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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 If you spot something that looks out of date, tell us and we will check it.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
Considering KCL Dentistry? Below is a complete breakdown of entry requirements, admissions criteria, and interview details for the 2026 application cycle.
King's College London Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences is one of the most prestigious dental schools in the UK and the world. Based at the iconic Guy's Hospital campus, KCL offers a comprehensive five-year BDS programme with exceptional clinical facilities and research opportunities.
The dental school is part of King's Health Partners, one of the largest academic health science centres in Europe, giving students access to world-class clinical training across multiple hospital sites in London. KCL's location in central London also provides students with exposure to diverse patient populations.
Considering King's College London? Future Doc's Predictable Offer Protocol™ coordinates every element of your application as one interconnected system, from UCAT preparation to university selection to interview readiness. 93% of our students receive at least one offer. Find out how it works.
King's runs several separate dentistry programmes, each with its own UCAS code. This page covers the standard BDS, A205.
| Route | UCAS Code | Length | Who It Is For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dentistry BDS (this page) | A205 | Five years | Standard entry. A*AA. No contextual offers. |
| Enhanced Support Dentistry Programme BDS | A206 | Five years | Applicants who have attended only non-selective state education within a London borough since the age of 11. AAB. |
| Dentistry (Graduate/Professional Entry) BDS | A202 | Four years | Bioscience graduates and registered dental care professionals. |
| Dentistry Entry Programme for Medical Graduates BDS | A204 | Three years | Qualified doctors moving into oral and maxillofacial surgery or oral medicine. |
| Dental Therapy and Hygiene BSc | A900 | Three years | A different qualification, not a dentistry degree. |
King's confirms that "applicants can apply to both A206 (Enhanced Support Dentistry Programme) and this programme via the UCAS application system, if they wish to maximise their chances of studying at King's. However, each application is assessed independently."
| Qualification | Requirement |
|---|---|
| A-Level Grades | A*AA including A in Biology or Chemistry |
| Required Subjects | Biology or Chemistry at grade A, plus grade A in one of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Psychology |
| Excluded Subjects | General Studies, Critical Thinking, Thinking Skills, Global Perspectives not accepted. If Maths used as a required subject, Further Maths cannot be the third A-Level |
| Practical Endorsement | Pass required in practical element of any science A-Levels (linear A-Levels in England) |
| Qualification | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Highers + Advanced Highers | AAB at Higher in one sitting and AA at Advanced Higher |
| Required Subjects | Must include grade A in Advanced Higher Biology or Chemistry, plus grade A in an additional Advanced Higher in one of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics or Psychology |
| Important Note | Higher and Advanced Higher in the same subject are not counted together |
KCL has straightforward GCSE requirements:
Note: Scottish Nationals (Intermediate 2/Standard Credit Grade 1 or 2/National 5 with B) accepted if not studying at Higher/Advanced Higher level.
All applicants to King's College London Dentistry must sit the UCAT in the same year they apply. The UCAT score is a key component in the selection process.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Admissions Test | UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test) |
| Cut-off Score | Not published. King's states: "King's does not have a threshold UCAT score in any particular year, as it is dependent upon the range of scores received each cohort." |
| How UCAT is Used | "The overall UCAT score averaged across the four subtests is given more consideration than the individual subtest scores, and the Situational Judgement Test (SJT) is also taken into account when shortlisting." |
| Mitigating Circumstances | "We are unable to consider mitigating circumstances related to the UCAT." Access Arrangements go through the UCAT, not through King's. |
| Shortlisting Order | Applications are ranked on GCSE/IGCSE performance, UCAT score and contextual information. The rest of the application — grades, personal statement, reference — is reviewed afterwards. |
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Applications received | Just under 1,000 |
| Applicants interviewed | Nearly 350 |
| Offers made | Around 160 Home-fee-paying and 15 Overseas-fee-paying |
| UCAT cut-off | Not published |
Figures published by King's on the BDS entry requirements page for "the most recent admissions cycle for which we have complete data". By comparison, the Enhanced Support Dentistry Programme (A206) received approximately 200 applications, interviewed approximately 40 applicants and made around 18 offers.
"King's College London is one of the most competitive dental schools in the UK, with high academic requirements including the A* at A-Level. The London location means you'll get incredibly diverse clinical experience, but you'll need a strong UCAT score and genuine insight into dentistry to stand out. Make sure your personal statement clearly demonstrates your commitment to the profession."
— Dr. Ash, Future Doc
Note on UCAT scores: The UCAT format changed in July 2025 with the removal of Abstract Reasoning, reducing the maximum score from 3,600 to 2,700. Cut-off scores from previous years may not directly apply to the current format. The competitiveness levels described above are based on relative performance within the applicant pool.
King's College London interviews shortlisted candidates as part of the selection process. For 2026 entry, interviews are conducted remotely with a panel of two interviewers, assessing your motivation, values, communication and suitability for the profession.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Remote (online) panel interview with two interviewers |
| What's Assessed | Communication, ethical reasoning, manual dexterity, problem-solving, motivation for dentistry |
| Personal Statement | Used in assessment - must demonstrate commitment to and realistic appreciation of dentistry |
KCL uses the personal statement as one of the factors in the overall assessment of your application. They are looking particularly for evidence of:
Preparing for your King's College London interview? Future Doc's Think Like a Doctor™ module includes university-specific practice, high-pressure simulations, and an intensive In-Person Interview Day. Our near-100% interview-to-offer conversion rate reflects months of preparation across the full application, not just last-minute coaching. Learn more.
King's College London expects applicants to demonstrate insight into the dental profession. While they recognise that obtaining clinical work experience can be challenging, they look for evidence of your commitment.
