Dentistry Entry Requirements

Dental degrees have a complex and competitive application process, and understanding the entry requirements is the first step in putting together a strong application.

Our guide outlines the entry requirements for dentistry – for standard undergraduate-entry degrees, as well as courses with a foundation year and graduate-entry programmes. You’ll discover what universities and dental schools are looking for and how to make your application stand out.

If you’re interested in applying for dentistry, you may also like to read our guide to how to become a dentist, or our breakdown of the best UK universities for dentistry.

Undergraduate Dentistry Entry Requirements

Fourteen different universities and dental schools in the UK offer undergraduate dentistry courses. For undergraduate entrants, the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS or BChD) degree lasts for five years. Here are the key entry requirements:

A Level / equivalent grades

Dental schools examine your A Level or equivalent grades as evidence of your academic ability. Entry requirements of AAA are typical for dentistry (or 35-38 in the IB).

As with medicine, most universities require applicants to take a specific subject or subject combination. Chemistry and Biology are the most common, though other science subjects or Maths are sometimes also accepted. Dental schools usually expect you to achieve an A or better in the required A Level subjects. For IB applicants, required subjects usually have to be taken at Higher Level, and grade 6 scores or higher are typically mandated.

UCAT

All dental schools now include the UCAT as part of their dentistry entry requirements for undergraduate courses. This is a computer-based standardised test of reasoning and situational judgement – you can read more about the UCAT here.

Universities usually apply a cut-off to candidates’ scores, meaning that they won’t invite applicants to interview if they scored below a particular mark. A few universities publish what this mark was in a given year – we have included this data where available in our table below. Since changes to the format of the UCAT in 2025, it is scored out of 2700, but please note that the scores referred to in the table refer to the old format of the test, when the maximum score was 3600.

Interview

Interviews are now required for all undergraduate dentistry courses. Dentistry interviews take one of two forms:

Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI): the candidate is put through multiple short interviews / assessments (sometimes called ‘stations’) each lasting around 10 minutes. Each may take the form of a 1-1 interview or a roleplay with an actor. There may be as many as 10 stations in total.

Panel Interview: a candidate faces a more traditional panel of interviewers, who each ask them questions.

Work Experience

Work experience is an entry requirement for the vast majority of dentistry courses.

Applicants are expected to demonstrate that they have done the necessary exploration of a career in dentistry and are making an informed decision to study the subject. This includes showcasing an understanding of the dental profession and explaining what draws them to the field. They should be aware of the different potential career paths in the industry and how these compare to other healthcare professions. Ideally, applicants should also have experience working, volunteering, or observing in healthcare settings, particularly in general dental practice.

If you are interested in experiencing a career in dentistry, book a place on our Dentistry Summer School, with the chance to earn a UCAS-accredited work experience qualification.

Other Entry Requirements for Dentistry

Universities will also review your personal statement and reference in your UCAS application. Though these are not the major components of a dentistry application,  they should nonetheless not be neglected, as dental schools have been known to use a strong performance in these areas to differentiate between candidates.

Overview Table

The table below presents an overview of the entry requirements for dentistry at different universities. Please note that these are standard undergraduate-entry courses only.

A quick caveat – the requirements listed in the table are a summary, and you should always check the precise requirements of the course you are applying for on the university’s website before making an application.

‘Gateway’ / Preliminary Year Courses

Students who do not meet the entry requirements for standard undergraduate dentistry courses can instead apply for degrees with a ‘Gateway’ Year or a Preliminary Year.

Gateway Year Entry Requirements

Gateway courses are designed for students who have faced barriers to their learning due to socioeconomic or educational circumstances. They include an extra year at the beginning, turning the 5-year course into a 6-year one.

They are open to UK applicants only and require you to meet particular eligibility criteria: for instance, coming from a postcode with higher levels of deprivation, or attending a state school continuously from the age of 11. Check the website of the particular university you are considering to see their exact criteria.

NB: many of the standard dentistry degrees also use contextual admissions, so if you fit the eligibility criteria, you may also be able to apply to these even if you don’t quite meet the entry requirements.

