Future Doc offers personalised 1-on-1 support for dentistry applicants, covering UCAT preparation, personal statements, university selection, and interview preparation.
Learn About Future DocA 3-year BDS programme exclusively for qualified UK doctors pursuing careers in oral and maxillofacial surgery or oral medicine/pathology
HOW WE BUILT THIS
We compile these profiles from each university's own published admissions pages and review them monthly. Entry requirements do change mid-cycle, and universities sometimes publish updates without announcing them.
Use this page to get oriented quickly, build your shortlist, and work out which questions to ask — then confirm the specifics that your application depends on (grades, admissions test, fees, eligibility) directly with the university before you apply. If you spot something that looks out of date, tell us and we will check it.
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Entry year covered: 2027
Important: This programme is exclusively for qualified doctors registered with the UK General Medical Council who have completed Foundation Years 1 and 2. It is not open to overseas fee payers.
KCL DPMG Dentistry offers a specialist route into dental school with its own admissions criteria. This guide covers the entry requirements, eligibility, and application process for 2027 entry.
The King's College London Faculty of Dentistry offers a unique 3-year Dentistry Entry Programme for Medical Graduates (DPMG), designed exclusively for qualified doctors who wish to pursue a career in either oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) or oral medicine/pathology.
This highly specialised programme recognises the extensive medical training already completed by applicants, allowing them to obtain a dental qualification in just 3 years. Combined with their medical degree, this dual qualification opens the pathway to specialist training in OMFS or oral medicine.
Career Focus: This programme is specifically designed for doctors committed to pursuing careers in oral and maxillofacial surgery or oral medicine/pathology. Applicants must demonstrate a firm commitment to these career paths.
| Route | UCAS Code | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Dentistry Entry Programme for Medical Graduates (this page) | A204 | 3 years |
| Dentistry BDS (standard entry) | Also offered by King's. Code and length not verified here — check King's course finder | |
| Graduate/Professional Entry Programme (GPEP) | Also offered by King's for biosciences graduates. Code and length not verified here — check King's course finder | |
Only the A204 code and its three-year duration are verified from King's own course page, which lists "UCAS code: A204 · Duration: Three years · Start date: September 2027". We do not publish the other codes because we have not seen them in King's own source.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Medical Qualification | Qualified doctor registered with the UK General Medical Council (GMC) |
| Training Completed | Must have completed Foundation Years 1 and 2 (FY1 and FY2) |
| Career Intention | Must wish to pursue a career in oral and maxillofacial surgery or oral medicine/pathology |
| Fee Status | Not open to Overseas fee payers |
As this programme is for qualified medical graduates, there are no A-Level, GCSE, or admissions test requirements. Your medical qualification and experience are the basis for assessment.
"The DPMG at King's College London is a highly specialised programme for doctors who are absolutely committed to a career in oral and maxillofacial surgery or oral medicine. King's does not publish how many places there are — only that there are "a small number" — and it is extremely competitive. For those with a clear vision for their career in these specialties, it's an exceptional opportunity to obtain the dual qualification needed for OMFS training."
— Dr. Ash, Future Doc
Your personal statement is an important factor in the assessment of your application. KCL are looking for:
KCL uses panel interviews for the DPMG programme. Interviews take place in person before a panel of three interviewers, who are a mix of faculty and Admissions staff. This format allows the panel to assess your suitability in depth.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | In-person panel interview before three interviewers (a mix of faculty and Admissions staff) |
| What's Assessed | Commitment to OMFS/oral medicine career, motivation, communication skills, understanding of the specialty |
| Personal Statement | Used in application assessment |
| Number of stations | Not applicable. This is a single panel interview, not an MMI circuit, so there is no station count |
| Mitigating circumstances | A "fit-to-sit" policy applies. King's cannot take mitigating circumstances into account for interview performance — raise any issue with the Admissions team at the time |
| Deferred entry | Not considered for this programme |
| Clearance required | Offers and continued enrolment are subject to a satisfactory Enhanced DBS check and Occupational Health clearance |
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Places available | Not published as a number. King's states only that "there are a small number of spaces available for this programme" |
| Annual applications | Not published |
| Applications per place | Not published |
| Ring-fenced places for King's graduates | None. All applicants are treated equally regardless of where they completed their medical degree |
| Admissions test threshold | Not applicable. The UCAT is not required and applicants are told not to sit it |
Candidates are expected to demonstrate a firm commitment to a career in either oral and maxillofacial surgery or oral medicine/pathology. With a small, unpublished number of places and no test score to differentiate on, your personal statement and the panel interview carry almost the whole weight of the decision.
Not Accepted
This programme is not open to Overseas fee payers. You must be a qualified doctor registered with the UK GMC.
If you are a doctor interested in dentistry but not specifically committed to OMFS or oral medicine, you may wish to consider the KCL Graduate/Professional Entry Programme (GPEP) if you meet the biosciences degree requirements, or other graduate entry dentistry programmes at UK dental schools.
