Bristol dental school: BDS entry requirements
Bristol Dental School, Bristol. 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.
In short: Bristol asks for AAA at A level, IB 36 and the UCAT — with a contextual offer for eligible applicants (2027 entry).
Bristol dentistry entry requirements at a glance (2027 entry)
| UCAS code | A206 |
| Course length | 5 years |
| A levels / Highers | AAA, including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics. |
| GCSEs | GCSEs: Advance numeracy requirement (7/A in GCSE Mathematics or equivalent) and Standard literacy requirement (4/C in GCSE English or equivalent). |
| International Baccalaureate | 36 points overall and 18 at Higher Level, including 6 in Higher Level Chemistry and 6 in Biology, Physics or Mathematics (Analysis and Approaches or… |
| Admissions test | UCAT |
| Interview | On-line, structured interview format. |
| Resits | Resits are accepted in all circumstances. |
| Contextual offer | Applicants identified as being contextually eligible are required to meet conditions two grades below standard entry (AAA/ABB). |
First sentence of each Dental Schools Council field; the full wording is in the tables below.
Entry requirements — 2027 entry
BDS Dentistry (A206) — 5 years
Standard Entry Dentistry
| A levels / Scottish Highers | AAA, including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics. Scottish applicants: Advanced Higher AA including Chemistry and Biology, Physics or Mathematics, plus Higher AAAAB. Graduate applicants: 2:1 degree and BBB at A level in the specified subjects. |
| GCSEs / Scottish Nationals | GCSEs: Advance numeracy requirement (7/A in GCSE Mathematics or equivalent) and Standard literacy requirement (4/C in GCSE English or equivalent). |
| International Baccalaureate | 36 points overall and 18 at Higher Level, including 6 in Higher Level Chemistry and 6 in Biology, Physics or Mathematics (Analysis and Approaches or Applications and Interpretations). |
| Degree (graduate applicants) | 2:1 Honours degree in any subject and BBB at A-level including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics. |
| Admissions test | UCAT |
| Personal statement | We will not be using the personal statements. We may refer to the personal statement and reference to differentiate between applicants with similar academic profiles. In these cases, we use the following criteria: evidence of work experience & motivation and understanding of dentistry; evidence of team work or non- academic achievement; evidence of contribution to society. |
| Interview method | On-line, structured interview format. |
| Work experience | Please refer to our page on Work Experience. |
| Resit policy | Resits are accepted in all circumstances. |
| Widening participation | Please see the university's website for information on widening particupation. Applicants identified as being contextually eligible are required to meet conditions two grades below standard entry (AAA/ABB). Any offers made also reflect this. We do not use contextual data when assessing UCAT or interview. See website for more details. |
Gateway to Dentistry BDS (A208) — 6 years
Dentistry with a Gateway Year
| A levels / Scottish Highers | BBC including B in Biology or Chemistry. Applicants with predicted or achieved grades of AAB or above (or points equivalent), or with A in Chemistry, are not eligible for this course. Advanced Higher: BB including Biology or Chemistry, and Standard Level: BBBBC. Applicants with achieved or predicted Advanced Higher grades of AA, or with Chemistry at A grade, are not eligible for this course. |
| GCSEs / Scottish Nationals | Standard literacy requirement (4 or C in GCSE English or equivalent) and Standard numeracy requirement (4 or C in GCSE Mathematics or equivalent). |
| International Baccalaureate | 29 points overall with 14 at Higher level, including 5 at Higher Level in Biology or Chemistry. Applicants with predicted or achieved grades of 33 points overall including 16 at Higher Level, or with 6 at Higher Level in Chemistry, are not eligible for this course. BTEC offer DMM in Applied Sciences, Medical Sciences or Health and Social Care (Science pathway). Applicants who are taking BTECs plus A-level Chemistry are not eligible for this course. |
| Admissions test | UCAT |
| Personal statement | We no longer use the personal statement as a weighted component of our selection criteria. |
| Interview method | Multiple mini-interviews |
| Work experience | Please refer to our page on Work Experience. |
| Resit policy | Resits are accepted in all circumstances. |
| Widening participation | This course is only open to applicants with certain contextual markers: they must have attended an aspiring state school or have spent time in care or have been eligible for free school meals. Please see the website for information on contextual offers. Only open to UK applicants who meet specific widening participation criteria. |
How Bristol uses the 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 Bristol
Bristol dental hygiene & therapy: 2027 entry requirements →
Bristol 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.
- BDT Dental Therapy (B760) · 3 years — ABB including Biology.
- BDH Dental Hygiene (B770) · 3 years — ABB including Biology.
DFT schemes nearest Bristol
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol and South Cotswold Scheme | Bristol | 9 | 1 km |
| Bath Longitudinal 24 month Scheme | Bath | 1 | 17 km |
| Bath and West Scheme | Bath | 7 | 19 km |
| Newport and East Wales Scheme (HEIW) | Newport | 12 | 31 km |
| Cardiff and Barry Scheme (HEIW) | Cardiff | 11 | 41 km |
🗺 See this school and its DFT schemes on the map
Bristol dentistry: common questions
What A level grades does Bristol need for dentistry?
AAA, including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics.
What GCSEs does Bristol require for dentistry?
GCSEs: Advance numeracy requirement (7/A in GCSE Mathematics or equivalent) and Standard literacy requirement (4/C in GCSE English or equivalent).
Does Bristol use the UCAT?
Yes — the UCAT.
Is the Bristol dentistry interview an MMI or a panel?
On-line, structured interview format.
Does Bristol accept A level resits for dentistry?
Resits are accepted in all circumstances.
Which DFT scheme is nearest Bristol?
Bristol and South Cotswold Scheme, based in Bristol, about 1 km away with 9 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 24 Oct 2026. Requirements change every cycle — confirm on the school's own page before applying.
Admissions pages for Bristol:
Part of all UK dental schools · recruitment timelines · what training pays
Plan your next step
- Compare course requirements — Filter UK dentistry, hygiene and therapy courses and compare published requirements. The matcher does not decide eligibility.
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