University of Bristol, Gateway to Dentistry

A Levels: BBC

IB: 29

Required Subjects: Biology or Chemistry

UCAT: Required

Work Experience: Required

Interviews: MMI

King’s College London, Enhanced Support Dentistry Programme

A Levels: AAB

IB: 35

Required Subjects: Biology or Chemistry, plus another Science/Maths subject

UCAT: Required

Work Experience: Required

Interviews: Panel

University of Leeds, Interdisciplinary Science with Foundation Year BSc, progressing onto Dental Surgery

A Levels: CCD

IB: 24

Required Subjects: n/a

UCAT: Not required

Work Experience: Required, but no clinical experience is expected

Interviews: MMI

University of Liverpool, Foundation to Health and Veterinary Studies (allows progression to BDS)

A Levels: n/a – only open mature students from the UK who have been out of formal education for some time or who have taken non-traditional qualifications.

IB: See above

Required Subjects: See above

UCAT: Not required

Work Experience: Required

Interviews: MMI

University of Plymouth, BDS Dental Surgery with Integrated Foundation Year

A Levels: BB

IB: 28-32

Required Subjects: Biology and one other Science/Maths subject

UCAT: Not required

Work Experience: Not required

Interviews: MMI

Preliminary / Foundation Year Entry Requirements

Courses with a Preliminary Year are designed for students who achieved highly at A Level or equivalent, but did not take the required science subjects to apply. They include an extra year at the beginning to give students the necessary science teaching to bridge the gap.

NB: These courses are not intended to boost the grades of those who took science subjects but did not score highly enough to meet the entry requirements.

University of Manchester, BDS Dentistry (pre-dental entry)

A Levels: AAA

IB: 36

Required Subjects: only subject combinations which would be unsuitable for the standard Dentistry degree at Manchester

UCAT: Required

Work Experience: Required

Interviews: MMI

University of Leeds, Studies in Science with Foundation Year BSc, progressing onto Dental Surgery BChD

A Levels: AAB

IB: 35 (16 at HL)

Required Subjects: n/a

UCAT: Not required

Work Experience: Required, but no clinical experience is expected

Interviews: MMI

Graduate-Entry Dentistry Entry Requirements

Graduate-entry dentistry courses are for those who have already graduated with degrees in closely related science or healthcare subjects, or those who are already qualified healthcare professionals. These degrees typically last four years.

University of Central Lancashire

Undergraduate requirements: 2.i in a biomedical discipline

A Level requirements: CCC

Required A Level subjects: Two science/Maths subjects

UCAT: Required

Work Experience: Not required

Interviews: MMI

King’s College London – Medical Graduates

Undergraduate requirements: Applicants must be qualified doctors, have completed Foundation Years 1 and 2, and wish to pursue a career in either oral and maxillofacial surgery or oral medicine/ pathology.

UCAT: Not required

Work Experience: See above

Interviews: Panel

King’s College London – Graduate/Professional Entry

Undergraduate requirements: 2.i in biosciences (or 2.ii in undergrad with a Merit or higher in a postgrad Biosciences degree)

UCAT: Required

Work Experience: Required

Interviews: Panel

University of Aberdeen

Undergraduate requirements: 2.i in biosciences or allied health professional degree

UCAT: Required

Work Experience: Required

Interviews: MMI

University of Leeds

Undergraduate requirements: 2:1 in BSc Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy from the University of Leeds only.

UCAT: Not required

Work Experience: Required

Interviews: MMI

How Dukes Plus Can Help

If you’re applying for a dentistry degree, we can help. We’re specialists in dental and medical school admissions with more than 10 years’ experience supporting students’ applications.

Here’s what we offer:

• Dental school admissions consultation to plan your application strategy
• A Level / IB tutoring to boost your grades
• UCAT preparation
• Interview coaching
• Personal statement support

Not sure where to start? Book a free consultation with one of our admissions experts today to discuss your application and how we can help.

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