Where to Apply with an Average UCAT Score

Applying to medical schools with an average UCAT score requires strategic selection to enhance your chances of securing an interview. In 2025, the average UCAT score was 1891, with the middle 20% of scores (between the 40th and 60th percentiles) were between 1820 and 1950. Below is a curated list of UK universities that consider applicants with average UCAT scores, along with their specific requirements.

Please note: in this article, any scores cited from 2025 entry or earlier were achieved under the old UCAT format, when there was an additional subtest. From 2025, the UCAT scoring system has changed, with one subtest removed, so average scores are lower. A rough rule of thumb to convert from the old system to the new is to subtract 650 points from the score.

Medical Schools Accepting Average UCAT Scores

University	UCAT Consideration	Additional Notes
University of Aberdeen	Considers UCAT scores alongside academic achievements/predictions. UCAT is weighted 40% for interview selection, and then 20% in final offer decisions. No minimum UCAT threshold.	For 2024 entry, the lowest UCAT score for students invited to interview was 2310 (Scotland), 2690 (rest of UK), 2640 (international) (all figure for non-contextual undergrad applicants).
Anglia Ruskin University	Ranks applicants by UCAT score; no specified minimum. Rejects applicants with SJT band 4.	For 2026 entry, the cut-off was 2010.
Aston University	Evaluates academics and UCAT score; no minimum threshold.	All SJT bands accepted. For 2025 entry, the lowest UCAT score for applicants invited to interview was 2430 (excluding Widening Participation applicants).
Cardiff University	Uses UCAT in selection if oversubscribed with high academic achievers. UCAT is scored alongside achieved GCSE grades; a UCAT score between the 6th and 4th deciles is worth 2 points; equivalent to one grade 7 at GCSE.	No fixed UCAT threshold.
University of Dundee	Considers UCAT alongside academic performance; no minimum score.	For 2023 entry, the lowest UCAT score for interview was 1,900; average was 2,675.
Edge Hill University	Ranks candidates by UCAT score after meeting academic criteria. Sets a UCAT cut-off to decide who to invite to interview. SJT band 4 applicants are rejected.	For 2023 entry, the lowest UCAT score for interviewees was 2610 and the average was 2720.
University of Exeter	UCAT accounts for 25% of shortlisting; academic performance is 75%.	No specified UCAT threshold.
Hull York Medical School	UCAT is weighted 50% of interview selection process (70% on the first three subtests and 30% on SJT). Requires SJT Bands 1-3.
Keele University	Applies a minimum UCAT threshold; SJT Band 4 is rejected.	For 2026 entry, the UCAT cut-off is 1950 (international) and 1700 (UK).
Kent and Medway Medical School	Requires minimum UCAT score and SJT Band 3 or above.	For 2025 entry, the cut-off was 2490 (47th percentile).
Lancaster University	Ranks all applicants who meet entry requirements by UCAT score for interview selection.	For 2026 entry, the lowest UCAT score invited to interview was 1920 (UK) and 1900 (international)
University of Edinburgh	Rejects all applicants below UCAT cut-off then ranks remaining applicants for interview selection. Rejects SJT Band 4.	For 2026 entry, the UCAT cut-off was 1850.
University of Leicester	Gives equal weighting to UCAT and academic achievements when selecting for interview. SJT 4 is rejected and scores in bottom two deciles unlikely to be invited to interview.	For 2026 entry, the lowest UCAT score of any candidate invited to interview was 1820 and the average was 2061.
University of Liverpool	Ranks applicants by UCAT score; no fixed minimum.	UK students likely to need to score between 4th and 6th deciles; international applicants between 7th to 9th deciles.
University of Nottingham	Allocates points for UCAT (up to 40) and GCSEs (10 grade 9s = 40 points); Verbal Reasoning is double-weighted.	No fixed UCAT threshold; SJT included in scoring. For 2024 entry, the lowest UCAT score invited to interview was 2440.
University of Plymouth	Considers UCAT alongside academic qualifications. Applies a UCAT cut-off.	For 2024 entry, the cut-off was 2210 (UK) and 2600 (international).
Queen’s University Belfast	Scores UCAT out of 9. GCSEs are scored out of 36. UCAT is therefore weighted 20%.	In 2025, 30 points were needed to qualify for interview.
University of Sheffield	Rejects applicants below UCAT cut-off. Then ranks applicants by UCAT score for interview selection.	For 2026 entry, the cut-off was 1800. Lowest UCAT score for interviewees was 2120 (UK) and 2070 (international).
St George’s, University of London	Ranks by UCAT score for interview selection.	For 2026 entry, the cut-off was 1880 (UK) and 1640 (international).
University of Sunderland	Requires applicants to be within top 8 deciles; SJT Band 3 or above. Then assesses academic requirements, UCAT score, and ‘interview selection tool’ (additional form to reflect on work experience) for interview selection.	For 2024 entry, this equated to a UCAT score of 1670 (adjusted to remove Abstract Reasoning)
University of East Anglia (UEA)	Uses UCAT to rank applicants for interview; no minimum threshold.	For 2024 entry, the minimum UCAT score invited to interview was 2,190.

