Sheffield dental school: BDS entry requirements
University of Sheffield School of Clinical Dentistry, Sheffield. 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 including Chemistry and Biology + pass in the practical element of any science A Levels taken. |
| Admissions test | UCAT |
| Interview | Semi-Structured Panel Interview with additional Interpersonal skills test. |
Entry requirements — 2027 entry
Dental Surgery BDS (A200) — 5 years
Standard Entry Dentistry
| A levels / Scottish Highers | AAA including Chemistry and Biology + pass in the practical element of any science A Levels taken. A Levels + additional qualifications AAB, including AA in Chemistry and Biology + B in Dentistry or health-related EPQ (EPQ and A Levels must be taken in the same sitting to receive the alternative offer). Scottish Highers + 2 Advanced Highers AAABB + AA in Chemistry and Biology |
| GCSEs / Scottish Nationals | 6 GCSEs at grade 7/A including English, Maths and Science. |
| International Baccalaureate | 36 points with 6 in Higher Level Chemistry and Biology. |
| Access to HE Diploma / BTEC | Access to HE Diploma Award of Access to HE Diploma in a relevant subject, with 45 credits at Level 3, including 39 at Distinction (all in Chemistry and Biology units), and 6 at Merit. BTEC Extended Diploma D*DD in Applied Science including Distinctions in Chemistry and Biology units. BTEC Diploma DD in Applied Science + A at A Level in either Chemistry or Biology (BTEC units must cover sufficient Chemistry or Biology, depending on the A Level subject taken). |
| Degree (graduate applicants) | 2:1 honours in science and related degrees. |
| Admissions test | UCAT |
| Personal statement | Used as a screening tool for interview. |
| Interview method | Semi-Structured Panel Interview with additional Interpersonal skills test. |
| Work experience | Please refer to the career exploration section on our admissions and selection process page. |
| Resit policy | For GCSEs, resits are allowed. For A-Levels, please read our A Level resit policy on our admissions and selection process page (under academic record) |
| Widening participation | For applicants who meet our Access+ criteria or participants of Access to Sheffield (Dentistry), our standard offer is AAB including Chemistry and Biology + pass in the practical element of any science A Levels taken. If you do not meet this criteria in your first sitting, we would encourage a direct conversation with the School before applying. Please see the website for details on Access Sheffield. We recognise that some applicants may have faced challenging extenuating circumstances that affected their ability to achieve the grades they were expecting. Where this is the case, we would welcome those students to contact the School for further advice. |
How Sheffield 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 Sheffield
Sheffield 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.
- Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy (A900) · 3 years — ABB including Biology + pass in the practical element of any science A Levels taken.
DFT schemes nearest Sheffield
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area 3 | Sheffield — South Yorkshire patch (verified from scheme doc) | 34 | 2 km |
| Area 2/3 Joint DFT & DCT Run-through Scheme | Wakefield (Areas 2/3 patch) | 3 | 34 km |
| Greater Manchester South Scheme | Stockport | 21 | 44 km |
| Area 2 | Leeds — West Yorkshire patch (verified from scheme doc) | 21 | 47 km |
| Joint DFT & DCT Scheme | Leeds (Y&H-wide) | 8 | 48 km |
🗺 See this school and its DFT schemes on the map
Sheffield dentistry: common questions
What A level grades does Sheffield need for dentistry?
AAA including Chemistry and Biology + pass in the practical element of any science A Levels taken.
What GCSEs does Sheffield require for dentistry?
6 GCSEs at grade 7/A including English, Maths and Science.
Does Sheffield use the UCAT?
Yes — the UCAT.
Is the Sheffield dentistry interview an MMI or a panel?
Semi-Structured Panel Interview with additional Interpersonal skills test.
Does Sheffield accept A level resits for dentistry?
For GCSEs, resits are allowed.
Which DFT scheme is nearest Sheffield?
Area 3, based in Sheffield — South Yorkshire patch (verified from scheme doc), about 2 km away with 34 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 Sheffield:
- https://sheffield.ac.uk/dentalschool/undergraduate/dental-surgery-admissions-and-selection-proc
- https://sheffield.ac.uk/access-sheffield
- https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/2025/dental-surgery-bds
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