circuit or interview course, is the fastest way to find your weak spots.

🔗 Useful Links

UCAT and applying

Medical school admissions pages

Blue Peanut Medical

Dr Imran Khan, MBChB, and Dr Abdul Mannan, MBChB

The Blue Peanut Medical team is led by experienced NHS General Practitioners with extensive involvement in medical education. We're dedicated to helping you succeed at every stage of your medical school journey.

Admissions policies change every cycle. Always check current requirements on each medical school's own website before you submit your UCAS application.

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The Blue Peanut Team

This content is provided in good faith and based on information from medical school websites at the time of writing. Entry requirements can change, so always check directly with the university before making decisions. You’re free to accept or reject any advice given here, and you use this information at your own risk. We can’t be held responsible for errors or omissions — but if you spot any, please let us know and we’ll update it promptly. Information from third-party websites should be considered anecdotal and not relied upon.