To get into dentistry in the UK you typically need predicted grades of AAA to A*AA, usually including Chemistry and Biology, a strong UCAT score, work experience or caring roles you can reflect on, and a good interview, often in MMI format. You apply through UCAS by 18:00 on 15 October, with up to four dentistry choices plus one other. The degree (BDS) usually takes five years.
Dentistry is as competitive as medicine and is selected in a similar way, with a few differences that matter: more emphasis on manual dexterity and communication, fewer places, and a profession you need to understand properly before you can argue for it.
What dental schools look at
- Grades: GCSEs and predicted A-levels (or equivalent)
- The UCAT, at most schools
- Experience and what you learned from it
- The personal statement
- The interview, often Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs)
Grades and subjects
Typical offers are AAA to A*AA. Most schools require Chemistry and Biology, though some have relaxed this: King's College London no longer requires both and recognises Psychology as one of the sciences. A few schools look closely at GCSEs too.
Graduates can also apply, usually with a 2:1 in a relevant degree, and some schools run shortened graduate courses.
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The UCAT
Most UK dental schools use the UCAT, sat in the summer before you apply (for 2027 entry, between July and September 2026). As with medicine, schools use it differently: some interview above a cut-off, some weight it with other factors, and some also screen the situational judgement section. Choose your four schools with your score in hand. Details: the UCAT guide.
Work experience
There is no fixed number of days. Dental schools want to see that you understand the job: the clinical work, the business side of a practice, the long-term relationship with patients, and the realities of NHS and private dentistry.
Useful experience includes:
- Shadowing in a general dental practice, ideally including NHS work
- Caring roles such as care homes, hospices or hospital volunteering, which show you can care for people
- Anything that uses fine manual skill, such as an instrument, model-making, art or craft, which you can mention when it is genuinely part of your life
For each one, be ready to say what you saw and what it taught you. More on writing it up: work experience in your personal statement.
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The personal statement
- Question 1 (why dentistry): something specific about dentistry, not medicine with teeth. Why this profession, and how you know it suits you.
- Question 2 (your studies): how Biology and Chemistry, and your reading beyond them, connect to dentistry.
- Question 3 (outside education): experience and caring roles, reflected on, plus evidence of teamwork, resilience and manual skill.
Our dentistry personal statement guide covers each question with examples.
Your four choices and your fifth
UCAS allows four dentistry choices. Match each school's selection method to your strengths. Use the fifth for a related course you would genuinely accept, such as biomedical science, or leave it empty: the fifth choice explained.
Deadline and interviews
Dentistry applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 on 15 October in the year before you start (15 October 2026 for 2027 entry). If you have missed it, see what you can still do.
Interviews usually run from December to March. MMIs test motivation, ethics, communication and sometimes manual dexterity tasks. Practise talking through ethical scenarios out loud (consent, confidentiality, treating anxious patients) and know your experience inside out.
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Related guides
- Dentistry personal statement guide
- The UCAT guide
- How to get into medicine in the UK
- UCAS deadlines for 2027 entry
Sources
- King's College London, Dentistry BDS entry requirements and news: entry requirements widened
- University of Sheffield, BDS selection process and entry requirements
- University of Birmingham, Preparing to apply for dentistry
- UCAS, FAQ on four medicine, dentistry or vet choices
Frequently asked questions
What A-levels do you need for dentistry?
Most UK dental schools ask for AAA to A*AA, usually including Chemistry and Biology. Some have relaxed this: King's College London, for example, no longer requires both, and accepts Psychology as a science. Requirements differ by school, so check each one before choosing your A-levels and your UCAS choices.
Do you need the UCAT for dentistry?
For most UK dental schools, yes. You sit it in the summer before you apply. Schools use the score differently: some screen on it, some combine it with other factors, and some also look at the situational judgement section.
How much work experience do you need for dentistry?
There is no single requirement. The Dental Schools Council says it values experience in all its forms, and schools look for evidence that you understand the realities of dentistry and of caring for people. Time in a dental practice is useful, and so are caring roles such as care homes or hospices, as long as you reflect on what you learned.
How many dentistry choices can I make on UCAS?
Four. UCAS caps dentistry, like medicine and veterinary courses, at four choices. The fifth can be a different course or left empty.
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