Why study dentistry

Dental schools do not endorse or affiliate with commercial services selling courses or support designed to help applicants gain entry to dental school. Schools provide their expert advice for free on their own websites and on our applicant site, Studying Healthcare. Purchasing these services or products is not necessary to make a successful application.

Read the Dental Schools Council’s statement on paid application help

Standard-entry courses usually take five years. They are designed for applicants entering directly from school or college. Graduates can also apply for the standard entry courses.

Some dental schools offer accelerated courses for graduates who meet specific eligibility criteria, often including relevance of the first degree. These programmes often take four years, although requirements and course length vary between universities. Applicants are recommended to research how student loan arrangements will differ, if needed.

Gateway courses offer an alternative route for eligible students who have the potential to become dentists but do not meet the usual academic requirements for direct entry.

These programmes generally include a foundation year before progression to the dental degree, subject to meeting the required progression criteria. They are usually designed to widen participation and have specific eligibility requirements targeting students with potential who have had fewer educational opportunities. Gateway courses of this type are generally restricted to eligible UK students.

Many dental schools operate contextual admissions processes, which consider an applicant’s personal circumstances and background alongside their academic achievements. These schemes are generally available only to applicants who meet specific widening participation (WP) criteria, which are usually outlined on university websites.

Applicants who meet the relevant criteria may be eligible for:

• lower UCAT thresholds
• guaranteed interviews
• reduced academic entry requirements (known as contextual offers)

For more information about contextual admissions and widening participation, visit our course pages through the Entry Requirements Tool.

Dental schools are looking for applicants who have the potential to become safe, trustworthy and competent dental professionals. Professional conduct is therefore important throughout the admissions process, including at interview.  

• Follow the instructions provided by the dental school and comply with all interview requirements.
• Act honestly and professionally throughout the interview and the whole visit.
• Complete interview tasks independently, without assistance from another person, AI tools, chatbots or other resources, unless the dental school has explicitly permitted their use.
• Respect the confidentiality of interview questions and tasks. Sharing these with other applicants may undermine fairness in the admissions process and if proven could result in disqualification.

For online interviews, dental schools may take steps to check that applicants are completing the interview independently. Where there are concerns about the use of unauthorised assistance, applicants may be asked to clarify the circumstances. Breaches of interview rules may result in disqualification, in accordance with the dental school’s admissions policies.

Interviews are an opportunity to demonstrate your communication skills, judgement and understanding of the responsibilities involved in becoming a dental professional. Applicants should prepare thoroughly but ensure that their responses reflect their own knowledge and abilities.

Students from a dental school outside the UK are unable to transfer into a programme in a UK dental school. This is because international programmes follow their local regulatory requirements which are likely to differ from those in the UK.