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University of Liverpool

UCAS Code: A200 | Bachelor of Dental Surgery - BDS

Entry requirements

A level

A,A,A

AAA in 3 A levels (including Chemistry and Biology) taken at one sitting after two years of study. A level Chemistry and Biology are required. The third subject may be from the Arts or Sciences. General Studies, Critical Thinking and Vocational/Applied A levels are not accepted. Requirements in respect of GCSEs must also be met (for further information please read the admissions information on the following web page: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/dentistry/study/undergraduate/bachelorofdentalsurgery2025entrya200/). For applicants from England: For Science A levels that include the separately graded practical endorsement, a Pass is required.. Applicants must complete the UCAT by the appropriate closing date for year of entry.

Access to HE Diploma

D:45

Further information will be requested from the applicant at the time of application to ensure the Access Course being taken meets the required academic criteria. Not all Access Courses meet the required entry criteria. We consider Access Courses to be suitable for adult learners who should normally have been out of education for at least 5 years. We do not consider Access Courses to be appropriate for students who have failed to achieve the necessary A level grades in the last 5 years. At least 5 GCSE subjects at grade B/grade 6 including Maths, English Language and a Science; if Dual Science has not been taken Biology GCSE is required. Vocational/Applied GCSEs such as BTECs, Cambridge Nationals etc. are not accepted. Functional skills qualifications will not be considered in place of GCSEs. The GCSE requirements should be in place at the time of application. We are unable to consider pending grades at GCSE level. Applicants offering Access to Higher Education Diplomas should present from courses with a minimum of 12 units in Biology and 12 units in Chemistry content at Level 3. Candidates are expected to achieve a distinction in 45 credits at level 3. We would expect the equivalent of a score of 80% to be achieved overall. The Access Course should be completed in one year. Students are required to begin our BDS course within 2 years of completing their Access programme. Only the first full Access qualification awarded will be considered. We do not accept online or distance learning Access courses.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

Applicants who have not taken GCSEs are required to have completed equivalent qualifications and to have achieved the equivalent to the below in terms of subjects and grades. A minimum of 8 GCSEs to include at least 5 subjects at grade A/grade 7 and 3 at grade B/grade 6. Applicants are required to have achieved a minimum of grade B/grade 6 in English Language, Maths and Science; if Dual Science has not been taken Biology GCSE is required. Vocational/Applied GCSEs such as BTECs, Cambridge Nationals etc. are not accepted. We do not accept GCSE Maths Numeracy. Applicants should distinguish between full and short courses on their application form. Two short courses will be counted in lieu of one full course. The GCSE requirements should be in place at the time of application. We are unable to consider pending grades at GCSE level.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

36

36 Points with 6 in Higher level Chemistry and Biology

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H1,H1,H2,H2,H2,H2

H1, H1, H2, H2, H2, H2 including H1 in Chemistry and Biology. Junior Cycle results are also taken into account and all applicants would be required to have a minimum of 5 subjects at Distinction and 3 at Higher Merit including Maths, English Language and Science; if separate Science qualifications have been completed Biology at a minimum of Higher Merit is required.

Scottish Advanced Higher

A,A

AAAAA at Higher level and AA at Advanced Higher level including Chemistry and Biology. National 5 qualifications are also taken into account and all applicants would be required to have a minimum of 5 subjects at grade A and 3 at grade B including Maths, English Language and Science; if separate Science qualifications have been completed Biology at a minimum of a grade B is required.

Scottish Higher

A,A,A,A,A

AAAAA at Higher level and AA at Advanced Higher level including Chemistry and Biology. National 5 qualifications are also taken into account and all applicants would be required to have a minimum of 5 subjects at grade A and 3 at grade B including Maths, English Language and Science; if separate Science qualifications have been completed Biology at a minimum of a grade B is required.

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (last awarded Summer 2024)

A

Will be accepted in place of one A level, in addition to Biology and Chemistry A levels.

UCAS Tariff

112-165

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About this course

Course option

5years

Full-time | 2026

Subject

Pre-clinical dentistry

This innovative programme has been specifically designed to facilitate the development of real-world clinical, team working, and leadership skills, along with essential personal growth. The BDS programme embraces the University’s hallmarks of active learning, confidence, authentic assessment, and research-connected teaching, as well as having many notable and unique design elements.

The programme shares a three year Collaborative Learning Core (CLC) with dental therapy students, where learning and collaborating in teams builds mutual respect and understanding of the varied roles of the dental team. The remaining two years of the programme will prepare you to undertake the scope of practice of a Dentist.

Components within the programme are closely integrated and provide clear steps for you to develop, integrate and demonstrate your skills before building to the next level of clinical capability. Clinical experience commences in the first year of the programme and is underpinned by aligned medical and anatomical knowledge; communication skills; professionalism; ethics and clinical safety.

During the programme, you will also have opportunities to experience and develop your skills in a primary care setting and engage with the local community. Quality improvement projects are also included in the programme to ensure an in-depth understanding of clinical governance.

Learning and assessment are supported by state-of-the-art technology to provide a personalised mechanism for monitoring your progress and allowing you to take control of your own learning.
Through embedding continuous personal development within the curriculum, you will understand the importance of self-reflection, goal setting and on-going professional development, an ethos aimed at ensuring that you will be prepared for the demands of both the profession and life after University.

Please note that all applicants are required to sit the UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) in the year of application.

Prior to applying for a place on the Bachelor of Dental Surgery BDS course, applicants should read the admissions information on the following web page:
https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/dentistry/study/undergraduate/bachelorofdentalsurgery2025entrya200/

The Uni

Course location:

University of Liverpool

Department:

Undergraduate Dentistry

Read full university profile

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

98%
Pre-clinical dentistry

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Dentistry

Teaching and learning

88%
Staff make the subject interesting
96%
Staff are good at explaining things
83%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
94%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

75%
Library resources
90%
IT resources
90%
Course specific equipment and facilities
68%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

99%
UK students
1%
International students
44%
Male students
56%
Female students

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
D
C

After graduation

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Dentistry

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£35,000
med
Average annual salary
90%
low
Employed or in further education
100%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

100%
Health professionals

If you want a stable, well-paid career, then dentistry is an excellent choice. Starting salaries rival those for medicine, almost all graduates get jobs in dentistry on leaving their course and there are roles all around the country. It is a pretty select course, with only a little over a thousand graduates a year, but for that group, the rewards can be excellent.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Dentistry

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£39k

£39k

£51k

£51k

£53k

£53k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here