A contextual offer is an adjustment a university makes for applicants whose circumstances have made their education harder than the grades alone suggest. Universities use them because they recognise that two students with the same predicted grades have not always had the same run at them. They are a formal, published part of the admissions process — not a favour, and not something you have to argue for.
What the adjustment actually is varies by school, and it matters more than most applicants realise. Depending on where you apply, qualifying can mean: a lower grade offer; being ranked against other widening participation applicants rather than the whole field; a guaranteed or prioritised interview; a lower admissions test threshold or extra shortlisting points; relaxed GCSE or subject requirements; or access to a separate gateway or foundation year route.
King's publishes no contextual admissions, widening participation, K+ or access scheme for this course. Nothing appears on the A204 course page or its entry requirements page. King's does run contextual admissions and the K+ access programme at institutional level, but neither is applied to the Dentistry Entry Programme for Medical Graduates.
That is not an oversight, and it is worth understanding why. A204 is only open to qualified doctors who are registered with the UK General Medical Council and have completed Foundation Years 1 and 2. Every applicant has already been through a medical degree and two years of practice. The school-leaver flags that contextual admissions is built from — postcode, school performance, free school meals, first generation to university — have no mechanism to attach to here, because there are no predicted A-level grades to reduce and no admissions test threshold to lower.
If widening participation support matters to your route into dentistry, the place to look at King's is the five-year BDS or the Graduate/Professional Entry Programme, not this course.
| How it helps | What that means for you |
|---|---|
| No admissions test to clear | King's states explicitly: "applicants are not required to sit the UCAT aptitude test prior to applying to this programme". There is no test fee, no test threshold, and no test preparation cost. |
| No A-level or GCSE requirement | Your medical qualification and Foundation training are the basis of assessment. School-level grades do not come into it. |
| No ring-fenced places for King's own graduates | King's states there are no ring-fenced places for its own graduates and "all applicants are treated equally", wherever you did your medical degree. |
| Contextual offer, lower test threshold, guaranteed interview or WP pool | Not published for A204. |
For a side-by-side comparison, see every UK medical and dental school's widening participation scheme.
| Fee Status | Annual Tuition |
|---|---|
| Home (UK) students | £10,050 — the UK government fee cap for 2027/28. King's has not yet published its own 2027-entry figure |
| Overseas / International students | Not applicable. Applicants with Overseas fee status are ineligible for this programme |
King's published tuition fee page states that "Home fees for students based in the UK are set at £9,790 for new students starting in September 2026" and does not yet publish a 2027-entry figure. The £10,050 above is the statutory England cap announced for the 2027/28 academic year, subject to Parliamentary approval. Confirm the figure with King's before you commit. Checked October 2026.
As a three-year accelerated course for doctors who already hold a degree, your student finance entitlement will not be the same as a first-degree student's. Check your position with Student Finance England before you apply.
The 3-year DPMG programme is an accelerated dental degree that recognises your existing medical qualification:
Introduction to dental sciences, oral anatomy, and early clinical skills development. Building on your medical knowledge with dental-specific training.
Increased clinical exposure and patient contact. Developing proficiency in dental procedures and patient management.
Comprehensive clinical practice preparing you for independent dental practice. Focus on complex cases and integration of your medical and dental knowledge.
After completing the DPMG and obtaining your BDS, you will have both medical and dental qualifications, essential for pursuing specialist training in:
Applying to dental school requires more than meeting the minimum entry requirements. Here are practical steps to strengthen your application:
For an overview of all UK dental schools and how they compare, see the UK Dental Schools hub page.
No, you must have completed Foundation Years 1 and 2 before you can be considered for this programme. This ensures you have the necessary clinical experience and GMC registration.
No, there is no admissions test requirement for the DPMG programme. Your application is assessed based on your medical qualifications, experience, personal statement, and interview performance.
This programme is specifically designed for doctors committed to careers in oral and maxillofacial surgery or oral medicine/pathology. If you have different career intentions, you should consider other graduate entry dentistry programmes such as the KCL GPEP or programmes at other UK dental schools.
King's does not publish a place number — its entry requirements page says only that there are "a small number of spaces available" — and the programme is highly competitive. With no admissions test to differentiate candidates, you will need a genuine and well-informed commitment to a career in OMFS or oral medicine and an excellent panel interview.
No, this programme is not open to Overseas fee payers. You must be a qualified doctor registered with the UK General Medical Council.
Most applicants treat the dental school application as a series of separate hurdles: the UCAT, personal statement, work experience, university selection, and interviews. They try to solve each one independently. This creates a fragmented approach where the pieces never add up.
Future Doc works differently. Through the Predictable Offer Protocol, a dedicated coach who knows your complete profile coordinates every element of your application as one interconnected system. Every decision is made with the full picture in mind.
The result: 93% of our students receive at least one offer. If they don't, they come back next year for free.
Find Out How It Works
Last updated: February 2026. Information verified against King's College London admissions pages and Dental Schools Council guidance.
Stay ahead of the competition with our application updates
Copyright Future Doc 2025
