Birmingham dental school: BDS entry requirements
Birmingham School of Dentistry, Birmingham. 1 dentistry programme for 2027 entry, plus 1 hygiene/therapy programme. Entry requirements, admissions test, interview format and resit policy below, as published by the Dental Schools Council.
| UCAS code | A200 |
| Course length | 5 years |
| Typical A level offer | AAA at A level including Biology and Chemistry plus one other subject. |
| Admissions test | UCAT |
| Interview | Multiple mini-interviews. |
Entry requirements — 2027 entry
BDS Dental Surgery (A200) — 5 years
Standard Entry Dentistry
| A levels / Scottish Highers | AAA at A level including Biology and Chemistry plus one other subject. All A levels need to be taken concurrently over a maximum of 2 years. AAAAA at Highers or AB Advanced Highers plus AA Highers, including Chemistry and Biology. |
| GCSEs / Scottish Nationals | GCSEs to include 7 or above in Mathematics, 7 or above in English Language OR Literature, 8 or above in Biology and 8 or above in Chemistry. |
| International Baccalaureate | 32 points with grade 6 in Higher Level Chemistry and Biology, plus one other subject at 6. |
| Degree (graduate applicants) | 2:1 in a full 3 year honours degree (e.g. BSc) in a health sciences related field plus A levels in Biology and Chemistry plus one other subject with ABB or higher. BBB will be considered if a 1st is achieved in degree |
| Admissions test | UCAT |
| Personal statement | The personal statement will be assessed for motivation and commitment to study Dentistry. |
| Interview method | Multiple mini-interviews. |
| Work experience | Please refer to our page on Work Experience. |
| Resit policy | No |
| Widening participation | Please see our website for information on widening participation. Please see webpage for full information on contextual offers, reduced academic requirements are available for students enrolled on a recognised Widening Participation course. Contextual Offers are 1 grade below standard offer at A level. |
How Birmingham uses the UCAT
UCAT
The UCAT Consortium does not publish a central table of how each school scores the test, and this site does not publish unsourced cut-off scores. Check the admissions pages linked below for the current threshold or ranking method. Preliminary UCAT mean scores and deciles are published each September; since 2025 the test has no Abstract Reasoning section, so the maximum is 2700, not 3600.
Dental hygiene and therapy at Birmingham
Birmingham also runs 1 dental care professional programme. These train hygienists and therapists, not dentists, and do not lead to the BDS. See every GDC-approved therapy and hygiene course in the UK, with approval status.
- BSc Dental Hygiene and Therapy (B750) · 3 years — ABB at A Level, including Biology.
DFT schemes nearest Birmingham
Dental Foundation Training is the year every UK graduate does next. These are the 5 DFT schemes closest to the school, with their post counts — allocation is national and by ranked preference, so proximity is context, not entitlement.
| Scheme | Base | Posts | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longitudinal 2 year Joint DFT & DCT Scheme | Birmingham (WM-wide) | 10 | 5 km |
| Birmingham and Solihull Scheme | Birmingham/Solihull | 15 | 6 km |
| Birmingham and Black Country Scheme | West Bromwich | 14 | 10 km |
| Coventry and Warwickshire Scheme | Coventry | 15 | 27 km |
| Herefordshire and Worcestershire Scheme | Worcester | 15 | 35 km |
🗺 See this school and its DFT schemes on the map
Birmingham dentistry: common questions
What A level grades does Birmingham need for dentistry?
AAA at A level including Biology and Chemistry plus one other subject.
What GCSEs does Birmingham require for dentistry?
GCSEs to include 7 or above in Mathematics, 7 or above in English Language OR Literature, 8 or above in Biology and 8 or above in Chemistry.
Does Birmingham use the UCAT?
Yes — the UCAT.
Is the Birmingham dentistry interview an MMI or a panel?
Multiple mini-interviews — as recorded by the Dental Schools Council for 2027 entry.
Does Birmingham accept A level resits for dentistry?
No — as recorded by the Dental Schools Council for 2027 entry.
Which DFT scheme is nearest Birmingham?
Longitudinal 2 year Joint DFT & DCT Scheme, based in Birmingham (WM-wide), about 5 km away with 10 posts. DFT allocation is national and by ranked preference, so proximity is context, not entitlement.
Sources
Entry requirements above are as published by the Dental Schools Council, Entry requirements for UK and Ireland dental schools — 2027 entry, collated directly from admissions staff and checked on 8 Sep 2026. Requirements change every cycle — confirm on the school's own page before applying.
Admissions pages for Birmingham:
- https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/subjects/dentistry-courses/dental-surgery-bds
- https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/university/colleges/mds/outreach-widening-participation/about-outr
- https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/apply/how-we-make-offers
Part of all UK dental schools · recruitment timelines · what training pays