For more options, see our guide to where to apply with a low UCAT score.

Key Considerations for Applicants with Average UCAT Scores

Bear these factors in mind when deciding where to apply with an average UCAT score.

Holistic Review vs Ranking Based on UCAT

When selecting for interview, some universities assess applications holistically, weighting the UCAT alongside other criteria. Most often this is achieved GCSE grades, but it might also be A Level predictions, the personal statement, or an extra form (e.g. Sunderland’s ‘interview selection tool’. Other medical schools simply rank all applicants who meet the academic entry requirements by UCAT score, meaning the UCAT score has a 100% weighting once other entry requirements are met.

As an extra level of complexity, those medical schools who assess holistically weight the UCAT score to different levels: at Queen’s University Belfast, the UCAT is only worth 20% of the weighting, while at Hull York it’s 50%.

If you have an average UCAT score, generally you would be more competitive applying to a university which assesses holistically and gives the UCAT a low weighting. The exception would be if you’re applying to a medical school that isn’t especially competitive – in this case, even if your score is average, you might still compare favourably to most other applicants.

UCAT Used for Interview Selection vs for Offer Decisions

Almost all medical schools use the UCAT in some way when deciding whether to invite candidates to interview. However, not all then use it in the same way when deciding whether to offer applicants a place. There are two main options:

• After interview, interview performance alone determines offer decisions
• After interview, UCAT continues to be used alongside interview performance to make offer decisions

With an average score, you would generally be better off applying to a medical school that ‘re-set’ their decision-making process at interview, and only considered interview performance when making offer decisions.

SJT Band Importance 

When looking for average UCAT unis, many students focus on the three subtest scores. But Situational Judgement Test (SJT) bands are also crucial; some universities (including Anglia Ruskin, Edge Hill, and Keele) reject applicants with a Band 4 score.

UCAT Cut-Offs

Some universities have a UCAT cut-off, meaning all applicants below this score will be rejected. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that if you score above the cut-off you will be invited to interview. At some medical schools, the UCAT cut-off is just a first stage in the interview selection process. In these cases, all applicants who exceed the cut-off are then ranked according to the university’s selection criteria when making interview invitations. (At others, like Lancaster, the UCAT cut-off does indeed just mean the score you need to be invited to interview.)

In practice, this means that UCAT cut-offs can be a bit misleading. To be invited to interview, you will probably need a higher score than the advertised cut-off.

Not All Applicants Are Treated the Same

You got 1900 in the UCAT, so that will count the same as another applicant to the same university who got 1900, right? Not exactly.

Medical schools often group applicants together and treat each of these groups’ scores differently. These groups are often based on:

• Location: whether you’re UK or international makes a difference, but so does where you’re from in the UK. If you’re applying to a Scottish university, for instance, then Scottish applicants are often grouped together with applicants from the rest of the UK in a different group
• Contextual / widening access applicants vs others: those from underprivileged backgrounds often have their scores artificially boosted
• Graduate vs non-graduate applicants

With location in particular, the treatment of your UCAT score can vary from one university to another. Some will require higher scores from international applicants, some lower. Generally speaking, being from the same region or nation (within the UK) as the university, will be to your advantage. So, if you’re wondering where to apply with an average UCAT score, a local university is often a good answer.

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