Yes
King's College London considers applicants resitting their Level 3 qualifications for the first time (completing A-Levels within three years). Second-time resitters are usually only considered where there are mitigating circumstances. Check the KCL website for full details.
Yes
Re-applicants are welcome to apply again. You should demonstrate how your application has improved since your previous attempt and show continued commitment to dentistry.
Accepted
International students can apply to the BDS programme. International fees apply and places may be limited. Check the KCL website for current international fee information and any specific requirements for international applicants.
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 does something different from most schools, and it catches applicants out. It does not make contextual offers on the standard BDS at all. Instead it routes widening participation applicants to a separate programme: the Enhanced Support Dentistry Programme, UCAS code A206.
King's is blunt about this on the A205 page: "We do not make contextual offers for this programme, and all applicants will be required to meet the standard entry requirements." And the university-wide contextual scheme — which gives up to two A-level grades lower to other King's courses — explicitly excludes this faculty: "Students applying for our MBBS courses or courses in the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences are not eligible for contextual offers."
To be eligible for the Enhanced Support Dentistry Programme (A206), you must meet all of these:
King's K+ widening participation students are the exception to the London borough requirement.
If you meet those conditions, King's will not lower the grades it asks of you on the standard BDS — it will instead let you apply to a different five-year BDS whose published entry requirement is a grade lower, with extra academic and pastoral support built in.
| How it helps | What that means for you |
|---|---|
| A lower published entry requirement (A206) | AAB with grade A in Biology or Chemistry plus grade B in one of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths or Psychology — against A*AA with grade A in both for the standard BDS. |
| A lower IB requirement (A206) | 35 points overall (or aggregate 17 from three Higher Levels), with HL 6 in Chemistry or Biology and HL 5 in a second subject — against 38 points (or aggregate 19) with HL 6 in both for A205. |
| A far smaller field | A206 received approximately 200 applications and made around 18 offers in the most recent complete cycle. A205 received just under 1,000 and made around 175. You are competing against a different, smaller group. |
| You can hold both | You may apply to A205 and A206 through UCAS. Each application is assessed independently, so check the requirements for both. |
| Contextual information still counts on A205 | Even without a contextual offer, "applications are ranked based on GCSE/IGCSE performance, UCAT score and contextual information", and further contextual consideration is reviewed to finalise interview eligibility. King's does not publish how much weight it carries. |
| Enhanced support once you are in | A206 is an enhanced-support programme, not just a lower offer. The academic and pastoral scaffolding is part of the design. |
Every school does this differently, and the differences are worth knowing before you build your shortlist — see every UK medical and dental school's widening participation scheme.
| Fee Status | Annual Tuition |
|---|---|
| Home (UK) | £10,050 |
| Overseas / International | £66,800 |
| Overseas deposit | £5,000 |
The Overseas figure is the one published on King's own Dentistry BDS fees page, which carries a September 2027 start date. King's has not separately published a Home fee for 2027 entry — its undergraduate tuition fees page still covers September 2026 entry at £9,790 — so the £10,050 above is the statutory England fee cap for 2027/28, which King's policy is to charge. Confirm both figures with King's before you apply: kcl.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/dentistry-bds/fees.
Additional costs King's lists for this course include a DBS check (around £50) and ongoing DBS subscription (around £13 a year), travel between campuses in years 4 and 5 (up to around £200 a year), initial funding of placement travel that can be claimed back (around £2,375 for Portsmouth or £98 for West Norwood), and GDC registration in your graduation year.
The BDS programme at King's College London is an integrated curriculum combining scientific learning with clinical experience from early in the course:
Core biomedical sciences integrated with early clinical skills. Students learn anatomy, physiology, oral biology and begin developing clinical skills in state-of-the-art simulation facilities at Guy's Campus.
Increasing patient contact across multiple hospital sites. Students treat patients under supervision, developing skills across all areas of dentistry including restorative, oral surgery, orthodontics and paediatrics.
Extensive clinical practice preparing students for independent practice. Students manage comprehensive patient care with increasing autonomy, including outreach placements in community settings.
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.
King's publishes no UCAT cut-off, and says so plainly: "King's does not have a threshold UCAT score in any particular year, as it is dependent upon the range of scores received each cohort." Applications are ranked on GCSE/IGCSE performance, UCAT score and contextual information. Your overall UCAT score, averaged across the subtests, carries more weight than any individual subtest, and the SJT is taken into account at shortlisting. King's also cannot consider mitigating circumstances relating to the UCAT.
For 2026 entry, King's College London conducts interviews remotely with a panel of two interviewers. The structured questions assess communication skills, ethical reasoning, motivation for dentistry, and understanding of the profession.
KCL considers first-time resitters (those completing their A-Levels within three years). Second-time resitters are usually only considered where there are mitigating circumstances. Check their website for specific conditions.
No, you need either Biology or Chemistry at grade A (as part of your A*AA), plus grade A in another science subject from Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Psychology. So you could have Chemistry and Physics, or Biology and Mathematics, for example.
Yes, graduates can apply to the standard BDS (A205) programme if they meet the academic requirements. However, graduates with a 2:1 in a bioscience subject may wish to consider the Graduate/Professional Entry Programme (A202), which is a 4-year accelerated course.
Focus on three key areas: achieve strong academics (A*AA with the required subjects), prepare thoroughly for the UCAT to score competitively, and demonstrate genuine insight into dentistry through your personal statement and work experience. Most applicants treat these as separate tasks, which is why the national success rate is just 15%. Future Doc's Predictable Offer Protocol coordinates every element as one interconnected system, which is why 93% of their students receive at least one offer.
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.
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