Liverpool dental school: BDS entry requirements

University of Liverpool School of Dentistry, Liverpool. 2 dentistry programmes for 2027 entry, plus 2 hygiene/therapy programmes. 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 in 3 A levels taken at one sitting, after two years of study.
Admissions test	UCAT
Interview	Multiple mini interview

Entry requirements — 2027 entry

Dental Surgery BDS (A200) — 5 years

Standard Entry Dentistry

A levels / Scottish Highers	AAA in 3 A levels taken at one sitting, after two years of study. Biology and Chemistry are essential and the third subject may be from the Arts or Sciences. General Studies, Critical Thinking and Vocational/Applied A levels are not accepted. For Science A levels that include the separately graded practical endorsement, a Pass is required. AAAAA at Higher level and AA at Advanced Higher level including Chemistry and Biology.
GCSEs / Scottish Nationals	A minimum of 8 GCSEs to include at least five subjects at grade A/7 and three at grade B/6. Grade B/6 or above should be achieved in English Language, Maths and Science. Vocational/Applied GCSEs are not accepted.
International Baccalaureate	36 points including at least 6 in Higher level Chemistry and Biology.
Access to HE Diploma / BTEC	Do not accept BTEC qualifications. Applicants offering Access to HE Diplomas should present from courses with 12 credits in Biology and 12 credits in Chemistry at Level 3. Candidates are expected to achieve a distinction in 45 credits at level 3. At least 5 GCSE subjects at grade B/6 including Maths, English Language and a Science subject. Vocational/ Applied GCSEs are not accepted.
Degree (graduate applicants)	Degree in any subject at a minimum of a 2:1 classification. Those with a degree that is not classified (MBChB etc.) should have achieved an overall grade of 70% or above. A minimum of 3 A levels at grade ABB or above including Chemistry and Biology. A minimum of 7 GCSEs at grade B/grade 6 or above including Maths, English Language and a Science subject.
Admissions test	UCAT
Personal statement	The personal statement is not used to shortlist for interview but may be referred to during interview. Applicants that meet our academic criteria will be sent a Non-Academic questionnaire to complete.
Interview method	Multiple mini interview
Work experience	Please refer to our page on Work Experience.
Resit policy	Resits are accepted for GCSE subjects but the results are to be in place at the time of application. We will only consider A level resits for applicants who narrowly fail to meet our academic criteria because their education and/or examination performance was affected by significant extenuating circumstances. We would not consider an applicant who achieved less than BBB at the first A level sitting for BDS and BBC for DT. Applicants must read the webpage for further details on submitting extenuating circumstances.
Widening participation	Applicants that meet the university contextual criteria are given additional consideration when being considered for interview. Applicants that are to be made an offer will be given a 2-grade reduction (ABB). See website for details.

Foundation to Health and Veterinary Studies (Year 0) (0AAW) — 1 year (allows progression to BDS)

Dentistry with a Gateway Year

A levels / Scottish Highers	Please note that we will not consider A-Level students or school leavers. However, consideration may be given to candidates who studied some time ago.
GCSEs / Scottish Nationals	5 GCSE subjects at Grade B (Numerical Grade 6) to include: Mathematics, English Language and either Biology, Chemistry or Physics, Core and additional Science or Dual Science Award.
International Baccalaureate	N/A
Admissions test	N/A
Personal statement	Applicants must demonstrate motivation and commitment to a career in dentistry.
Interview method	Face to face multiple mini-interviews
Work experience	Please refer to our page on Work Experience.
Resit policy	Resits are accepted for GCSE subjects but the results are to be in place at the time of application. This course is aimed at mature students that have not usually completed A levels.
Widening participation	Designed for mature students who have typically been out of formal education for a number of years and not completed A levels. Applicants that meet the university contextual criteria are given additional consideration when being considered for interview. See website for details. Only open mature students from the UK who have typically been out of formal education for some time or who have taken non- traditional qualifications.

How Liverpool 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 Liverpool

Liverpool also runs 2 dental care professional programmes. 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 Therapy (B750) · 3 years — 3 A levels at grades ABB or above one of which must be Biology.
BAAW Foundation to Human and Animal Health Professions (Dental Therapy) (Year 0) · 1 year — Please note that we will not consider A-Level students or school leavers.

DFT schemes nearest Liverpool

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
Cheshire and Merseyside Scheme	Liverpool	20	2 km
Greater Manchester North Scheme	Bolton	21	40 km
Lancashire and South Cumbria Scheme	Preston	20	43 km
2 Year Joint DFT & DCT Scheme	Manchester (NW-wide)	18	46 km
Central Scheme	Manchester	21	49 km

🗺 See this school and its DFT schemes on the map

Liverpool dentistry: common questions

What A level grades does Liverpool need for dentistry?

AAA in 3 A levels taken at one sitting, after two years of study.

What GCSEs does Liverpool require for dentistry?

A minimum of 8 GCSEs to include at least five subjects at grade A/7 and three at grade B/6.

Does Liverpool use the UCAT?

Yes — the UCAT.

Is the Liverpool dentistry interview an MMI or a panel?

Multiple mini interview — as recorded by the Dental Schools Council for 2027 entry.

Does Liverpool accept A level resits for dentistry?

Resits are accepted for GCSE subjects but the results are to be in place at the time of application.

Which DFT scheme is nearest Liverpool?

Cheshire and Merseyside Scheme, based in Liverpool, about 2 km away with 20 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 Liverpool:

Part of all UK dental schools · recruitment timelines · what training pays